Trina talks importance of Southern hip hop

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Earlier this week, Ace Hood discussed the influence the South has had on hip hop over the years. He gave his perspective on the difference between the South and the East Coast. Ace Hood also revealed he was a major fan of Canibus.

Former Slip-N-Slide artist, Trina, recently gave her own opinion about Southern hip hop. Trina feels Southern rappers were not taken seriously until recently. The Diamond Princess said most felt rappers from the South only talked about material things.

However, she feels rappers like T.I. and Rick Ross have changed this opinion. While T.I. and Rick Ross do rap about materialistic things, they also rap about deeper subjects. Their popularity has helped Southern rappers gain more respect in the game.

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Ace Hood explains the difference between East Coast and Dirty South

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

There has been an ongoing debate between New York hip hop and the Southern movement for years now. Rappers have come and gone representing each side. Over the years, the Southern influence has had a profound effect on New York rappers.

Ace Hood has risen in this new era with New York rappers frequently working with Southern acts. In his first music video, there were cameo appearances from Fat Joe and Fabolous. Hood currently has two major hits on the radio.

Promising to re-emerge in 2011, Ace Hood has given his opinion on the difference between the two areas. He said New York rap focuses more on lyrics, while Southern rap focuses more on swagger. Ace quickly said his influence comes from his Florida roots.

However, Ace Hood said he has been influenced by both Lil Wayne and T.I. Surprising to some, Ace Hood said he was a big fan of Canibus.

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J. Cole is reinventing the South

For years, rappers from the South have been trying to prove they are just as good, if not better, than rappers from other parts of the nation. Even with the rap music scene dominated by the likes of Rick Ross and Lil Wayne, people still consider rappers from the mecca, New York City, as the best, overall. Some people feel this is because of the Southern drawl.

Since his return from prison, T.I. has tried to improve his speech, but it is obvious he is from the South. Lil Wayne, on the other hand, raps with a heavy Southern drawl. But, when he talks, he does not have an accent. When J. Cole speaks, he has no drawl and when he raps, he has no drawl. It would take deep listening to tell he is from the South.

The reason J. Cole sounds this way is because of the city he is from. Cole was born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina and the city is home to a military base. The city is located in a rural county on the rural side of North Carolina, but people from all over the world reside in Fayetteville. The city is an international city and living there exposed J. Cole to many different lifestyles. People in Fayetteville do not have much of a drawl and because he grew up listening to Nas and others, he is very lyrical.

However, in cities such as Miami, Atlanta, and New Orleans, the cities have deep ghettos and the population is black people who have lived in the area for decades. J. Cole did not grow up in a city with a deep ghetto, although there is a poor section in the city. Plus, for the past three years, J. Cole has been living in New York City working for Jay-Z. Having been away from the South for this many years has changed the way J. Cole talks and being around rappers from other areas, personally, has changed his style of rap. Despite being from the South, J. Cole has no drawl. But, he still claims the South as where he is from, but he raps for everyone.

Soon, other Southern rappers from similar areas will begin to do the same thing and Southern hip hop will merge into other regions of hip hop and the debate over regions will soon be over. When this happens, hip hop will truly become a music genre in its own right.

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