After seeing such a positive response to the COLORWAYS series on Notes & Melodies, I’ve created a new 4 part series titled REGIONZ! REGIONZ will focus on 4 major regions of the United States and the music that comes from those regions. There will also be a playlist to accompany the brief summary of the unique sound coming from each region. This week, we’re starting with my home, The South.

Andre 3000 said it best at the 1995 Source Awards when he said “The South got something to say.” For the longest amount of time, the rap game was dominated by the East Coast and West Coast rivalries. The South was an underdog in the industry, but once the time came, southern rappers and musicians shot into the spotlight and controlled the tempo of the industry.

What makes the South unique?

The South is known for taking it oh so slow in every sense of the word. The everyday drawl of the region, making words elongated and distorted, is evident from Houston to New Orleans to Atlanta to Memphis to Virginia Beach. The southern drawl is addictive to the ear and pulls the listener in as they try to decipher the meaning behind the music in between thick accents and regional slang like “swangin,” “beaucoup,” “spottieottiedopaliscious,” “trill,” and more.

Southern artists focused on painting vivid images with their music. The music pioneer DJ Screw perfected chopped and screwed music, putting listeners into a drug-reminiscent trance. The Neptunes created soundtracks for youth, vitality, and all things nostalgic from classic lunch table beat to becoming the voice of a seemingly immortal class of young people with rap group N.E.R.D. also known as No One Really Ever Dies. Crime Mob ruled every party playlist, creating songs for the ladies and gents from all walks of life to move to. The list could go on for days.

Another crucial aspect of the southern appeal is the aesthetic that accompanies the music. From grillz to candy-painted cars and more, everyone’s eyes were on The South. The region dominated fashion trends and continues to control the story around what’s in and what’s played out. Rappers like Pimp C and Big Boi rocked lavish fur coats in the hottest cities and today, Migos promoted Versace as the hottest clothing company and baguettes as the essential diamond in any grill.

Check out the playlist below as a quick guide to understand the music of the South and comment your thoughts below!