A Study on Atlanta's Underground Hip-Hop Scene
"Whats the Basis?"
“…we ain’t going nowhere but got suits and cases.” –Kanye West
Thank you very much for joining me in my discussion and ethnographical journey into the Atlanta Underground/Indie Hip-Hop Scene. In the 1960's and 1970's it was Motown. In the late 1980's and early 1990's it was New York City. And since then, Atlanta has been the hub for urban music around the country, as well as the world. Atlanta's diverse and plentiful music scene has stood the test of time, partially due to its talented underground scene.
Throughout this post I will use the words "independent" and "underground" interchangeably because they are closely related, however there are some differences in the terms. “Independent” refers to the record label that the artist is signed to. If the artist's record label does not have backing from another major label (i.e. Universal, Jive, Columbia, etc.), then it is an Independent or "indie" record label. "Underground" is more of a broad term which labels music that is not a part of the mainstream culture.
Atlanta has two very different underground hip-hop scenes. One of which highlights a more grimey, street thug, sound and culture, the other, more of a hipster scene marked by skateboarding, partying, and fashion. The ladder will be the focus of my study.
Methods of Research
“Read some litera - ture on the subject”- Andre 3000, Outkast
Over the course of my ethnographical process, I was able to incorporate various methods of research. With the progression of technology and social networking,Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook were great ways to keep up with what was going on in the scene. Most of the artists, managers, and producers are on at least one of these social networks which made them easy to contact and connect with. In addition to these social networks, I coupled my prior knowledge and hands on ethnographical work to round out my research. The remainder of the post will include a culmination of critiques and observations about the scene, interviews, sounds clips, references to academic writing, as well as links to other various media (i.e. websites, blog, YouTube videos, etc.)
Background and Origins
"Welcome to Atlanta…."- Jermaine Dupri
In order to understand how the Atlanta indie hip-hop scene got to where it is now, it is important to understand the history of the music industry in Atlanta. In the late 1980's and 1990's, LaFace Records, formed by L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, was responsible for discovering some of the biggest artists/groups in Atlanta. In the early 1990's, LaFace Records were behind names like TLC, Usher, and Outkast (Grem, 57). Around this same time, Jermaine Dupri created his So So Def imprint which was responsible for discovering acts such as Kris Kross, Da Brat, Lil Bow Wow. With all of these names suddenly taking the music industry by storm, Atlanta was on the map.
As time went on and the dynamic music industry continued to change, Atlanta managed to stay relevant with the sudden craze of southern "crunk" and "snap" music of the early 2000s, spearheaded by Lil Jon.
Currently, in addition to long time heavyweight artists such as Usher and Outkast, Atlanta continues to regularly produce new talent such as Soulja Boy and Keri Hilson. Because of the hometown inspiration and musical energy in the city, Atlanta's hip hop indie scene is extremely plentiful, and more importantly, talented.
The Music
"Have you ever made love to a Weerdo?" –Dreamer, Hollyweerd
Is it rap? Is it r&b? Is it rock? Is it alternative? None of these descriptions would be sufficient in describing the music of the scene. The music is different from typical east-coast, west-coast and even southern hip hop, though many of the common elements of hip hop can still be found (i.e. heavy bass, sampling, etc.). One of the main reasons for the scene's unique sound is its wide array of artists. Of the biggest names of the scene, each has their own niche and unique sound. For example:
Proton: Very spacey sound with a lot of distorted drums and synths. Mostly mid-tempo songs. Lyrics are generally light, oftentimes telling stories about relationships, parties, etc.
Grip Plyaz: Party starter. Uses relatively minimalist beats, heavy in drums, snares, and claps. Extremely unique voice. Fun, catchy lyrics.
Hollyweerd: Second coming of Outkast. Heavy bass and synths with a few live instruments. Very innovative lyrically in terms of content and flow.
Quality of the music often varies based on the access of the artists. Many artists have access to some of Atlanta's top studios, producers and engineers, making their music sound much more professional than their peers. Additionally, because of Atlanta's abundant, some of the indie artists have the opportunity to do collaborations with major artists and producers.
The Artists
“Mums FP be the name…." – Mums FP
Hollyweerd: Second coming of Outkast. Heavy bass and synths with a few live instruments. Very innovative lyrically in terms of content and flow.
Quality of the music often varies based on the access of the artists. Many artists have access to some of Atlanta's top studios, producers and engineers, making their music sound much more professional than their peers. Additionally, because of Atlanta's abundant, some of the indie artists have the opportunity to do collaborations with major artists and producers.
The Artists
“Mums FP be the name…." – Mums FP
Interview with Mums FP from Adrian Williams on Vimeo.
The Audience
“Now them hipsters gotta get along with them hood n*ggaz” -Drake
As one would imagine, because the scene has such a sundry blend of music, the audience to which this music appeals to is also quite diverse. The ages are generally between 18-30, and one would be hard pressed to find people outside of this age group in the mix. Similar to many other youth cultures of our time, many people who partake in the music have some type of affiliation or role within the scene (i.e. party promoter, photographer, graphic designer, blogger, etc.), reminiscent of the “zine scene” of the punk movement.
The Look
“You can catch me with my slim straight, ‘Vi’s on” –Mums FP
Clothes! Almost as important as the music itself, the Atlanta indie scene is marked by its fervor for fashion. The best way to describe the style of dress is “urban hipster”. As far as the guys, they can generally be seen clad in skinny jeans (usually Levi’s), a tee shirt from an independent company (i.e. The Hundreds, Billionaire Boys Club, Triumvir), and exclusive sneakers. For the ladies, the style is almost exactly the same, except instead of t-shirts; they generally were some type of button down shirt, oftentimes with plaid or striped patterns. The way outfits are pieced together is similar to the cut-up aesthetic because things that people generally wouldn’t wear together somehow find their way in the same ensemble (Hebdige, 107). For the urban hipsters, it seems to be a fashion sin to have your clothes match, however, even with a wide range of colors and prints, the look still seems to work somehow. Many people like to do different things to differentiate themselves such as incorporating designer accessories or funky haircuts. Since the growth in popularity of this scene, multiple clothing boutiques like Wish, Standard, and S8tique, have sprouted up all around the city and have been very successful catering to this very specific demographic.
Artists in the scene come from all different races, backgrounds and genres. The artists in the scene generally come from a different socio-economic class than those generally associated with hip hop. This difference gives the artists a different perspective on life, therefore, their stories and experiences, in which they share through music are oftentimes different than your typical hip-hop themes.
Unlike many underground artists around the country, Atlanta indie artists do not view going to a major label as “selling out”, or accommodation, but rather as “making it out”. As Mums FP, a local artist stated in our interview, even if it is solely for distribution purposes, having backing by a major label is certainly the goal. This process of getting recognized by a major label can often take very long; if it even happens at all, and is all about luck and timing (see Kid Cudi). Wale, a once indie rapper on the fledging DC hip-hop scene is a beacon of hope for underground artists all over the country. Oftentimes, when major acts come into town, underground artists have the opportunity to open the shows which is a great opportunity to gain exposure to a wider audience.
The Audience
“Now them hipsters gotta get along with them hood n*ggaz” -Drake
As one would imagine, because the scene has such a sundry blend of music, the audience to which this music appeals to is also quite diverse. The ages are generally between 18-30, and one would be hard pressed to find people outside of this age group in the mix. Similar to many other youth cultures of our time, many people who partake in the music have some type of affiliation or role within the scene (i.e. party promoter, photographer, graphic designer, blogger, etc.), reminiscent of the “zine scene” of the punk movement.
The Look
“You can catch me with my slim straight, ‘Vi’s on” –Mums FP
Clothes! Almost as important as the music itself, the Atlanta indie scene is marked by its fervor for fashion. The best way to describe the style of dress is “urban hipster”. As far as the guys, they can generally be seen clad in skinny jeans (usually Levi’s), a tee shirt from an independent company (i.e. The Hundreds, Billionaire Boys Club, Triumvir), and exclusive sneakers. For the ladies, the style is almost exactly the same, except instead of t-shirts; they generally were some type of button down shirt, oftentimes with plaid or striped patterns. The way outfits are pieced together is similar to the cut-up aesthetic because things that people generally wouldn’t wear together somehow find their way in the same ensemble (Hebdige, 107). For the urban hipsters, it seems to be a fashion sin to have your clothes match, however, even with a wide range of colors and prints, the look still seems to work somehow. Many people like to do different things to differentiate themselves such as incorporating designer accessories or funky haircuts. Since the growth in popularity of this scene, multiple clothing boutiques like Wish, Standard, and S8tique, have sprouted up all around the city and have been very successful catering to this very specific demographic.
Reaching the masses
“You can run and tell my city, I’m On” -Drake
Different communities have different ways in which they share their music and culture with each other. This scene is completely driven by live performance and the internet.
There are weekly shows that showcase the talent of the local artists. A more accurate way of describing these shows would be basically a party with a few live performances. To me it seems that the shows would be more appealing if they didn’t occur so frequently. It becomes a situation where you take the artists for granted when they are always available.
The internet is also a main source of distribution for the artists. With all of the aforementioned social networks and the worldwide epidemic known as blogging, the internet certainly does not lack avenues in which to share music; the Atlanta indie scene fully utilizes all of them. Oftentimes blogs are run by the artists or people affiliated with them which allows their music to easily reach their following. By doing this, the artists can expose themselves to many people which will increase their “buzz”. When talking with the manager of one of the local artists, she stated that “Labels are lazy these days. They don’t want to sign nobody who don’t got a buzz. These days they don’t look for talent. Just whoever got a hit record, and a solid buzz to go along with it.” This leads me into some questions I would be interested to tackle in further research:
Why don’t A&R’s of record company do their research and find the real talent?
When do the artists “give up” on their dreams in the music industry?
How has the growth of Atlanta’s mainstream music scene directly influenced Atlanta’s underground music scene?
In closure, I challenge you to turn off the radio and go explore your local music scenes. It will open your eyes to a world that you never know existed. A world you may hate, or, a world you may LOVE.
“You can run and tell my city, I’m On” -Drake
Different communities have different ways in which they share their music and culture with each other. This scene is completely driven by live performance and the internet.
There are weekly shows that showcase the talent of the local artists. A more accurate way of describing these shows would be basically a party with a few live performances. To me it seems that the shows would be more appealing if they didn’t occur so frequently. It becomes a situation where you take the artists for granted when they are always available.
The internet is also a main source of distribution for the artists. With all of the aforementioned social networks and the worldwide epidemic known as blogging, the internet certainly does not lack avenues in which to share music; the Atlanta indie scene fully utilizes all of them. Oftentimes blogs are run by the artists or people affiliated with them which allows their music to easily reach their following. By doing this, the artists can expose themselves to many people which will increase their “buzz”. When talking with the manager of one of the local artists, she stated that “Labels are lazy these days. They don’t want to sign nobody who don’t got a buzz. These days they don’t look for talent. Just whoever got a hit record, and a solid buzz to go along with it.” This leads me into some questions I would be interested to tackle in further research:
Why don’t A&R’s of record company do their research and find the real talent?
When do the artists “give up” on their dreams in the music industry?
How has the growth of Atlanta’s mainstream music scene directly influenced Atlanta’s underground music scene?
In closure, I challenge you to turn off the radio and go explore your local music scenes. It will open your eyes to a world that you never know existed. A world you may hate, or, a world you may LOVE.
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