In 2003 there are three major rap centers in America. In addition to the 'westcoast' (Los Angeles) and the 'eastcoast' (New York), the third center is formed by the southern black states such as Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Tennessee. Record company Def Jam founded the sub-label Def Jam South especially for this purpose, with Ludacris as the most important and best-selling artist. This Atlanta
… based rapper is seen as the founder of the 'Dirty South' genre, where even more 'explicit lyrics' are used than on the average rap album. On his third album Chicken 'N' Beer there is also a lot of filthiness. And that's actually a shame, because songs like Blow It Out, P-Poppin 'and Hoes In My Room (featuring Snoop Dogg) are just pretty well put together. Female rap talent Shawnna plays a starring role on the first single Stand Up. The second single will be We Got (featuring Chingy), which contains a very original 'cough sample'. But yes, in hip-hop circles a raunchy (soft porn) video clip is more important than a strong song these days ... (MvP)more
