Money Cash Data co-founder Birdman lately sat down for an interview on the 85 South Present, the place he mentioned the early struggles of Southern hip-hop and predicted it could stay a dominant pressure.
On the 85 South Present, Money Cash Data co-founder, rapper, and producer Birdman spoke on the early struggles of Southern hip-hop within the ’90s and the way he believes the style will stay a dominant pressure within the trade for years to return. He attributes the problems in Southern hip-hop throughout its early days to the East and West Coast rap scenes, which did not take the South significantly.
“The East and the West was the final two locations that might embrace our music in case you had been from the South,” mentioned Birdman. “It’s at all times been a aggressive factor for us with them, ’trigger they felt like they was higher than us, and we felt like we was higher than them, particularly in our neck of the woods, the South.”
“You’ll have a success within the South, and it’ll take a very long time to hit within the East and the West,” the Louisiana native continued. “However as soon as they caught onto us like it’s now, I don’t suppose they’ll ever get it again. We’re right here eternally, ’trigger they’d it eternally. The East and the West, they’d it eternally.”
“It was difficult for us arising. Very, very difficult as a result of they wouldn’t play our music in no sort of means,” mentioned Birdman earlier than shouting out Jermaine Dupri for opening new doorways for Southern hip-hop. “Jermaine Dupri actually broke that barrier for us down South ’trigger he went up there and actually made them play our music ’trigger they wouldn’t play our music in any respect.”
Along with his solo work, North Carolina native Jermaine Dupri has performed an integral function within the early success of ’90s rappers like Kris Kross and Da Brat. In the meantime, Jermaine Dupri echoed a lot of Birdman’s sentiments throughout his December 2022 look on The Gauds Present.
“The rationale New York performs down South music on the radio is due to me,” mentioned Dupri. “Bone Crusher and the YoungBloodZ had been throughout Scorching 97 in a means that, like, no one may ever think about, and I employed DJ Envy to work for me.”
“My assault on New York radio and New York streets from the South is like no different: no one, no different firm, nothing. Not so far as again then; now all people else shifting ahead, that door opened ’trigger I used to be on the market beating the streets,” Dupri mentioned.
Whereas Jermaine Dupri’s efforts can’t be discounted, CeeLo Inexperienced insisted throughout an interview final month with AllHipHop that his ’90s Atlanta rap group Goodie Mob deserved credit score for serving to pave the best way for Southern rap’s later dominance.
“I feel that’s positively our contribution to the tradition and the neighborhood, with the ability to spearhead and set into movement the rise and reign of Southern hip-hop,” mentioned Inexperienced. “We fought these first wars, and we fought for the civil rights and the equality of hip-hop. And with that equality, we gave the sentiment and the sound a sure sort of high quality.”