Six Hip-Hop Tracks for Atlanta

Move over New York and Los Angeles, Atlanta is, without a doubt, the modern capital of hip-hop. Here are six tracks to hear what the city sounds like.

“Dirty South” by Goodie Mob ft. Big Boi (1995)

Long before Cee-Lo was singing “Fuck You!,” he was a member of Goodie Mob, which was a part of Dungeon Family, the influential Atlanta hip-hop collective that housed OutKast, Bubba Sparxxx, Killer Mike and many other Georgia artists.

“Hard In Da Paint” by Waka Flocka Flame (2010)

Believe it or not, Waka Flocka is actually from Jamaica, Queens. After moving to Atlanta, a cousin nicknamed him Waka after Fozzie Bear’s catchphrase from The Muppets. Flocka Flame was added later by his frenemy, Gucci Mane.

“What You Know” by T.I. (2006)

Released on King, this Grammy Award-winning track solidified Atlanta as a culture capital and earned T.I. a place among hip-hop’s elite.

“ATLiens” by OutKast (1996)

Released right before the Dirty South Renaissance of the early 2000s, ATLiens was an experimental yet influential Southern classic, giving Atlanta music a sense of weirdness found nowhere else in America.

“Get Low” by Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz ft. Yin Yang Twins (2003)

A much loved (and hated) classic, “Get Low” was the smash hit that put crunk music on the map, played everywhere from strip clubs to high school proms.

“I’m Different” by 2 Chainz (2012)

2 Chainz was a longtime figure on Atlanta’s hip-hop scene before a name change and solo debut brought him international success.