The 50 Best Atlanta Rap Songs

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The 50 Best Atlanta Rap Songs

The 50 Best Atlanta Rap Songs

The 50 Best Atlanta Rap Songs

Inferior lyricism. Unsophisticated beats. That shit is just too damn slow.

Hard as it is for anyone under 25 to believe, there was a time when Atlanta rap was the red-headed stepchild of hip-hop. New York's rap purists will look down their noses at anything, but they reserved particular scorn for rap from the South, and rap from the ATL in particular.

It's 2015, though, and the A's status as one of the capitals of hip-hop was confirmed long ago (depending on which year you're talking about, it might be the capital of hip-hop). It's like that now—you better go on and get the hump up out your back now. Atlanta is arguably the most layered music community in hip-hop. It cranks out at least three new stars every year. The producers create albums with a new sound every other season. A new dance pops up every summer. If hip-hop's early days were informed by New York, and its '90s heyday involved a vacation to Cali, for the past 10 years it's been influenced more by the capital of Georgia than any other place in the world. 

Atlanta's rap community engenders a fierce pride, and it's a scene that's both insular and accepting. Where one song may be a hit on the radio, there's another rapper's song that's even bigger in the club. Where an artist may be known in industry circles, there's also an underground champion with just as much—sometimes even more—clout.

This list could've easily been 100 songs; hell, it could've been 200. But we had to draw the line somewhere. So, from J.D. to T.I., from Bonecrusher to Kilo Ali, this is just the cream of the north Georgia crop. From Bankhead to College Park to Zone 4, these are the 50 Best Atlanta Rap Songs.

Maurice Garland is a writer living in Atlanta. Follow him @Maurice_Garland.

50. Freak Nasty "Da Dip" (1996)

See Also: DJ Taz f/ Raheem the Dream "That's Right"

Album: Controversee... That's Life...And That's the Way It Is

Label: Triad

Atlanta dance songs that started off as underground favorites more often than not ended up being pop hits after a few months. Freak Nasty's "Da Dip" started off in the clubs, landed on the radio and ended up getting regular rotation on MTV. The original video was filmed in a high school gym (which sounds kind of creepy now). But by the time the song made it to the big time, the label edited him out of the video.

49. OutKast "Ms. Jackson" (2001)

See Also: OutKast "So Fresh So Clean"

Album: Stankonia

Label: LaFace, Arista


Stankonia leaked almost two months before it hit the stores, and most regular cats were already over this song by the time the retail version dropped. But the heartfelt subject matter and pop melodies made it the group's biggest crossover hit, and probably you mother's favorite OutKast song.

48. Yung Joc "It's Goin' Down" (2006)

See Also: Gorilla Zoe "Hood Nigga"

Album: New Joc City

Label: Bad Boy South, Block Entertainment, Atlantic


This is one of those songs that you just had to be there for to see how hard it hit when it did. Not since Naughty by Nature had people waving their hands in unison to "Hip Hop Horray" had a song made people do the same move at the same time.

47. Shawty Lo "Dunn Dunn" (2008)

See Also: Shawty Lo "Dey Know"

Album: Units in the City

Label: D4L, Asylum


"Say he from the Westside, well gotdamn...it must be two sides." L-O didn't say T.I.'s name in this song, but Tip took enough offense to it that he retaliated. Beyond that, "Dunn Dunn" gave native Atlantans a certain sense of pride as the city began to be overcrowded with transplants. It was pretty much a jab at anybody claiming to be from a certain neighborhood when they weren't.

46. Rocko "Umma Do Me" (2007)

See Also: Rocko "This Morning"

Album: Self-Made

Label: Rocky Road, So So Def, Island Urban


Rocko is your favorite Atlanta rapper's favorite rapper. When this song dropped, every star at the time—from T.I. to Young Jeezy—was harassing DJs to play it in the club, even if it meant cutting their own song short.

45. Trinidad Jame$ "All Gold Everything" (2012)

See Also: Trinidad Jame$ “Female$ Welcomed”

Album: Don't Be S.A.F.E.

Label: Def Jam Recordings

Seeing Trinidad Jame$’ 24K single turn him into an overnight celebrity was one of those things you had to be there to witness. Each line of the song could’ve been a hook in and of itself. What was easily the runaway anthem of 2012 gained even more steam when T.I., Jeezy and 2 Chainz hopped on the remix—that James himself didn’t even rap on.

44. Raheem the Dream "The Most Beautiful Girl" (1998)

See Also: Raheem the Dream "Freak No Mo"

Album: Tight 4 Life

Label: Tight 2 Def, Breakaway


Raheem the Dream was one of the first rap stars in Atlanta, and he has plenty of songs that people will call their favorite. But, to this day, if Raheem comes out to do a show, this is the one that people come to hear. Sampling Prince's "Beautiful Ones" and putting it over a bass beat made this one of those songs that makes it hard for a girl to turn down a dance. Critics love to say rap is a young man's game, but the entire time we enjoyed Raheem's music, he was older than most of his peers—and better.

43. 2 Chainz "Spend It" (2011)

See Also: Playaz Circle "Duffle Bag Boy"

Album: Codeine Cowboy

Label: The Real University, Two Gun Gang, Streets Exclusive and Aphilliates Music Group

Not sure if was from a Treach/Naughty By Nature-style demand to go solo, or frustration from Def Jam's mishandling of Playaz Circle, but Tity Boi decided it was time to ride alone. Before "Spend It," he already had a few hood hits and WorldStar favorites. But this ode to squandering officially launched the 2 Chainz brand and took over Atlanta radio the minute it was dropped.

42. Arrested Development "Tennessee" (1992)

See Also: Arrested Development "Mr. Wendel"

Album: 3 Years, 5 Months, & 2 Days in the Life Of...

Label: EMI/Chrysalis


The song title had many thinking they were repping the Volunteer state at first, but Arrested Development's song and video about slavery became one of the first crossover rap hits to come out of the A-Town. It was also one of the last times a song came from the city without automatically being labeled an "Atlanta" song.

41. Youngbloodz "Damn!" (2003)

See Also: Attic Crew f/ T.I. "Dope Boy Fresh"

Album: Drankin' Patnaz

Label: So So Def, Arista


When this song first came out, it seemed like the whole world stopped in its tracks. Crunk was already a staple in Atlanta's musical DNA, but this Lil Jon-produced song bust the floodgates wide open and made it hard for any other "crunk" song after to top it. Again, Youngbloodz found a way to carve their own niche in a scene that was getting very crowded. "Damn!" also brought the "Eastside Stomp" to national prominence.

40. Young Jeezy "Get Ya Mind Right" (2005)

See Also: Young Jeezy f/ Bun B "Don't Worry 'Bout"

Album: Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101

Label: CTE, Island Def Jam


Depending on who you ask, Young Jeezy's emergence in the Atlanta rap scene was either a good or bad thing. He came at a time when the streets (and the hustlers in them) didn't really have a voice. But he also brought plenty of opulence, nihilism and those BMF guys to the party with him. "Get Ya Mind Right" was his foot in the door. Easily one of the most quotable Jeezy songs to date.

39. Dem Franchize Boyz "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" (2006)

See Also: Dem Franchize Boyz "White Tee"

Album: On Top of Our Game

Label: So So Def, EMI America


D4L's Bankhead neighbors Dem Franchize Boys managed to gain more popularity for doing pretty much the same thing, primarily because they created the literal how-to-dance instructional "Lean Wit It." As crazy as it may sound, they were actually more "lyrical" than their counterparts, and were versatile enough to make other songs that had nothing to do with dancing.

38. Kilo Ali f/ Big Boi "Love in Ya Mouth" (1997)

See Also: Kilo "Nasty Dancer"

Album: Organized Bass

Label: Interscope


Kilo was one of Atlanta's first rap stars, and when he hooked up with Organized Noize in 1995, it looked like he was on his way to starting a new, bigger chapter in his career. "Love in Her Mouth" was one of the many gems that came from his classic album Organized Bass. It may also be the nastiest song to ever make it on the radio.

37. Rich Homie Quan “Type of Way” (2013)

See Also: Rich Homie Quan “Walk Through”

Album: Still Goin In: Reloaded

Label: T.I.G. Entertainment, Def Jam Recordings

Rich Homie addressed everybody caught up in their feelings by putting every feeling possible into each line of this song. Whether he meant to or not, and whether you like it or not, endearing songs like this catapulted him into becoming one of the new faces of Atlanta.

36. Tag Team "Whoomp! (There It Is)" (1993)

See Also: Kilo "Baby Baby"

Album: Whoomp! (There It Is)

Label: Life


"Whoomp! (There It Is)" is another example of a phrase coming from the streets that people rushed to make a song out of. Tag Team's version struck gold and became one of the biggest songs of all time. "Whoomp! There It Is" damn near became a more popular phrase than "amen." One of the first examples in Atlanta hip-hop of a song being bigger than the artist who made it. Somewhere in the world, somebody is still eating off of selling T-shirts with the phrase plastered on it.

35. Jermaine Dupri f/ Ludacris "Welcome to Atlanta" (2002)

See Also: Jermaine Dupri f/ Jay Z "Money Ain't A Thing"

Album: Instructions

Label: So So Def, Disturbing tha Peace, Def Jam South


The city of Atlanta was already enjoying success in the music industry, but this song officially planted a flag and drew a line in the sand to separate itself from every other city in the world. Ludacris wrote the perfect opening rap verse, and JD followed by name dropping just about every neighborhood and nightclub that was popping at the time.

34. T.I. "Rubberband Man" (2003)

See Also: Big Kuntry King "Still Kuntry"

Album: Trap Muzik

Label: Grand Hustle, Atlantic


T.I. was a burgeoning star up to this point, but this song is what actually made those "King of the South" claims sound valid. T.I. got the beat from David Banner for a little over a handshake and a thank you, but the song wound up making both of them rich in the long run. When he dropped the video with a Diddy cameo, the game was over at that point.

33. Travis Porter "Make It Rain" (2010)

See Also: Trillville "Some Cut"

Album: From Day 1

Label: Porter House Music Group, Jive, RCA


Travis Porter garnered 2 Live Crew comparisons early in their career, but this song is what validated them. "Make It Rain" had women from corporate America in the club living out stripper fantasies for all of four minutes. The song showcased the young trio's ability to make raunchy records that were catchy enough to make people forget just how explicit they were.

32. Unk "Walk It Out" (2006)

See Also: Intoxicated "Walk It"

Album: Beat'n Down Yo Block!

Label: Big Oomp, Koch


Once a decade or so, Atlanta is good for putting out a few new dances at the same time. "Walk It Out" dropped at the height of the snap music craze, and it gave people an alternative move to bust out at the party.

31. Success-N-Effect "Roll It Up" (1989)

See Also: Damage "Can't Get No Lower"

Album: In Tha Hood

Label: On Top, Ichiban


Songs like this probably had a bigger effect on kids in the Atlanta Public School system than any D.A.R.E. speech or McGruff the Crime Dog visit. Instead of rhyming, Success-N-Effect used a casual street conversation, bookended by a hoo, to try and get dope and its peddlers off the streets. It's actually a pretty revolutionary song structure when you think about it: positive music that was far from corny.

30. Purple Ribbon All-Stars f/ Big Boi "Kryptonite (I'm on It)" (2006)

See Also: Killer Mike, Bubba Sparxx and Cool Breeze "Clermont Lounge"

Album: Got Purp? Vol. 2

Label: Purple Ribbon


"Kryptonite" dropped at a time when the city was either dancing with a snap or rapping about the trap. It was also the first piece of music with an OutKast member on it to drop since the group went diamond with Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. So naturally, people were thirsty for something different. It was also one of the last songs Big Boi and Killer Mike appeared on together before their years-long beef that followed.

29. Hitman Sammy Sam "Intoxicated" (1999)

See Also: Hitman Sammy Sam "Ridin With Some Killers"

Album: Last Man Standing

Label: Platinum Entertainment, Big Oomp


Gucci Mane is not the first rapper from Atlanta to constantly find himself in jail or similar random shenanigans. That honor would go to Hitman Sammy Sam. The flagship artist on indie powerhouse Big Oomp Records, Sam was the hood star that nobody invited to the industry parties. To be fair, he didn't need to be there: The streets loved and supported him enough.

28. Rich Gang f/ Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan “Lifestyle” (2014)

See Also: Rich Gang “Givenchy”

Album: Rich Gang

Label: Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, Republic Records

Birdman (the man who once said Lil Wayne was bigger than 2Pac) ruffled a few feathers when he declared that his Rich Gang group was “the new OutKast.” If you were to take off your nostalgia filter for a split-second, he might be making a speckle of sense. If radio spins and YouTube hits mean anything to you, Thugger and Rich Homie are the biggest duo to come out of Atlanta since ’Kast. And where Big and Dre turned heads with their style, Rich Gang is doing the same with theirs. 

27. Ghetto Mafia "Straight From the DEC" (1997)

See Also: Ghetto Mafia "Clean Getaway"

Album: Straight From the DEC

Label: Triad


Atlanta rap music made the SWATs (Southwest Atlanta) and Bankhead household names. But acts coming from Decatur and East Atlanta were always treated like bastard children on a national scale. That is, until underground vets Ghetto Mafia broke through with the bluesy "Straight From the DEC." This was the first major song to let people know that all the music in Atlanta wasn't coming from the South or West sides of town.

26. Young Dro f/ T.I. "Shoulder Lean" (2006)

See Also: Young Dro "Rubberband Banks"

Album: Best Thang Smokin'

Label: Grand Hustle


Dro had already been an Atlanta rap veteran, having signed with Raheem the Dream's Tight2Def records and Rocko's Rocky Road records before finally landing at T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint. His simple-but-"player" dance, the "shoulder lean," had people who were too cool to move their feet actually doing something in the club. And, of course, it also had people looking for girls who had girlfriends.

25. Gucci Mane f/ Mac Bre-Z "Pillz" (2006)

See Also: Gucci Mane feat. Young Jeezy - "So Icy"

Album: Hard to Kill

Label: Big Cat Records/TommyBoy


By the time Gucci's second album, Hard To Kill, came out, many thought that he was already on his way out of rap relevancy as his rival Young Jeezy soared. But thanks to singles like "Freaky Gurl" and its street complement, "Pillz," Gucci showed that he "might be" able to build a career crafting club-ready songs with undeniable hooks.

24. Future "Tony Montana" (2011)

See Also: Kilo "Cocaine"

Album: Pluto

Label: A1, Freebandz, Epic


Formerly known as "Meathead"—that's right—Future re-introduced himself with a slew of mixtapes, finally breaking ground through an appearance YC's "Racks on Racks." With perfect timing, he followed it up with his own smash "Tony Montana." His Auto-Tuned faux-Cuban accent doesn't sound like a hit at first, especially since he's talking more than he is rapping. But when you realize rap is fascinated by all things Scarface, it all makes sense.

23. Young Jeezy "Trap or Die" (2005)

See Also: Young Jeezy "Soul Survivor"

Album: Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101

Label: CTE, Island Def Jam


Piggy-backing off Diddy's "Vote or Die" campaign, Jeezy created a phrase that was a little more relatable to the people who would be directly affected by the decisions of those taking office. While DJ Toomp is usually credited with creating the "trap" sound alongside T.I. a couple of years prior, Shawty Redd's contributions to Jeezy's sound cannot be overlooked. The tape that shared this song's name made Jeezy a star and DJ Drama the icon of an era.

22. Waka Focka Flame "Hard in da Paint" (2010)

See Also: Waka Flocka Flame "Oh Let's Do It"

Album: Flockavelli

Label: 1017 Brick Squad, Warner Bros., Asylum


Nobody expected the guy who made "O Let's Do It" to duplicate that success. But Waka managed to outdo himself by following up with a song that just about everybody has in their workout iPod playlist. It also saw the formation of the hit-making tandem of Waka and Lex Luger, that in some people's eyes rivaled the chemistry between T.I. and DJ Toomp.

21. KP & Envyi "Swing My Way" (1998)

See Also: Rasheeda feat. Pastor Troy "Do It"

Album: 12"

Label: EastWest Records


Women are usually the central topic of songs coming from Atlanta, but "Swing My Way" was one of those rare times when women were the ones doing the courting. Coming out at a time when bass music was approaching its twilight, KP & Envyi managed to squeeze out one last dance hit before everything turned crunk.

20. DG Yola "Ain't Gon Let Up" (2006)

See Also: Da Organization "Can't Stop No Player"

Album: 12"

Label: Atlantic


"I just don't give a fuck" is usually said in a context of desperation. But somehow, DG Yola turned into a motivational track on "Ain't Gon Let Up." Coming out of the notorious Allen Temple neighborhood was enough of a feat for the young rapper. Making a hit song was just icing on the cake.

He was signed to Grand Hustle for a hot minute off the strength of this song, but let's say that his personality didn't exactly mesh with some of his labelmates, and he parted ways with the label in a matter of weeks after being signed. Regardless, if this reggae-infused tune didn't make you want to change your life, we feel sorry for you.

19. D4L "Laffy Taffy" (2005)

See Also: D4L "Betcha Can't Do It Like Me"

Album: Down for Life

Label: WEA


When this Casio-driven song dropped, D4L was blamed for single-handedly killing hip-hop, primarily because of its lack of lyrical dexterity and the infectious dance that came with it. Because, you know, hip-hop has never had silly songs with dances attached to them...right?

What people fail to realize is that in real life, D4L had more street cred than most rappers who claim to have it. They were from the roughest part of town, and were actually trying to depict the complete opposite to make it out. The song was also appreciated in the sense that it came from the hood at a time when Atlanta music was getting very glossy.

18. Cool Breeze "CreAtine" (1999)

See Also: Cool Breeze "Watch for the Hook"

Album: East Point's Greatest Hits

Label: A&M Records


Sure, Cool Breeze's "Watch for the Hook" video got love on TV, but anybody in Atlanta, or who bought and owns this album, will tell you that "CreATine" is the hardest song on East Point's Greatest Hit. This was a perfect example of Breeze's ability to talk street ish without cursing; when this song dropped everybody in the street was shouting "I got people who...."

17. OutKast "Elevators (Me & You)" (1996)

See Also: Outkast "Benz or Beamer"

Album: ATLiens

Label: LaFace, Arista


"Elevators" is the song that really showed you how much OutKast were actually outcasts. Sounding nothing like they did their debut, the ATLiens took a complete 180 with this song, but it worked. It was also the first signal of OutKast's desire to produce their own songs and not rely solely on Organized Noize.

There was an early controversy with this track; Big Boi gave the song to Greg Street ahead of time to play on the radio, and LaFace Records promptly sent C&D letters to the DJ, asking that he not play it any longer, at least until they were ready to officially release it.

16. Crime Mob "Knuck If You Buck" (2004)

See Also: Lil Scrappy "No Problems"

Album: Crime Mob

Label: Crunk Incorporated


Far from the first youth act to come out of Atlanta, Crime Mob is the first one to really capture what teens had been doing in the clubs for years. Up to this point, the only young rappers to come out of the Atlanta music machine were Kris Kross and Lil Bow Wow. Unlike them, Crime Mob didn't have a Jermaine Dupri bankrolling their promo. This song literally went from the lunch room table, to the streets, to the radio.

15. Baby D f/ Lil C "Eastside vs. Westside" (2000)

See Also: Sammy Sam "Knuckle Up"

Album: Lil Chopper Toy

Label: Big Oomp, Epic, Koch


Atlanta's hip-hop scene has always been one that practiced unity, but this 2000 club anthem turned every dance floor into a civil war whenever the DJ played it. Atlanta never really had a gang problem, but people would rep their neighborhoods and high schools hard. This song only added fuel to those flames.

One of the many hood classics from indie powerhouse Big Oomp Records, this one breathed new live into the label as they tried to move on beyond Sammy Sam's many legal troubles. "Eastside vs. Westside" still starts fights to this day.

14. Diamond f/ D-roc "Bankhead Bounce" (1995)

See Also: A-Town Players "What's Up, What's Up"

Album: 12"

Label: EastWest Records America


As with most dance phenomena in Atlanta, the "Bankhead Bounce" birthed a slew of songs looking to act as the official soundtrack. Diamond and D-Roc's version was the first to make a big impact, due mainly to having a music video that received endless airplay on local show American Rap Makers. OutKast's "Benz or Beamer" video, which appeared on the New Jersey Drive soundtrack, introduced the dance to the country, but Diamond and D-Roc (who later become one half of the Ying Yang Twinz) get credit for making it a local phenomenon first.

13. Witchdoctor "Holiday"

See Also: Backbone "Five Duece, Four Tre"

Album: A S.W.A.T. Healin' Ritual

Label: Interscope Records


Do you remember the first time you heard this beat? By sounding like some hip-hop voodoo, Witchdoctor's "Holiday" had everybody feeling a little more thankful everyday they woke up. His voice and unpredictable flow really made it sound like he was casting a spell. True DF fans will tell you that A.S.W.A.T. Healin Ritual is among the best albums from the crew. This track was produced by Emperor Searcy, co-founder of Lil Jon's BME label.

12. Playa Poncho and L.A. Sno "Whatz Up Whatz Up" (1995)

See Also: DJ Kizzy Rock "Yeah Shawty Yeah"

Album: So So Def Bass All-Stars

Label: So So Def, Columbia, Tony Mercedes


Just like the "Bankhead Bounce" and "Whoomp There It Is," "Whatz Up Whatz Up" wound up being a phenomenon that every other artist tried to take credit for by recording their own versions of it. With ATL bass legend DJ Kizzy Rock on the beat, Playa Poncho and L.A. Snow's version wound up being the one that rose above the rest, although it doesn't hurt that Jermaine Dupri supported it. The song and its video capture a time when people would rather go to the park and chill, rather than trying to be seen in a nightclub VIP section.

11. Goodie Mob "Cell Therapy" (1995)

See Also: Goodie Mob "Beautiful Skin"

Album: Soul Food

Label: LaFace


The first time you head the opening piano riff to this song, you just knew shit was going to be different from that point on.

Goodie Mob debuted in a guest appearance on OutKast's first LP, but "Cell Therapy" set them apart from OutKast immediately. They dove head-first into government conspiracy theories and the type of social commentary that rarely made it past the barbershop.

The rumor behind the making of this song goes as follows: As Busta Rhymes peeked in on Goodie Mob's session one night when they were working on their album, he slipped them the book Behold a Pale Horse. They flipped through it and wound up creating their manifesto. The beat, tone and content made even the hardest hardhead "use that tool between your two shoulders."

10. Ludacris "Southern Hospitality" (2000)

See Also: Ludacris "What's Yo Fantasy"

Album: Back for the First Time

Label: Disturbing tha Peace, Def Jam South


Nobody will admit it now, but when Ludacris dropped his first single, "What's Your Fantasy," many people in Atlanta's music community thought it was a cute song, but were secretly waiting for the radio personality-turned-rapper to fail and disappear. For a while top radio station V-103 didn't even play his music because of his connection to in-town rival Hot 97.5.

But when he came back with the Neptunes-produced "Southern Hospitality," he proved that he was here to stay. While he was always a talented wordsmith, it was songs like this that proved that Luda's biggest selling point was his personality. It's also an early example of his ability to use a different flow on just about every song he would record.

Luda would go on to make plenty hits in the years that followed, but this is the one that still stands the test of time, and marks the moment when Atlanta began to realize what it had in him.

9. Bonecrusher f/ Killer Mike and T.I. "Never Scared" (2003)

See Also: Killer Mike "Akshun"

Album: AttenCHUN!

Label: So So Def/Arista

After appearing on both Gangsta Grillz 6 and T.I. and P$C's In the Streetz 2 mixtapes, Never Scared graduated from a hood club anthem to the club anthem of 2003.

With Atlanta's crunk movement on the cusp of becoming a national phenomenon, "Never Scared" not only increased the subgenre's popularity, but also showed that cats could actually rhyme over those types of tracks, instead of just screaming and chanting.

In addition, this song alone set Bonecrusher, T.I., and Killer Mike on their way to becoming stars, and made DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz the new mixtape brand to respect. This, combined with Mississippi neighbor David Banner's "Like a Pimp," burst open the flood gates for the "New South" takeover.

8. Kilo Ali "America Has a Problem (Cocaine)" (1991)

See Also: Kilo "Do You Hear What I Hear"

Album: America Has a Problem

Label: Arvis Records


Kilo is the reason most of the people on this list rap—or were even able to have careers—in the first place. One of the first voices from the hood (Bankhead) to even make it on the radio, "America Has a Problem (Cocaine)" was a PSA disguised as a bass record.

It also comes off as a look in the mirror on the artist himself, as cocaine was one of the main reasons why Kilo's career was derailed, and ultimately prevented him from prospering more outside of Atlanta. If you were a kid growing up in Atlanta around the time, though, this is probably the first rap song you ever memorized word for word.

7. Pastor Troy "No Mo Play in GA" (1999)

See Also: Pastor Troy "Vica Versa"

Album: Face Off

Label: Universal, Madd Society


There was a time when Pastor Troy had not just the city of Atlanta but the entire state of Georgia eating out of the palm of his hand. "No Mo Play in GA" is what started it.

Initially, the song blew in smaller Georgia cities and HBCU campuses. Since the album was funded and recorded when Troy was based in Augusta, Ga., it took a minute for the song to be accepted in Atlanta. But once it did, it made history.

While the song was aimed at Master P, it dropped at a time when Atlanta youth were going through a slight identity crisis, trying to look and talk like there were signed to No Limit and/or Cash Money. This song was a successful attempt to re-instill that city pride.

6. Kris Kross "Jump" (1992)

See Also: Archie "We Ready"

Album: Totally Krossed Out

Label: So So Def, Ruffhouse, Columbia


Although they were still in elementary school when they "made it," Kris Kross' "Jump" was such a big record that it superseded any "kiddie rap" labels that could be thrown at young rappers that came after them. While rap had known pop success prior to "Jump," Kriss Kross took it to unprecedented levels: They had people wearing their clothes backwards and Michael Jackson summoning them for music video cameos.

If you were from Atlanta and went out of town, you were almost guaranteed to be asked "do you know Kris Kross?" Kriss Kross never matched the success of "Jump" (although "Tonite's the Night" was a modest follow-up success in 1995), but to their credit, not too many young rappers after them did either.

5. MC Shy D "Atlanta That's Where I Stay" (1988)

See Also: Kilo "The Piz"

Album: Comin' Correct in 88

Label: Luke Skyywalker, Epic


Hip-hop had always been alive in Atlanta, but it wasn't until Shy-D dropped "Atlanta That's Where I Stay" that people put away those Knicks and Yankees hats and started rocking Hawks and Braves gear. They gained a little more pride in using their own voice and identity.

While Shy D himself moved to Atlanta from New York, he won respect by respecting the turf he was on. Atlanta had not crafted its own sound yet, but the fact that he was shouting out the city on a track was music to everybody's ears. At one time, the song was so big that Shy D was performing after Hawks games, getting as much play in the A as Run-DMC and Whodini.

4. Goodie Mob f/ Cool Breeze and Big Boi "Dirty South" (1996)

See Also: Goodie Mob "Goodie Bag"

Album: Soul Food

Label: LaFace

What started out as a song about Atlanta's notorious "RED DOG" (Run Every Drug Dealer Out of Georgia) police unit, political corruption, street codes on the Southside of Atlanta wound up becoming a theme song for the entire region to relate to.

Rapping over little more than a bass line, Cool Breeze's prophecies, Big Gipp's analysis and Big Boi's shit-talking still define the city more than 15 years later. Crazy thing about the song is that only one Goodie Mob member actually spits a verse; the song's message is bigger than the group of artists on it.

While Atlanta and Southern Hip Hop are more mainstream these days, this song acts as a time capsule, a reminder of a time when rappers weren't afraid to tell the ugly truth.

3. Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz f/ Ying Yang Twins "Get Low" (2003)

See Also: Ying Yang Twins "Whisper Song"

Album: Kings of Crunk

Label: TVT


Lil Jon had plenty of Atlanta classics under his belt by the time "Get Low" came out. Songs like "Who U Wit," "Couldn't Be A Better Player," and "Bia, Bia" cemented his status as a pioneer in crunk—and at cranking out memorable hooks. But when he managed to make the world (and even Dave Chappelle) scream the song's "Aww Skeet Skeet Muthafucka, Aww Skeet Skeet Gotdamn!" like it was cool, you knew he had officially taken over.

Jon was known for producing songs that made dudes fight and scared women from the dancefloor. But this track did the opposite, making girls do all kinds of X-rated things that we wish camera phones had been around to capture. The raunchy single became a staple at college parties across the country, and made Jon an unexpected pop star. The song also helped Ying Yang Twinz become household names. Yes, that really happened.

2. T.I. "What You Know" (2006)

See Also: T.I. "24's"

Album: King

Label: Grand Hustle, Atlantic


T.I. isn't afraid to tell you that he's the shit. But when this song came out, you really had to admit, "yeah, buddy, might be the shit."

By the time "What You Know" came out, the self-proclaimed King of the South had already defended his crown against all challengers, and was looking to become the king of rap, period. It was only right that his album King kick off with a bold declaration in the form of a simple question, daring what was left of his doubters to find someone better.

The Bankhead Ambassador always knew how to make a hit song, but this is him and longtime producer DJ Toomp at their collective finest. T.I.'s purposefully drawn-out flow and reserved cockiness embodied the demeanor of the typical dude repping the A and made it something more.

1. OutKast "Player's Ball" (1994)

See Also: OutKast "Git Up, Git Out"

Album: Southernplayalisticcaddilacmuzik

Label: Arista


"Player's Ball" was originally recorded as a Christmas song, hence the sleigh bells in the beat. But when the song and video were released, it became the moment where you swore you were looking at two dudes you had just seen at Greenbriar Mall on national television.

That's because they were. Big Boi and Dre (pre-3000) drew a line in the sand when they came out talking about pimps, Cadillacs and "king shit" when the rest of hip-hop was preoccupied with being either Five Percenters or Gangsters. At first, even some Atlantans would take their time accepting 'Kast, as they were still under the spell of Wu-Tang Clan or Snoop Doggy Dogg. But once residents saw that the duo was repping them the right way, they took them in as their own.

OutKast's accents were unfamiliar to outsiders, but anybody that lived in the A understood exactly what they were saying. But even then, they stuck out from the jump. 'Kast would build the rest of their career standing apart, not only from other Atlanta artists, but from the rest of the world, period. While a few rappers came before OutKast, mark this moment as the time when Atlanta was officially on the map.

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