Prep
- Matt Miller, ‘Rap’s Dirty South: From Subculture to Pop Culture’, (password-protected PDF) in Forman and Neal (2012)
- Audio: Tommy Wright III feat. La Chat and Playa Fly, ‘Gangsta Forever’ (1996). Justin Hunte mentions this track in ‘How the triplet flow took over rap’ as one of the first examples of the sustained use of double-time triplet flow. It also features an opening verse from the underappreciated La Chat, one of at least two great female MCs from that era of Memphis rap (the other is Gangsta Boo of Three Six Mafia). Note: The Boss DR-660, a very budget drum machine, was a staple of early Memphis rap production, particularly in the years 1993-1995; I’ll bring in the unit that I’ve been borrowing the last few weeks. The main sample for ‘Gangsta Forever’ is apparently taken from the Psycho II soundtrack, however, so that suggests that Wright had upgraded his equipment by then (the only samples available on the DR-660 were factory presets). Check out ‘Meet Yo Maker’ from his 1994 album Ashes 2 Ashes, Dust 2 Dust to hear him produce an entire beat on the DR-660. Since this drum machine did not feature a sampler, Memphis producers would take the stock 808 cowbell sound and pitch it at different frequencies to create melodies.
- Video: ‘How the triplet flow took over rap’, Vox (15 September 2017)
In Class
- Attendance
- Q&A: What exactly is ‘dirty’ about the ‘Dirty South’?
- Reading Notes for Next Time
- Andrew Nosnitsky, ‘Gray Matters’, Pitchfork (4 March 2013). On the legacy of Houston’s DJ Screw—possibly the most influential hip-hop DJ of this century—and how his impact goes way beyond simply slowing things down.
- Video: ‘DJ Screw and Suc Freestyle’, ScrewdUPClickV2 (14 October 2009)
- Audio: ‘Big Floyd and the Rise of Houston Chopped N Screwed Music’, Switched on Pop (9 June 2020)
