25 Essential Southern Rap Albums

The more people get into Southern rap, the clearer it becomes how little people know about Southern rap music. So, here’s a quick primer. These are 25 albums worth a listen.
Here’s the thing–some of these are records I happen to really like and some are not. For example, I’m not the biggest fan of TRU’s TRU 2 Da Game, but I think it’s historically significant. So in recommending you check these records out, I’m not just saying that the albums are top-notch and I’m definitely saying these are the 25 best Southern rap albums (I’m purposesly not repeating any artist or group more than once, but cats can have a group and solo album on here). I’m also mentioning milestones that will make it easier to see how Southern rap progressed to where it is now.
And here we go, in no particular order…

OutKast – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. My favorite Kast record, even though Aquemini is better. But it’s one of the five best produced post-Chronic albums, the one that completely changed the way people viewed Southern rappers.
Geto Boys – Grip It! On That Other Level. Still holds as the best GB album, even though it doesn’t have any hits like “Mind’s Playin Tricks on Me.” It’s also ridiculously disturbing at times. But, if I’m not mistaken, this is the record Virgin was afraid to release, proving that scaring the hell out of people is great PR.
Mystikal – Mind of Mystikal. To the uninformed–Unpredictable is not Mystikal’s first album, just his first on No Limit. This one was the best album out of New Orleans before 400 Degreez and features the classics “Here I Go” and “Y’all Ain’t Ready Yet.”
Da Odd Squad – Fadanuf Fa Erbody. Maybe, just maybe, the most underrated album ever. Features a young Devin the Dude.
UGK – Ridin Dirty. I can’t explain why. You just have to cop it. Possibly the best album of 1996, competing only with Reasonable Doubt and ATLiens.
Scarface – The Diary. The Fix is better, but I don’t remember an album sounding like this. It’s so dark, so vivid, so well-written, so dope. Mr. Scarface is Back opened eyes, but The Diary made Big Brad a legend.
T.I. – I’m Serious. I’d rather listen to Trap Muzik, but this is the beginning of the Atlanta explosion in hip hop. It took a while, but check out these trap boys that have records out now and tell me where they got their styles from. I’d say this album.
Goodie Mob – Still Standing. Many people prefer Soul Food, but I’ll take this one. Why? Because it has more pop sensibilities but doesn’t sacrifice anything artistically. In fact, you could argue this is more gutter than the first. Great balance.
Young Jeezy – Let’s Get It (Thug Motivation 101). Sorry, but anyone that can’t admit that this is a classic at this point is just hatin’. Jeezy ain’t no Big Daddy Kane, but the record bangs and he does a good job on the mic.
Juvenile – 400 Degreez. So “Ha” came out and I had no idea what to say about it. “Back Dat Azz Up” came out and I thought it was incredible. Heard the album and I didn’t take it out of the tape deck in my car for about three months. Unique sound, unique emcee, great features…everything you could want in a rap album. And FYI, I think his new record might be better than this one.
Devin the Dude – Just Tryin’ Ta Live. I’m continually amazed by how Devin gets laid and high in EVERY song. Cal Ripken ain’t got shit on him.
Eightball and MJG – On the Outside Looking In. The best record of their early period. Features the all-timer “Lay It Down.” Went gold with very little promo in 1995. Not easy for country boys to do back then.
Down South Hustlas (compilation). One of the best vehicles ever for getting Southern hip hop outside of the South (and particularly into California). And it showed the world that some guy named Master P had a good idea of how to make money.
TRU – TRU 2 Da Game. It’s a double disc that should have been a single. The rapping is average at most points. It gets repetitive pretty early in the game. But the first tiem I heard “No Limit Soldiers,” I knew that P was on the way to being a huge star. And if you hear this record, you’ll understand what I heard. Unfortunately, this led to lots more solo albums from Silkk Da Shocker.
Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz – Kings of Crunk. Put Yo Hood Up went hard, but this one expanded what people thought Jon could do. Also showed that this regional sound could sell nationwide…as long as people up North would quit frontin’ and just enjoy the ride. Great record.
D.O.C. – No One Can Do It Better. Yeah, it’s a West Coast album, but I had to remind you that the Diggy-doc is from DALLAS. Not LA, DALLAS. And Primo is from Prairie View, Texas.
Bubba Sparxxx – Deliverance. Why do people continue to sleep on this album?
Little Brother – The Minstrel Show. You think this shouldn’t be on this list? You clearly have never met these cats. Country as buttermilk biscuits.
Three 6 Mafia – Chapter 2, World Domination. When this was out, I didn’t properly respect it. Going back and reading the track list, I see how much influence the Memphis boys had on the crunk sound from Atlanta. And Juicy J is one of the most interesting samplers ever. If I’m not mistaken, “Tear Da Club Up ’97” uses a sample from the theme to “The Young and the Restless.”
Hot Boys – Get It How You Live. I honestly don’t know the Screw scene that well, but try this one. Listen to some of the Screwed up stuff that came out before 1997. Then listen to the stuff that came out afterwards. Lots more talk about diamonds and all of that in the later stuff. ’97 is the year Get It How You Live came out, and I couldn’t get in anyone’s car that summer without hearing this record. And I know of a couple of rappers in Houston that couldn’t get enough of this album. Not as good as Guerilla Warfare, but GW was really just a reissue of “Get It How You Live” with new tracks.
Kilo Ali – Organized Bass. I don’t care if you like bass or not, this record bangs HARD. Produced by Organized Noize, this is probably the best of the Atlanta bass albums. Lil Jon’s So So Def Bass All-Stars are also great examples, but I’d rather listen to this album over another.
Paul Wall and Chamillionaire – Get Your Mind Correct. Listened to that at the gym the other day for the first time in years. Man, this is a great album. I hope both of them go back to making stuff that sounds like this one.
David Banner – Certified. I’m torn between putting this one or Crooked Lettaz “Grey Skies” on the list. I know this record better, so I’m putting it on. Really good and inexplicably slept-on album, my favorite of his solos.
Lil Wayne – The Carter II. Yeah, all you fans of the first Carter can give it to me in the comments.
Luke – One of his albums. Real talk, I can’t tell his records apart. I just know it would be blasphemous not to include him on this list.

17 thoughts on “25 Essential Southern Rap Albums”

  1. It’s sad but Luke was about all I new when it came to down south music until I was ’bout 15. Where Im from
    (Ft. Lauderdale) nothing else really mattered, if you couldn’t shake your everything off of it and if there wasn’t someone yelling stuff at you to do during the song (Shake this, drop that), it wasn’t worth listening to. Sad huh?
    There’s something wrong with shakin and droppin? Those were the two best things about college.

  2. I think I would have thrown Slim Thug’s album up there… and maybe with a David Banner album… I guess Luke and 2 Live Crew don’t count? But you did throw D.O.C. up there… neither have a “traditional” southern hip-hop sound to it..
    Peep that list a lil closer. Luke definitely appears.

  3. Pretty comprehensive list. I would have had MJG’s No More Glory, but that’s just a personal favorite. Surprised no Ludacris, as he was, in my opinion, one of the first big-time, crossover, commercial southern artists. Particularly the Back for the First Time. Maybe a DJ Screw or a Mike Wotts joint possibly could have made it, but kudos all the same.

  4. I’d like to nominate a little-known, under-the-radar release by an Outkast affiliate:
    Slimm Calhoun’s – the Skinny
    Leaving aside the single “It’s OK”, which has an incredibly infectious chorus, this album has many dope tracks on it. “Red Clay”, “This Young G”, “Timelock”, and “Piece of Tha Pie”, among others, are all quality tracks.
    OH and how could I forgot The Dungeon Family. Shame on you, Bo, for not mentioning what is probably the best Dirty South clique album ever released, “Even in Darkness”.
    Oh, it’s a banger. I’ll have to keep that in mind if I do a Part 2.

  5. Left Coast Vic

    Bo, you took me back with that Kilo Ali reference. Although Akinyele gets more blast, Kilo probably gots the best track ever when it comes to the topic of fellatio.
    DF should be on that list just off the strength of “Crooked Booty.”
    That new Juvi is hard as fcuk.

  6. Aww tear the Club Up…more known for the hint of LL’s “I’m Bad” in my opinion…Shid we played that in a lounge during HCASC 98 and we almost got arrested…
    Down South Hustlers had all the underground greats, but the best song on that entire …wait the two best songs on that double CD are “Bounce Dat Azz” and Magnolia Slim’s “(I Want It)You Got It”…

  7. Not only do I take issue with Left Coast Vic’s liberal use of the word cracker in his post about the Duke article (I love when people denounce racism while spewing it themselves), but he also picked the whackest track on the DF album as the best. “Crooked Booty” was the only blemish on an otherwise fine album.

  8. Not only do I take issue with Left Coast Vic’s liberal use of the word cracker in his post about the Duke article (I love when people denounce racism while spewing it themselves, that’s always fun), but he also picked the whackest track on the DF album as the best. “Crooked Booty” was the only blemish on an otherwise fine album.

  9. Bubba fucking Sparxxx…if I didn’t know better, I’d swear that you put that in there just to annoy me. However, since I know little or nothing about the topic, that seems unlikely. Bubba can still kiss my ass though.

  10. I have to agree with Mr Carter (see his above post) that Ludacris should undoubtedly be a part of this list. Don’t get me wrong, I love many artists from the ATL but he definitely welcomed everyone to atlanta (pun intended) towards the end of the 90s. Admittedly, he has a less serious tone so perhaps that’s why he was off the list, but he deserves a LOT of credit. A lot more than he really gets as an MC and as a admirable person for standing up to Pepsi and Bill O’Reilly.
    By the way, Cris’s next album is supposed to change the game. No joke. I heard it through the grape-vines.

  11. Left Coast Vic

    Not only do I take issue with DeepThoughtz taking issue with my pick on the DF album, I also take issue with the the fact that he took 2 posts to say it (bad posting etiquette).
    “And we don’t speak proper english when we walk we strut our stuff”

  12. Did you know that some idot in Atlanta wrote a song about Brian Nichols to the Laffy Taffy, Lean wit it, Rock wit it beat!!
    “Do the Brian Nichols, Do the Brian Nichols!, Do the Brian Nichols.”
    You should do a countdown about songs that have no point what so ever! ie… Laffy Taffy (the female remix), Cameraphone (yeah somebody actually thought that this was smart), Nextel Chirp, Hit me on my Metro.

  13. Left Coast Vic (aka Double Standard Vic):
    Way to sidestep the issue. You’re still a fucking bigot. Thanks for reminding me that it’s still a two-way street.

  14. Let me throw some underground artist in
    the pot you need to check out.
    Playa Fly-Da Game Owe Me
    Gangsta Blac-Can It Be & I’m Da Gangsta
    Big Tuck-Purple Hulk (chopped & Screwed)
    Big Tiger-I Came 2 Wreck (chopped & Screwd)
    But of all under rated southern rap albums
    the one that is the most under rated is
    Big Mike -“Somthing Serios”(a true southern classic album) this album to
    me is on the same level as UGK’s “Riding Dirty”.

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