Journal Entry #1: Misconceptions

What did I learn?

I never realized that the first use of the word "crunk" was in the song Hootie Hoo by Outkast. What does this mean? It was an interesting discovery because currently there are two major types of sounds in the south. First, there is the heavy, banger, club crunk music. These artists serve to pump the crowd up with loud beats and heavy bass. Such artists include: Lil' Jon, Lil' Scrappy, Three 6 Mafia, Bonecrusher, etc.

On the flip side, there is a serious side to southern rappers, and this resonates in the sound of Outkast, T.I., Ludacris, etc. These emcees possess a lyrical complexity that takes the art of spokenword seriously. Therefore, how interesting is it that the group Outkast gave rise to a whole movement through its mention of one simple word: "crunk."

What is my problem with crunk music? At first, I was engulfed by the movement for it is quite addictive. In addition, being in Atlanta, Georgia did not make it any easier because this city is a hotbed for crunk music. On numerous occaisons, I have visited nightclubs and partied the night away to the pumping of the bass. But, over recent months, the southern rap scene has turned into a factory of one-hit wonders. The radio is flooded with similar style songs: all bass and poor lyrics. And, to make matters worse, the dance associated with the song does not act as a redeeming quality. Why does this all matter? It is important because it perpetuates the southern stereotype of its music not being true hip-hop. Furthermore, it clouds and diminishes the accomplishments of true southern artists like T.I., Outkast, Lil' Wayne, etc. I do not have a problem with Lil' Jon, or the occaisional crunk track because it does represent a unique southern style. But, when that undercurrent or subculture becomes mainstream is when it can become dangerous to southern hip-hop as a whole. I concede that it was partially crunk music that brought the focus of the hip-hop community to the south. But, that was nearly six years ago. Since then, there has been little to no progression, and I would argue that the south has moved in the wrong direction. At this moment in time, fellow members of the hip-hop community possess the ability to label the entire southern region and clump it together. However, the label of crunk music is not representative at all of what the southern emcee is all about. There are poetic elements in southern rap, but crunk music is not one of them.