Lost in Translation – Dirty South hip-hop
Just think how brilliant and original hip-hop can be. Think of the more-punk-than-punk NWA debut. Think Black on Both Sides by Mos Def. Think Quasimoto releases. Throughout the 80s and early 90s, there were so many great hip-hop records that it seemed like a genre that could do no wrong. The sound may have been samey on occasion, but like 60s reggae, everything seemed golden and innovative.
Then hip-hop took a turn for the worse and started to churn out generic bland dribble. One of the worst turns taken was down into Crunksville and The Dirty South. Wasp-buzz thin productions and lyrics so dumb that a brick coulda spat ‘em. This stuff is massive in the US, but to my ears, it just sounds like Casio keyboard gash. Over the page you’ll find Three Six Mafia keeping it real…ly dim.
