The History & Influence of Music Down South:Memphis

Hey loves! This blog has greatly been inspired by my decision to shine light on the influence and history of music down south. I specifically chose to highlight the South because of the significant connection displayed in the music of several artists in the South. I've decided to make this a whole discussion and series after realizing how many people don't know much about the music that came before their generation. People also don't know the history, how it began, or when it began. With that being said, I've made it my job to educate those who don't know and those who are interested. The first city down south that will be discussed, is my home town, Memphis, Tennessee.

Memphis has had many effects on the music industry, and those from my city have seen artists visit our place of blues and heavy rap and leave with our talents in their bag. The influence of blues and rock & roll has built the face of rap and trap music along with musicians such as Al Kapone and Dj Spanish Fly who opened the doors for others. In the early 1990’s, Memphis shaped the music world with crunk, hard, and promising rap lyrics that just couldn't be spoken without dance moves. If you're from Memphis you knew exactly what gangsta walking and jukin’ were. You also knew exactly what crimes most of the people in the city were committing, being that Memphis is one of the cities with the highest crime rates in the U.S. The lyrics always told a story and never would disappoint. Alongside all of these facts, the relationship the artists had, just because they were from the same area, had a huge affect on their music as well. Although most of them hadn't met before, they could relate just from being from Memphis finest area, Orange Mound. They made it known in just about every song and let it be known that they were NOT the one to be messed with!

Memphis rap definitely got its kick start due to Memphis finest deejay, Dj Spanish Fly. This deejay knew exactly what the club crowds wanted when it came to electro beats and tunes, but he gave them more. Club No Name and Expo were the spots where Dj Spanish Fly began his legacy by keeping the crowd crunk with rap and selling his mixtapes just outside of the building. The mixtapes even included a few of his own songs. That wasn't the only way Dj Spanish Fly spread his music throughout the streets of Memphis. He also rapped on the block of his neighborhood near Elvis Presley. His contributions to Memphis rap never go unnoticed as he has recently received the title, ‘Godfather of Memphis Rap’. During this time, Memphis music was in a small transition. Music was transitioning from an electric funk to a hard core southern rap. Alongside Dj Spanish Fly, there was also a producer who made large contributions to the change of music in Memphis. Dj Squeeky offered a new sound and contributed to the origin of Memphis rap music. The producer's beats caught the likes of those such as Tom Ski Mask, Three-6 Mafia, and Criminal Man. Furthermore, Juicy J and Dj Paul’s first mixtapes sampled a few of Squeeky’s beats. Dj Squeeky once stated that a few Memphis rappers were responsible for copying his style.

Speaking of which, this wouldn’t be a proper blog without mentioning two of the most respected groups in Memphis rap, Three 6 Mafia and 8Ball & MJG. These two groups left a huge mark on rap music in the M-Town. Three 6 Mafia received its name based on the number of group members that they started and ended with. The members included Dj Paul, Juicy J, Lord Infamous, Koopsta Knicca, Gangsta Boo, and Crunchy Black. Three 6 Mafia began their career as a group in 1991 releasing their very first album in 1994. The album was titled ‘Smoked Out, Loced Out.’ Although this wasn’t their first album, it’s an album that definitely earned them their stripes. They finally gained well deserved national attention years later after winning a Grammy Award.

8Ball & MJG also had a huge impact on Memphis music and began their career in the early 90’s. The duo met in middle school in 1984 and later joined together to create hits. They released their first album, ‘Comin’ Out Hard’, in 1993. Together the two of them received a spot on Billboard and Hot Rap Charts, leaving their hometown proud. Let’s not forget that the beats behind their voices is another thing that made Memphis rap so significant!

Production is also something that made Memphis sounds so unique. Many artists were prone to using the 808 cowbell, snares that sounded like gunshots, and drum patterns that were often sequenced in half time. Another characteristic of the music was the many artists and producers' obsession with looping horror movie sounds. Many of them often wanted a darker tone to match the dark lyrics of their sounds. Not only did these Memphis artists sample music from movies, they also sampled other artists' music. These artists included Isaac Hayes, The Ojays, and The Isley Brothers. However, these rappers also followed in the footsteps of Dj Zirk by sampling many of his songs. In fact, songs from Dj Zirk’s album ‘Too Thick’, were the most sampled songs in Memphis. Samples were very valued in the city, however, not all samples were of music. Most of them were samples of high pitched vocals. This also gave Memphis a very spooky sound and made the artists rapping on these tracks sound hard! Last but not least of Memphis great characteristics, is the flow of their lyrics. This flow is very popular and is currently being used by new artists all over the U.S. The flow is known as the ‘Triplet’ rap flow. The flow is commonly used by artists like Yo Gotti and Lord Infamous.

Memphis Music has had a huge impact on many other major cities in the world as many artists are sampling Memphis rap music today. As rap continues to expand all over the world, Memphis will still play a huge part in the change and development of music now and beyond. It is very interesting to know the roots of many genres of music and how they began. With that being said, it was a pleasure for me to provide you with information on the origin of Memphis rap music as well as its artist and their many techniques!

Artists To Know

Dj Spanish Fly

Dj Squeeky

Three 6 Mafia

8Ball & MJG

Gangsta Pat

Dj Paul

Juicy J

Dj Zirk

Al Kapone

Project Pat

La Chat

Lil Wyte