Skip to content
Hip-Hop

Anthem of Perseverance

How Southern Rap Sustains Me

by Chris Young

I was seven in 1995 when I first heard “Space Age Pimpin’.” The bassline and raw rhymes of 8Ball & MJG had me and you, yo mama and yo cousin too all wanting to seduce a beautiful woman like Adina Howard, and drive her around on gold Daytons through my hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee. Day in and day out, I would nod my head to the beat, rapping the duo’s lyrics while playing Mortal Kombat.

This is an abstract. Read the full article for free on Project Muse.
Subscribe today!

One South, a world of stories. Delivered in four print issues a year.

Subscribe