Southern Empire

 Rap music spawned on the entertainment scene during the 1980's as a voice box, sort to speak from the African American inner-city communities povershed by low income, high crime rates and short life span expectabilities.

Not since the assinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Malcom X and the days of the outspoken Black Panther Party has the Black community had someone to speak up for it and state the disfunctions in our communities. Rap music has served as an ambassador to the streets and ghettos that birthed the struggles that gave it (rap music), it's outlet and focal point.

Hip Hop, the culture, in it's raw and most vintage form, embodied certain elements such as; graffitti art, break dancing, d.j'ing, and most common emceeing. Not until the lifestyle (hip hop) and music (rap) were accepted into the mass media, did the message become filtered and diluded. The music was born on the East coast in New York shortly after the late 70's and early 80's crack epedimic that hit the Black community. However, the lifestyle has always been, and here are the artists and videos from the South; a much overlooked territory in the hip hop community.

Here are their stories as told to us by the finest in Southern rap music today.

 Percy Miller (Master P) was born in New Orleans La, as the oldest of five children, of whom two were well known No Limit Records artists, Silkk the Shocker and C-Murder. After attending the University of Houston, Master P moved to Richmond California where No Limit Records was started.

Master P's first solo, self-produced album was "the Ghetto's trying to kill me," released in 1994 then re-released under Priority records in 1997. Along the path to becoming one of the South's most influencial iconic figures, Master P produced numerous No Limit Record albums under several artists such as, UGK, Soulja Slim, Myztikal, Mia X and Snoop Dogg.

Here are several videos from some of No Limit's artists, classic songs from a first class Producer and entrepeneur.

 Southern rap icons, Pimp C and Bun B were friends before becoming PA's (Port Aurthor Texas) ambassadors to the hip hop community worldwide. The duo formed the group UGK in late 1987 and signed their first major record deal in 1992 under Jive records when they released "too hard to swallow."

Their first success came in 1996 when the album "Ridin Dirty" rose to the number 2 spot on rap/r&b charts. The group would record more albums including "Dirty Money" and 2007's "Underground Kingz."

The group suffered a major loss in 2008 when member Pimp C died suddenly of a mixture of prescription pills and medicine, also known as 'syrup.' His music, and UGK's group projects will forever remain in the hearts and minds of fans worldwide.

R.I.P. Chad (Pimp C).

 DJ Screw was a local star long before he became an international pioneer of one of rap music's most distinct sounds. In the late 90's, Screw had already made a name for himself through releasing mixtapes at a Houston based store, Screwed Up Records & Tapes. His distinct sound would earn him the originator of the purple drink "syrup" that took the rap world by storm. His slowed down music also influenced other Southern rap artists and since his death in 2000, has become more wide known and used by East Coast artists as well as other artists and genres of music.

Here are some of DJ Screw's best videos/songs, plus a few videos today that used his sound. Rest in Peace DJ Screw.