VH1’s Hip Hop Awards honoring Dirty South, with Jermaine Dupri interview

Nowadays, it's almost taken for granted that Atlanta is a major hub for hip hop. Artists such as Ne-Yo and Akon have homes here, and newer artists such as B.o.B. and Gucci Maine were raised here. It's where BET holds its annual hip-hop awards. It's where the last Soul Awards was held a few months back.

Two decades ago, Atlanta generated a few acts such as Kris Kross, Arrested Development and Da Brat. But the focal point for hip hop at that time was New York and Los Angeles.

Ray Murray, part of the hip-hop production company Organized Noize which helped develop the "Dirty South" sound in the late 1990s, said in a phone interview last month that the South in hip hop didn't get much respect in the early years."There was a backlash against us from New York that made us congeal," he said. "We didn't break through until the East Coast-West Coast really jumped off. Even when Dre came up, they were still overlooking we were here."

Rapper Cool Breeze is often given credit for the term "Dirty South" and Organized Noize "ran with it." In Murray's mind, "dirty" is "lawless" in the sense of "can't be contained." He said the geographic area ranges from Texas to Virginia and covers multiple styles. It represents both poor rural living, he said, as well as urban living.

Murray said mainstream hip hop today  lacks as much of that creative element and a progressive philosophy that goes beyond partying and drinking. “There’s nothing wrong with Lil Jon and Gucci Mane,” he said. “We just need a balance. We don’t have enough MCs that actually have something to say. There’s way more diversity in Atlanta hip hop than heard on the TV and radio.”

Here's a brief synopsis of what went down last Thursday nigh and you'll see tonight on VH1 (and repeated numerous times afterwards.)

Honoree Dupri, in a separate interview, said he doesn’t feel like a “straight Southern artist.” “A lot of my records were broken in other cities outside the South when they first came out,” he said. “But I do put Atlanta on my back. I’m not ashamed.” Although primarily a producer, he did have a hit a few years back with “Welcome to Atlanta.”

"I do feel like a lot of records we put out, even OutKast, was a lot bigger than the South," Dupri continued. "We don't call New York hip hop New York hip hop. It's just hip hop. Why is southern hip hop still labelled that way? We just made rap music from Atlanta or Louisiana or different parts of the country."

Dupri, who is in his late 30s, has been on the scene for almost two decades but does not feel old. "I'm not 40 yet. I'm still the youngest person from that era. I'm younger than Puffy. I'm younger than Jay-Z. I'm younger than Dr. Dre. I still feel young. I'm doing a lot of running around. I don't sleep at all!"

On TV

“VH1 Hip Hop Honors the Dirty South,” 9 p.m. Monday June 7 on VH1

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