![]() In the years immediately following, Outkast earned six Grammy nominations, Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar, and Houston, Texas quite literally blew up, disseminating a slew of artists including Chamillionaire, Mike Jones, and Paul Wall into the mainstream. According to the book Third Coast: OutKast, Timbaland, and How Hip-Hop Became a Southern Thing, Southern Rap acts constituted nearly 60% of Hip-Hop singles in 2002. For Heads, though, perhaps his most enduring legacy is that which contributed to the astronomical rise of Southern Rap. “Ho” wasn’t a blockbuster single, but its cult popularity makes it a contender for a fan favorite.Ĭhristopher “Ludacris” Bridges has released a total of 9 solo albums winning three Grammy Awards (including “Best Rap Album” for 2006’s Release Therapy), nine BET Awards, and a Screen Actors’ Guild Award (for “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture,” thanks to his appearance in 2004’s Crash) along the way, among other awards. Throughout, the high-wattage energy of tracks like “Game Got Switched” and “Get Off Me” resonate and spill into the posse cuts “1st & 10” and “Catch Up.” One of the album’s most memorable tracks is “Mouthing Off,” which features a cypher-like swagger accompanied by 4-Ize, beatboxing and even a reference to A Tribe Called Quest. “Come On Over,” “Ho,” and “Tickets Sold Out” add some levity where tracks like “Hood Stuck” and “Stick Em Up” add braggadocio-laced threats. ![]() Lunatics’ 2001 album Free City and others, Back For The First Time punctuated its musical contents with straight comedy. ![]() Just like fellow Southern Hip-Hoppers the 504 Boyz’ 2000 debut Goodfellas, the Big Tymers’ 2000 album I Got That Work, Three 6 Mafia’s 2000 album When The Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1, the St. Part of Back For The First Time’s nostalgia-inducing quality for many Heads is its inclusion of what was then the ubiquitous album skits. “What’s Your Fantasy?” made “back seat, windows up…” a common colloquialism while “Southern Hospitality” continues to elicit instantaneous elbow throwing. Contributing verses from Fate Wilson, I-20, Pastor Troy, and UGK made it a distinctly Southern affair while contributions from Shawnna and Pharrell on those singles helped the project appeal to a wider range of Hip-Hop fan. In between the album’s bookends are 11 tracks that made the album so well received, it only needed to spawn two singles. With no hook, the song relies on three meaty verses whereas the album’s closing track, “Phat Rabbit,” is a richly produced duet that sounds straight out of the Freaknik. His multi-syllabic approach to bar construction is clearly evident, as is his humor (“you shit out wheat Chex and fart out deep breaths”). In addition to introducing listeners to Disturbing Tha Peace, the opening cut possesses much of the signature qualities of Ludacris The Rapper’s style. The album begins with the barreling “U Got a Problem?” which invites listeners to get right in the face of a man who is determined to claim his rightful spot at the top. In less than two months, the album was certified platinum by the RIAA and it would serve as the springboard for 2001’s Word of Mouf, which achieved its own triple-platinum status in just 11 months. Back For The First Time‘s tracklist reads like a who’s who of super producers, with Bangladesh, Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes, Organized Noize, and Timbaland handling the lion’s share of the work, resulting in what may be one of the most exemplary sonic time capsules of the early ’00s. ![]() “Phat Rabbit,” “Southern Hospitality,” “Stick Em Up,” and a remix to “What’s Your Fantasy” with Foxy Brown and Trina were added to the re-loaded album, but even “Phat Rabbit” had its origins in earlier years as the result of a collaboration with Timbaland in the late ’90s. That isn’t to say that the Scarface-helmed Def Jam South played an insignificant role in the album’s success. 75% of the tracks on the LP appeared on Incognegro, making Back for the First Timeboth perfectly titled but also confirmation that he already possessed the talent for a major label despite not having been signed. This triumphant feat was particularly amazing considering the album’s content. ![]()
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