ATL

New York may have been hip-hop's birthplace, but throughout this decade Atlanta has been its home. While the transformation may have begun in earnest after the deaths of Biggie and Pac left the Coastal regions hobbling, its seeds precede those deaths by a few years. Numerous Atlanta rappers have pointed to the year 1995 as the true birth of modern Southern rap. The year before, Outkast had released their acclaimed debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. Though the group repped the South to the fullest, their style was a departure from the various appropriations of bass music that had defined Atlanta hip-hop in the years proceeding. Outkast was inclusive and universal; their beats were slow, sweet and radio friendly; their flows sounded eerily like Souls of Mischief and their lyrics were multidimensional and evocative. It's not an exaggeration to say that following the release of their debut, the entire South -- and not just Atlanta -- was behind them. They watched in pride as the boys traveled to New York to attend the Source Awards, where they were nominated in the Best New Artist category. And they watched in horror as the East Coast crowed nearly booed them off the stage when they won the award. The message was clear: hip-hop's Coastal illuminati weren't about to show respect for a pair from Atlanta, regardless of how talented they were.