1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: Hey, y'all, Eve's here. I know you're ready to get 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: into this episode, but really quick. We have been loving 3 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: connecting with y'all over black storytelling, and if you've really 4 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:11,559 Speaker 1: been loving the show, then we would really appreciate it 5 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: if you would leave us a rating and review, subscribe 6 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: to the show, and share it with your friends. Thanks y'all. 7 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: Now time for the episode. On Theme is a production 8 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:45,840 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio and fair Weather Friends Media. 9 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 2: Eves, tell me you're from the South without telling me 10 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 2: you're from the South, I spit. 11 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: My adolescence dancing to crunk music and snap music. 12 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 2: True, that works, But to be fair, those Johns were 13 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 2: popping everywhere in the US in the early adds. 14 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: You're right, But because they were born in the South 15 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: and they were under the banner of Southern hip hop, 16 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:07,679 Speaker 1: it felt like it was a quintessential part of the 17 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: black Southern experience at the time. 18 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 2: Cuche And you. 19 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 3: Know what, Katie, I missed that music. 20 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: And I don't just mean in a nostalgic I have 21 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: fond memories attached to it kind of way. I mean 22 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: I miss the energy, I miss the playful, miss the 23 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:26,400 Speaker 1: organized chaos and the joy of it all. Maybe it's 24 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:28,680 Speaker 1: just easy to want things to be like they used 25 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: to be. But for the brief and delightful time that 26 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: Crunk and Snap were in the limelight, hip hop felt 27 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: so bright, and now I can't help but feel like 28 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: a lot of that light has faded. 29 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 2: Today's episode Survival of the crunkas. 30 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:48,559 Speaker 1: All right, we're gonna do a little exercise. Okay, close 31 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: your eyes. Now, imagine yourself as a teenager, say thirteen. Yeah, 32 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: you're in a friend's living room on a summer weekend. Okay, yeah, 33 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: her mother has graciously let four other girls stay over 34 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: for a sleepover, and y'all have already eaten dinner, plus 35 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: the obligatory post dinner snack of hot Cheetos and Sprite Remix. 36 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 1: You've already changed into your pajamas, you've made prank calls 37 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:17,959 Speaker 1: from the house phone, and you've watched reruns on UPN 38 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,639 Speaker 1: and you're a little spent because you've just finished playing 39 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: about six rounds of Hood Rules UNO. But the night 40 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: is still young, and y'all decide that it's time to crank. 41 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 3: Some music up. 42 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: It's the mid two thousands and y'all want to dance, 43 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 1: so of course it's going to be some snap music. 44 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: Y'all take a vote and your choice wins. 45 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 3: But what is it? 46 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: What song are you playing from the six disc? Seedy Changer, so. 47 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 2: Jo boy O, Fitness ho, watch me a row? Why 48 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 2: speak creat Day? 49 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 3: That's a good choice. Good choice. 50 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: So snap music was actually a child of crunk, which 51 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: grew out of the party life. It's origins lie in 52 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: nightclubs and Miami bass music, and it's made to get 53 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: you hype. 54 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 2: In other words, the perfect fight in music. 55 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, if you want to put it like that, 56 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 1: and the lyrics definitely encourage wreaking havoc from time to time. 57 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: See three six Mafias Tear the Club Up, an early 58 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: entry in the genre, Our. 59 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 2: Little Scrappy is No Problem, in which he says you 60 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 2: can get crunk in the club, roll with your hood, 61 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 2: get stomped in the club. 62 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:29,079 Speaker 1: Yeah. A lot of that enthusiastic energy and adrenaline did 63 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: work itself out in the music in some aggressive lyrics, 64 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: but hey, they were still party songs, exciting beats and 65 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: call and response, a lot of vibes that would have 66 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: you bouncing your shoulders and sweating with their dancing partner. 67 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: Despite the violence that the songs were nodding too, and. 68 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 2: Some fites did pop off around these songs. But crunk 69 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 2: music was also a mainstay in more wholesome settings like 70 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 2: gray school dances and talent shows. 71 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: I mean, some of these songs were literally telling you 72 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: to dance and how to do it. Get Low a 73 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: song that at our tender age we absolutely should not 74 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 1: have been listening to. But Little John and the East 75 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: Side Boys and the Yin Yank Twins were telling us 76 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: to drop that, shake it fast, pop it to the 77 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: left and the right, back it up and then wiggle 78 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: with it. Simple, clear instructions, so easy your grandma could 79 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: do it. 80 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 2: Okay, And now that I think about it, it's giving WOBBLESI. 81 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 1: Hey, good enough for the radio, good enough for the 82 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:30,839 Speaker 1: line dance at the family cookout. 83 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,799 Speaker 2: That's a stretch. That's a stretch, but the points dance. 84 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 1: The fact is krunk had gotten really popular by the 85 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: early to mid two thousands. That simplicity, those repetitive lyrics, 86 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: the energetic vocals that called to release energy through the 87 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:49,720 Speaker 1: body through movement and action in one way or the other, 88 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,840 Speaker 1: was hitting a nerve with the people. Krunk had a 89 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 1: plethora of hits with songs like bone Crushers, Never Scared 90 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: Crime Mobs, Knuck if You Buck, and get some crunking 91 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: System by Trilville and Pastor Troy, and it was getting 92 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: cross genre play with artists like Usher and Sierra. 93 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 2: And Little John was truly the king of krunk. He 94 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:11,160 Speaker 2: produced so many of these songs. 95 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: Absolutely, and the word krunk was in all but one 96 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: of his album titles. He fully embraced the impact of 97 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: his crunk legacy. And if it weren't for Little John 98 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: and the other artists who made krunk a mainstream success, 99 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: Snap music wouldn't have been able to ride in on 100 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:29,599 Speaker 1: its coattails, even though the Yin Yang Twins were super 101 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: associated with crunk music. In a twenty twenty one interview 102 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: with Sean Press, Cain said that they made strip club music, 103 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: not crunk music. This was d Rock's response to Sean 104 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,039 Speaker 1: Press saying the world thought of their music as crunk. 105 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 2: It's all adrenaline. 106 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 3: So it was a very specific moment in time when 107 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 3: that music came out. 108 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,040 Speaker 1: I have a lot of fun memories of it because 109 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,040 Speaker 1: it was such a hype period of time. It was 110 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: a period of time wherever it was clearly having a 111 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: lot of fun. Yeah, there was a lot of adrenaline. 112 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 1: I think adrenaline is a really good way to put 113 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,200 Speaker 1: it in That's something that I immediately think of because 114 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 1: it's about being in the club, it's about dancing together, 115 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: it's about getting buck Like there's just so much energy 116 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: in life, in the lyrics, in the production of the songs, 117 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:22,840 Speaker 1: and in what they were calling you to do in 118 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 1: the songs. And I don't know if I have an 119 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: answer to it or if I can put my finger 120 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: on it, but like, what is it that we needed 121 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:32,360 Speaker 1: that for in that moment? 122 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:34,839 Speaker 3: Why was that music so popular? Do you have any 123 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 3: ideas well? 124 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 2: I think the adrenaline comes from the fact that it 125 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 2: was like about togetherness in a way, like the songs 126 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 2: when they come on, you know, people rush into the 127 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,280 Speaker 2: dance floor, Like if you drinking your sprite and you 128 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 2: hear that beat drive you write it like everybody does it, 129 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:51,840 Speaker 2: so it's like a group thing, you know, and like 130 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 2: you're bouncing off the energy of somebody else. So you know, 131 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 2: if you knuck it in bucket or ready to fight 132 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 2: so am right, you know what I'm saying, Or you know, 133 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,279 Speaker 2: if you ain't never scared, I ain't never scared either. 134 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 2: So it's like that energy that you're feeding off of 135 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,719 Speaker 2: with the people that you're with, even if you don't 136 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 2: know them. They could be strangers like I ain't never scared. 137 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 2: I ain't never scared. And also like there are groups 138 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 2: of people singing these songs right like Lil John and 139 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 2: the East Side Boys, Yingang Twins. You look at the 140 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 2: music videos like they're all you know, at the skating 141 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 2: rink or at the club or just in a parking lot, 142 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 2: just all together, and it's kind of like maybe there's 143 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 2: one main person, but they with they crew, they would 144 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,680 Speaker 2: they click or whatever. It wasn't like, oh I'm the star, 145 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 2: like get away from me. Like they was in the trenches. 146 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 2: They was on Cascade Row, you know what I'm saying. 147 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 2: And especially like because Atlanta I think was like leading 148 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 2: it Atlanta supremacy. You're just down to earth making music 149 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 2: for the streets. It's fun. We're gonna get these dances off, 150 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 2: we're gonna talk a little bit of shit, and we're 151 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 2: gonna have a good little time. 152 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 3: It's like we all having a block party together. Basically. 153 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, and there is also a chaotic energy in that 154 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 1: period in Atlanta, but in the United States at the time. 155 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 3: I mean just thinking about the style of dress. 156 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: Extra tall tees, extra long shorts, shades for no reason, bangled. 157 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 2: Down to earth. You could get that stuff. You get 158 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 2: a ten back of these shirts for the cheek, for 159 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 2: the low and you're looking fresh and people are like 160 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 2: that shit, you. 161 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 3: Know, and those mesh slippers. Do you remember those mesh 162 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 3: slippers that everybody used to get. They had a moment 163 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 3: and I don't blame you. 164 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: Me and my household, I did not see slippers, but 165 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: they approved my point that it was a chaotic time 166 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways. And I think that you know, 167 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: this was post millennium chaos. So I think we were 168 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: kind of moving into these years. We were still having 169 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: a lot of fun. We were still like figuring out 170 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 1: Internet things. There were just energy coming at us from 171 00:08:57,160 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: all these different directions. 172 00:08:58,520 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 3: Yeah. 173 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 2: I think very like experimental too. 174 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's very experimental and very loose, Like that's one 175 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:05,719 Speaker 1: thing that I get from this period of time, like 176 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 1: we didn't take ourselves too seriously. 177 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think because you know, like the ninety 178 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 2: nine two thousand, it's like, oh, it's gonna be two thousand, 179 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 2: We're going to be like in the future people were 180 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 2: like on their little like Millennium wave like trying to 181 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,319 Speaker 2: be like futuristic in dress. But like by that time, 182 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 2: I think people were like, Okay, well it's just the 183 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:21,720 Speaker 2: same old, same all, Like let me throw on these 184 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 2: tall te's, let me put it on this hat at 185 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 2: like an impossible angle and like hit the street. 186 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 3: And it got something air brushed on it. 187 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, absolutely, some ristones are somewhere, whatever the case 188 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 2: may be. So yeah, I think like we didn't take 189 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,439 Speaker 2: ourselves too seriously, and it showed in the music. It 190 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 2: showed in like you know, getting beats off of YouTube 191 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 2: was YouTube grow wherever folks was getting beats. 192 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, it was it was just going to come up 193 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 3: when it comes to music and. 194 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 2: Then just putting it out because like a lot of 195 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 2: times people would just put it out and it would 196 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 2: go viral for the time and then that's how people 197 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 2: heard it, and then that's how it got on the radio. 198 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 2: The music industry really like pushing this in the beginning. 199 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 2: It was the people pushing it. 200 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 3: Yeah. 201 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,719 Speaker 1: It was a grassroots, like really collective effort to like 202 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: make this music spread and it did. 203 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 2: Yeh. 204 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 3: A testament to. 205 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: As much as as many issues as we might have 206 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 1: with the music. Now you know, it was hot Hot, 207 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:29,679 Speaker 1: it was snap music. It was different. Yes, it was 208 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: a successor to krunk. Still fun, still made to get 209 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 1: you hype, still holy southern, Still more about the style 210 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,200 Speaker 1: than the substance. But it was a little more lighthearted 211 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 1: than crunk, A little sillier. 212 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 2: I mean the genre is home to Laffy Taffy, a 213 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 2: Snap classic. Not the most serious of songs. 214 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,800 Speaker 1: Okay, a lot sillier. The artists moved on from tearing 215 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 1: up clubs to tearing up the dance floor. Some songs 216 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:57,079 Speaker 1: had actual snaps in the beats. Do It Do It 217 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: Pull Palace by Bhi with k raph and Little John Bunny, 218 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,319 Speaker 1: Hot by get Rich Click. We were squarely in the 219 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: mid two thousands, paying per text message and downloading frame towns. 220 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 3: It was a struggle, wasn't it putting? 221 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:13,559 Speaker 1: I think they like me and walk it out on 222 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 1: our iPods, uploading low resolution videos of synchronized dances with 223 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: our friends to YouTube. 224 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 2: Don't talk down on it like that, like you weren't 225 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 2: bumping those two two. 226 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 3: Oh girl, me and everybody else. 227 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: Snap music successes were coming out of Atlanta, Left and right. 228 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:34,480 Speaker 1: Many Snap songs were topping the Billboard charts. Groups like 229 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: Dem Franchise Boys and Defoel were becoming Snap superstars, and 230 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: some Southern hip hop ogs like the Yin Yang Twins 231 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 1: and Little John were still in the game. 232 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 2: Can't forget tea Pains, Buy You a Drink? All the 233 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 2: kids and grown ups fell in love with that song. 234 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:51,960 Speaker 2: It was the perfect mix of R and B and snap, 235 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 2: and he actually talked about snapping in it from the 236 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 2: very beginning of the song, even in the second part 237 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:58,599 Speaker 2: of the title, Shoddy Snap. 238 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 3: Katie, what do you think was up with those snaps? 239 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:01,559 Speaker 1: Like? 240 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 3: Why did we like them so much? 241 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 2: Then? You know, I think it just it was like 242 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 2: the hoods. I am big pentameter, if you will, all right, 243 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,719 Speaker 2: get us together, keeping each other on beat. Okay, we 244 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 2: were moving in unison. 245 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:25,320 Speaker 1: It's basically the two thousand version of a scat Okay okay. 246 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 2: Yes, we were taking that collective memory h from our 247 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 2: ancestors and. 248 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: Transforming it, transforming it, bringing it into the future. 249 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:38,559 Speaker 2: Mutating it was evolving. It was the natural course of history. 250 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: Probably also has something to do with all the sense 251 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 1: that was involved in the music, because I'm sure there 252 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,439 Speaker 1: were some technical aspects to it as well, but I 253 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 1: appreciated those snaps. And Soldier Boy, as we all know, 254 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: was a phenomenon and had a lot of snaps in 255 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: his songs too. There's no doubt that Soljia had a 256 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 1: huge influence on the trajectory of hip hop because of 257 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,839 Speaker 1: how he incorporated the Internet in his music. By his 258 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:04,839 Speaker 1: own words in his own tweets, he has said that 259 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: he was quote ahead of his time. I don't disagree 260 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 1: with the sentiment, but I would amend that to say 261 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,920 Speaker 1: that he was right on time. The music industry was 262 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,199 Speaker 1: shifting strategies because it realized that music would soon rely 263 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 1: heavily on digital platforms. People were file sharing and using 264 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: social media more, and Soldier Boy capitalized on that to 265 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: get more downloads and more notoriety. He would change the 266 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,600 Speaker 1: name of Crank That to the names of other popular 267 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 1: songs and peer to peer platforms, and he leaked his 268 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:37,880 Speaker 1: songs on MySpace. Here he is in a Billboard interview 269 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 1: with Hillary Crosley that he did when he was seventeen 270 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: years old, talking about his first album. 271 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:46,679 Speaker 3: Well made you guys, make your album title a website. 272 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:48,959 Speaker 4: Before on my record deal, I got my success through 273 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:50,719 Speaker 4: the internet, like I had too many hits on the 274 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 4: site before My record. Deal is if I name my 275 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,719 Speaker 4: alms what tim dot com, it's gonna be like the website. 276 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,240 Speaker 4: So the website gonna be like the CD, like that, 277 00:13:58,400 --> 00:13:58,960 Speaker 4: back and forth. 278 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:01,280 Speaker 1: At the time we were recording this the Crank. That 279 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: music video has five hundred and sixty eight million views 280 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 1: on YouTube. It was his first single and it set 281 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: the stage for a Snap music dance epidemic. There were 282 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:15,479 Speaker 1: dances that went along with songs before think of the Chickenhead, 283 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: but regular folks started uploading their own videos of soldiers 284 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 1: dances to YouTube. 285 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 3: YouTube was becoming. 286 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:24,400 Speaker 1: A place where lay people could get a lot of 287 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: attention and artists could promote their brands with a bunch 288 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: of success. The TikTok dance crazes, the rappers who made 289 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: their lanes on SoundCloud, the strategic use of social media 290 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:38,040 Speaker 1: to amplify your work and bring fans into the fold. 291 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:41,600 Speaker 1: That all has some precedent in Soldier Boys work in 292 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 1: the mid two thousands. All Snap music was the soundtrack 293 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: for all of this, So even the folks who don't 294 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: care for it can't deny its deep imprint on the 295 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: music industry. A lot of folks were hating on Snap music, though, 296 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: including Soldiers Music, saying they were killing hip hop. I 297 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 1: mean it's it's like when any new music that the 298 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: kids are into comes around, and Snap music it came 299 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 1: with the whole host of new fingle technology that the 300 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 1: old heads and the hip hop purists weren't used to 301 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:13,720 Speaker 1: being associated with real hip hop. 302 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. I remember some folks like calling a ringtone rab 303 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 2: really trying to play it mm. 304 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,640 Speaker 1: Hmm, And just hearing that phrase makes me feel old, 305 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:27,440 Speaker 1: like it's something like still saying tape instead of records, listening. 306 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 2: To that terrible rap again, get off my patch? 307 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:34,520 Speaker 3: And then and now. 308 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,640 Speaker 1: The Snap era isn't regarded super highly in the hip 309 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: hop canon. It was a star that burned brightly but 310 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: died pretty quickly. People recognize its meteoric rise, how much 311 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 1: of a fun and unique time it was, how the 312 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: artists who did snap music did it well. I would 313 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 1: say it's artistry hasn't gotten much acclaim though, but it 314 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: has been noted as a game changing phase between krunk 315 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: and traps rise to the mainstream and all the darker 316 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:09,200 Speaker 1: Southern hip hop that was to come next. In a 317 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: wild interview that the King Yang Twins did on Hot 318 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,200 Speaker 1: one O seven point one in Memphis in the two thousands, 319 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: Cain said that he didn't really like the party music 320 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:21,600 Speaker 1: that they made. I ain't really fallen on a club 321 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: of music we make, but I ain't one of it. 322 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,920 Speaker 1: It ain't it ain't really talking about n okay. And 323 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 1: that's the flip side of this coin. It was a 324 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 1: fun moment in hip hop, but crunk and snap music 325 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 1: were good time friends. 326 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 2: Snap music had such an impact. People were playing it 327 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 2: all the time, Like you said, people were uploading their 328 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 2: renditions of the dances and the songs to YouTube just 329 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 2: because just for funzies, and like I imagine seeing your 330 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:57,280 Speaker 2: art everywhere. But like, knowing these nogoods was in three 331 00:16:57,400 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 2: sixty deals, like I would be like, I don't, I 332 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 2: don't like it, you know what I'm saying. Like if 333 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 2: you made some art and you didn't get paid the 334 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 2: amount you should have been like the hood loves you, 335 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:11,200 Speaker 2: but the hood love ain't gonna pay those bills. And 336 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 2: so I could see them not like feeling a way 337 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:14,639 Speaker 2: about it. 338 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 1: In that regard, you're talking about the artists who had 339 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: Snap songs, who didn't necessarily make it big or make 340 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:21,200 Speaker 1: a lot of money from them. 341 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, like the Yiang twins, I can see them signing 342 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 2: a bad deal and not getting their worth monetarily, and 343 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 2: so I can see them like being like, oh, I 344 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 2: don't like that. If you own your masters, if you 345 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:36,919 Speaker 2: were getting one hundred percent of them checks, I'm sure 346 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:38,639 Speaker 2: you would love that music. You'd be like playing some 347 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 2: more and play some more. But I can see not 348 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 2: liking it or like kind of be wanting to separate 349 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 2: yourself from that like silly, youthful time. When you're older 350 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:47,720 Speaker 2: money ain't getting no money off of it until you 351 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,639 Speaker 2: have grown as a person and an artist, right, I 352 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:53,200 Speaker 2: would think that it was more like an economic. 353 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:55,480 Speaker 1: Based on the way that they said it in that interview. 354 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:58,359 Speaker 1: It was in real time, so they were saying this 355 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:00,160 Speaker 1: at the same time they were putting music out out 356 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: that would be considered part of that era. But the 357 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:07,159 Speaker 1: context of that conversation made it seem like there was 358 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: actually something about the substance and what the messages that 359 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:12,400 Speaker 1: they were actually delivering to people in those songs wasn't 360 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:15,320 Speaker 1: their favorite. And that's understandable because we know a lot 361 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 1: of times artists do things to make money because they 362 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:19,879 Speaker 1: have to sustain themselves too, but also like they have 363 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,640 Speaker 1: arranged within their artistry, some of which may include conscious 364 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,160 Speaker 1: things and some of it may include things that don't 365 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,480 Speaker 1: take that much thinking about. And when they were talking 366 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: about it in that interview it was couch and another conversation, 367 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,399 Speaker 1: they were like, I think they were a little drunk 368 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 1: or high or something, to be fair, but whatever the 369 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 1: mood was, they were still you know, saying what they 370 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:44,600 Speaker 1: were saying, and they were just talking about how much 371 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:46,879 Speaker 1: they care about the kids and how important the kids are, 372 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 1: and like raising them upright and them getting an education 373 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 1: was okay. So some part of it really did seem 374 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:57,159 Speaker 1: like them saying, this music is cool. I'm glad that 375 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,159 Speaker 1: it's resonating with the people. But it didn't seem like 376 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: it's what they wanted to be defined as, and they 377 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: didn't want people to see it as the limits of 378 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 1: their artistry, Like that wasn't the boundaries of what they 379 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:09,960 Speaker 1: could actually do and the things that they could actually 380 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:10,800 Speaker 1: say in their work. 381 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think people often like have this 382 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:16,240 Speaker 2: like false economy, like either you listen to snap music 383 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 2: or you focus on your education, like you were our 384 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,000 Speaker 2: salutatorian and were snapping with the rest of us. So 385 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 2: you know, so it's like, I mean, don't take yourself 386 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,680 Speaker 2: too seriously think that you are like the reason for 387 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 2: the high school dropout rates. 388 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:33,320 Speaker 3: R like no, fair, fair point. 389 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:34,320 Speaker 2: Yes. 390 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: So do you think that snap music and crunk music 391 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:39,520 Speaker 1: is something that artists should be proud of, like an 392 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:41,440 Speaker 1: era they should look back on with pride? 393 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:43,480 Speaker 2: Well, I know mister Soljia does. 394 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:45,639 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, he's still talking about it. 395 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, but yeah, I mean I do. It was 396 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:52,639 Speaker 2: an era. It was something that was created organically and 397 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 2: it was fun. And people still be listening to songs. 398 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,520 Speaker 2: I mean people still be swags a white people. Oh yes, 399 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:01,119 Speaker 2: it still gets trying to get going on swag surfing. 400 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,920 Speaker 2: Recently they couldn't do it a little. Still, it's not 401 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 2: much to it, but you know, it's still alive. It's 402 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,760 Speaker 2: still here oftentimes you know, at arena's or you know 403 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 2: the high school football game, high school basketball music festival. Yeah, 404 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 2: so like it's still there. So, I I mean, if 405 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 2: I was a part of it, if I had my 406 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 2: snaphand crunk hits, I'd be like, yeah, I did my 407 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:23,400 Speaker 2: big one. 408 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:26,960 Speaker 1: But it's interesting too, because like one Snap song was 409 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 1: just one of so many others that brought people together 410 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 1: versus now when you hear swagsurfing and you see the 411 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 1: crowd like locking arms or like moving in. 412 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,399 Speaker 3: Synchrony, that's it. That's the end of it. 413 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 1: After that, we all nod in our hands on our 414 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:41,879 Speaker 1: own back on our phones or something like that. So 415 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,400 Speaker 1: it's like a lot more isolated to see that kind 416 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,320 Speaker 1: of togetherness through song and like public spaces where there 417 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: are a lot of people. 418 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 2: Bring back the pool Palace, bring back the poole palates. 419 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 2: I remember doing that escap zone one night how recently 420 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 2: middle school? Okay, so it was like you know everyone 421 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 2: about skates, Yeah, oh yeah, of course, club up. I 422 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 2: went and did the pool Palace all night, legs work 423 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 2: killing me the I'm gonna do that tonight as my workout. 424 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 1: Actually, right, all the people want to do squads, Now, 425 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:14,399 Speaker 1: why would you do that if you could do the 426 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 1: pool Palace. So do you think that Snap and Crunk 427 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,199 Speaker 1: have aged well or like, do you think that they 428 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,200 Speaker 1: will age well into the future? Will they be John 429 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:27,680 Speaker 1: runs that we listened to and we're like, yeah, that 430 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:30,640 Speaker 1: was that was a good time. That was good artistry. 431 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: And the people deserve to listen to it for years 432 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:33,840 Speaker 1: to come. 433 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so, because unfortunately we are the adults 434 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:42,680 Speaker 2: now and so unfortunately, girl, I hate it here take 435 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:45,359 Speaker 2: me back. But you know, when you're at the plane, 436 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:48,679 Speaker 2: our oldies are oldies. Gonna include some Snap and crunk, 437 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:52,240 Speaker 2: you're right, like it or not. It ain't gonna be 438 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 2: all teddy pinograss some, but it's gonna be a little 439 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 2: John and the East Side Boys as well. 440 00:21:57,720 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 1: And mostly we're just gonna be leaning with him, rocking 441 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 1: with laughing, taffying around. Yeah, well, at least it'll be fun. 442 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,199 Speaker 1: In the fifteen plus years since the US fell out 443 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,440 Speaker 1: of love with Snap music, mainstream hip hop has definitely 444 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: took a turn toward the dark. Some folks would say 445 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:24,920 Speaker 1: that the Snap era was a dark time in hip 446 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,680 Speaker 1: hop history that were better off just looking at it 447 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,919 Speaker 1: as a distinct period in a genre that is relatively 448 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 1: new and constantly evolving. But I sorely missed that goofy, 449 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:37,840 Speaker 1: care free energy of the era, that hard one but 450 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: rightful joy that was infused in the high hats and 451 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:44,159 Speaker 1: the lively dances. And it wasn't like everything was all 452 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:48,440 Speaker 1: sunshine and rainbows. The song still had a sprinkle of foolishness, 453 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:53,560 Speaker 1: a dash of objectification, a pinch of peacocking, but there 454 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: was a release. Some burdens were taken off of our 455 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:01,280 Speaker 1: shoulders so we could move them freely. Mainstream hip hop 456 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: kind of moved on to killing, stealing, and thrilling, heavy 457 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: on the making money moves, a lot of depressants and depression. 458 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,280 Speaker 1: We definitely got out of our bodies and into the 459 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 1: recesses of our minds. There's a ton of wrap out 460 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:18,080 Speaker 1: there that wasn't and isn't on this wave. But the 461 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:22,640 Speaker 1: things that grow chart get radio rotation. Not too much 462 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:25,360 Speaker 1: happy go lucky out there. Yeah. 463 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:29,280 Speaker 2: I like the Drakes, Futures, Kanye, and many folks who've 464 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:31,320 Speaker 2: come in their wake. I do think we see a 465 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,560 Speaker 2: little bit of that humor and lightheartedness in the women 466 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 2: rappers like City Girls, Megan Thee, Stallion, Big Lotto, Cardi, Nikki. 467 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:40,640 Speaker 1: Yeah. 468 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:41,159 Speaker 3: I think so. 469 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:46,119 Speaker 1: Some attitude, some happiness or at least contentment, and some 470 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:48,960 Speaker 1: dance routines, a little color, a little life. 471 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:50,680 Speaker 3: But when I look at. 472 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 1: Mainstream hip hop generally and say it's adrenaline, nah, it's 473 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,119 Speaker 1: a downward energy, not an upward. One, it seems like 474 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 1: crunk and snap music flourished in the two thousands because one, 475 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,879 Speaker 1: every sound has its moment. Two burgeoning technologies and internet 476 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:11,720 Speaker 1: platforms and technologies made simple, flashy songs valuable. Three the 477 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: creators were skilled and it was their time. Four it 478 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,399 Speaker 1: came out of Atlanta, the star that a lot of 479 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:22,400 Speaker 1: hip hop revolves around. And five it's cool, it's fun, 480 00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:25,920 Speaker 1: and it's soft. In a quote in a two thousand 481 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:29,119 Speaker 1: and six article in the UK's Independent, Febo of DFOL 482 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: said this, if you clap your hands and get crunk 483 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: and stuff, you're gonna get sweaty, right. But there's always 484 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 1: that player on the wall that just got that little 485 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,800 Speaker 1: step that he do all the time, and he snapping 486 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:43,240 Speaker 1: his fingers with it, and he looks so cool with it. 487 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:45,600 Speaker 1: That's who a female is going home with. 488 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 2: Ah wise words from philosopher Fabo. 489 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 3: He had us in the first half. 490 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:56,399 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, but baby, we needed a break, a course correction, 491 00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: a reaction to all that hard action that had come before, 492 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:03,479 Speaker 1: the political rap, the gangster rap. And once we got 493 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 1: that high energy out through krunk, we wanted to balance 494 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: things out. And now the mood is cynical, sad, introspective, serious, 495 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 1: More rappers talking about mental health. Maybe they're just talking 496 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: about it differently than they were before, or maybe they're 497 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: just more open to talking about their struggles in a 498 00:25:22,119 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: more straightforward way. But in totality, the outlook is pretty blue. 499 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 1: Part of it seems like a natural switchback in the 500 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,399 Speaker 1: long term progression of hip hop music, and part of 501 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:35,600 Speaker 1: it is that the US is having a mental health reckoning. 502 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: The number of people getting mental health treatment has increased 503 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,040 Speaker 1: significantly since the early two thousands. 504 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think the music that we listen to is 505 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 2: a reflection of what is going on in society. And 506 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:49,920 Speaker 2: so I think krunk and snap music would be a 507 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 2: little out of place now because like this shit is 508 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:57,600 Speaker 2: not sweet, right, So we see some records that are like, oh, 509 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:00,680 Speaker 2: like this is fun, you know, like for the girls, 510 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 2: you know, but I think the depressed rap it also 511 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,520 Speaker 2: has its place because she's depressing. 512 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:09,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, but I guess I think when you say shit 513 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 1: is not sweet, it's like it never was, and it 514 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:12,719 Speaker 1: definitely wasn't then too. 515 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 2: I don't think we have the consciousness to know that. 516 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:16,359 Speaker 1: And yeah, that's where I was going with this is 517 00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:17,919 Speaker 1: because what I was going to say, is that it's 518 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,320 Speaker 1: just different ways of processing, where processing before was ignoring 519 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:25,360 Speaker 1: and processing now is like actually like confronting the thing 520 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: and talking about it. 521 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 2: So we were ignoring it because I guess it was 522 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 2: like the recession in two thousand and eight. 523 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:33,119 Speaker 3: I don't think as a whole we were ignoring it. 524 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:35,640 Speaker 1: I'm just specifically referring to the way it was coming 525 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 1: out through Krunk music and Snap music. Yeah, because we 526 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,440 Speaker 1: weren't really talking about conscious things, or we weren't talking 527 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 1: about mental health. 528 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 2: It was just like it was we didn't have the 529 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:47,840 Speaker 2: language then to talk about mental health. 530 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:50,879 Speaker 1: But I think when people talk about it, when rappers 531 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: talk about it today, it's not oh, I'm going to 532 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: therapy and I'm saying this, it's no like I'm sad. 533 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:58,119 Speaker 3: Yeah, we had the language to say that before. 534 00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 2: Well, I feel like in the Krunk I mean, toxic 535 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 2: masculinity is still here in Wild Girl, but it was 536 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:11,240 Speaker 2: more of a masculine like saying you're sad. I feel 537 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,440 Speaker 2: like Drake brought that on. Drake comes on a little 538 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:16,040 Speaker 2: bit after he Mad It had his first album, what 539 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:19,120 Speaker 2: like two thousand and nine, mm hm, So I feel like, yeah, 540 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,359 Speaker 2: we could have, but then you was gonna get joned 541 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 2: and he was gonna be a little bitch. Yeah, and 542 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:26,199 Speaker 2: no one's gonna think you were cool anymore. 543 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, But I appreciate both ways because, like I said earlier, 544 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:31,880 Speaker 1: I used the word soft because there was a softness 545 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:33,639 Speaker 1: in the Crunk and the Snap era, even though it 546 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 1: was masculine, because it was so tactile, because it was 547 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:39,920 Speaker 1: about movement so much, because it was about sharing, because 548 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,440 Speaker 1: it was about like creating and containing energy in these 549 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:45,720 Speaker 1: spaces with other black people and with people at home. 550 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 3: Because it's became a mainstream success. So yeah, it's interesting 551 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:49,880 Speaker 3: to see. 552 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:54,680 Speaker 1: The ways that probably ideas around masculinity and around how 553 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 1: people chose to express themselves or like release energy came about. 554 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,359 Speaker 1: But on a lighter note, anything can come back around. 555 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:05,680 Speaker 2: So maybe sometime in the future we'll call for a 556 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:07,160 Speaker 2: Krunk or Snap revival. 557 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:11,720 Speaker 1: Maybe rapper Deuce's song Crunk Ain't Dead got some attention 558 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: a few years ago, But whether the pendulum will swing 559 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: back in that direction, only time will tell. 560 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:27,879 Speaker 2: Now it's time for roll credits, the segment where we 561 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:30,359 Speaker 2: give credit to a person, place, or thing that we 562 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,280 Speaker 2: encounter during the week. Eves who are what would you 563 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 2: like to give credit to today? 564 00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:38,480 Speaker 1: I think I'd like to give credit to critical thinking, 565 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:42,760 Speaker 1: just because I think a lot of times people can 566 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:47,480 Speaker 1: do things like be ignorant on purpose, they weaponize their ignorance, 567 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: have a lack of empathy, and choose to not use 568 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,960 Speaker 1: the knowledge that they do have, choose to not integrated. 569 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,440 Speaker 2: Grow are you taking a shot and you would give 570 00:28:58,440 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 2: me dead? 571 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 1: And my motherfucker because I'm talking to you contact. This 572 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 1: isn't anything coded, it isn't about anything specific. It's just 573 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:13,520 Speaker 1: that I've been like reading and I think that a 574 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:14,480 Speaker 1: lot of the time, just. 575 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 3: Like why why are people like this? 576 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:19,800 Speaker 1: You know? So it's not like I'm saying I have 577 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 1: no flaws and no faults, but I appreciate, you know, 578 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 1: being able to like think critically about things and change 579 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: my mind. And so this week I wanted to give 580 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 1: credit to critical thinking because I think it's an important 581 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 1: skill to have that I'm grateful that I was in 582 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: beute with from an early age, Like it was something 583 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 1: that was like, this is critical thinking, and this is 584 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 1: how you do it for me in my life. And 585 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 1: I'm grateful for all of my teachers who did instill 586 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,400 Speaker 1: that value in me and the importance of it, because 587 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 1: not everybody gets that, and that's not always a fault 588 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 1: of their own. It's like, you know, what are the 589 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:53,400 Speaker 1: communities that are around us, How are they helping us think? 590 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: You know? What are ways in which we're not being 591 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,239 Speaker 1: educated by the people who are responsible for it. How 592 00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: are we being taught to the test a lot of 593 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:06,440 Speaker 1: the times? How are people purposefully providing misinformation? Not giving 594 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,080 Speaker 1: you access to certain things? So there are so many 595 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,440 Speaker 1: factors to it that we don't have to go into here. 596 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: But it's an important skill to have, and I want 597 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:17,880 Speaker 1: to make sure that I'm always using it in my 598 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 1: life too. 599 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:23,520 Speaker 2: Thank Critically, y'all, I would like to give credit to 600 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 2: researchers who have written down their research and shared it 601 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 2: with the public. I turned in the manuscript of my 602 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:38,280 Speaker 2: book this morning, and there were a lot of people 603 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 2: who's research they just shared with me, research that is 604 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 2: available in the archives, and it was really helpful to 605 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:50,160 Speaker 2: see what people before me had done, who they talked to, like, 606 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,600 Speaker 2: what books they read. So I'm grateful for them. 607 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:56,040 Speaker 1: I imagine it would be nice to have people who 608 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 1: so freely share too, and don't try to get keep now. 609 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:02,160 Speaker 2: Oh fuck j store. 610 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:06,800 Speaker 3: Oh we can go down a list for all the journals. 611 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 2: Baby fuck that, but a bitch beginning them log ins 612 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 2: and I go to work. But yeah, they should make 613 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 2: those available, like why you got to be associated with 614 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,480 Speaker 2: a university, like a specific university. 615 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,480 Speaker 1: You have to go through the seven layers of hell 616 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:25,400 Speaker 1: to get into some of those articles. 617 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:30,000 Speaker 2: I know, seriously, everybody I meet, are you in college? 618 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 2: What's your password? I ain't gonna do nothing funny. I'm 619 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:36,239 Speaker 2: just trying to get these journals because they do make 620 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 2: it so hard. But one day we'll be free. There 621 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:40,080 Speaker 2: will be a free jay store one day. 622 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, some people are working on it. Thank you, open 623 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 1: source folks. We'll see you next episode. 624 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:47,080 Speaker 3: Bye y'all, bye. 625 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:54,640 Speaker 1: On Scene is a production of iHeartRadio and Fairweather Friends Media. 626 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:58,360 Speaker 1: This episode was written by Eves Jeffco and Katie Mitchell. 627 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:02,160 Speaker 1: It was edited and produced by Tari Harrison. Follow us 628 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,600 Speaker 1: on Instagram at on Themeshow. You can also send us 629 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:10,040 Speaker 1: an email at hello at on Theme dot show. Head 630 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 1: to on Themet Show to check out the show notes 631 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 1: for episodes. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio 632 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: app Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.