Atlanta, Georgia has become one of the biggest hubs for rap in the United States. Artists like Future, Quavo, Gucci Mane, and Rich Homie Quan have created a style all their own. These rappers have taken the style of “Gangsta Rap” and added Atlanta swagger to it, a style known as Trap Music that is wildly popular in the south. Gangsta rap was made popular in the 80's and 90's by artists and groups such as NWA, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Bone Thugs N Harmony, and Ice-T that glorified the thuggish and gangster lifestyle. These activities like shooting craps, stealing, and smoking marijuana are still topics in music today.
Outkast is known as one of the first groups in Atlanta to call it “Trap Music”. Artists like T.I., Gucci Mane, and Young Jeezy made it sensational around the entire country, not just in the south. Lyrics in trap music mainly deal with the topics of dealing drugs, women, and of course: money. Trap really took off in 2003 when T.I. released “Trap Muzik”, his 2nd record. Trap has almost completely engulfed rap music in popularity, and all of the popular rap songs since around 2010–2011 have been “Trap”. This was just the beginning of the rise in Atlanta’s popularity. Future, The Migos, Fetty Wap (who is not from Atlanta but is a trap rapper), and Lil Jon are just a few of the artists who have had #1 hits or albums since 2010.
Atlanta rappers have also inspired their own vocabulary that has become popular in gangsta rap. Words like bando, juug, finesse, plug, brick, trap, and lick are just a few of the words that have been created by Atlanta rappers; some refer to it as “Migo Lingo”. There has also been a trend of rappers who identify as bloods replacing words that start with c with a b.
“Took a shot of Henny got me goin Brazy, Brazy”- Future
Bando- Short for “Abandoned”, a house used to sell drugs out of. Also known as a “Trap House”. Ex; “He’s in his bando cooking up crack.”
Juug- To deceive, steal, or rob someone. “$5 for a pack of gum is a juug.”
Finesse- Synonymous with Juug, to short someone when selling drugs. Ex: “I finessed him for about $20.”
Plug- Your dealers dealer. Ex; “The plug just called me.”
Brick- A package of drugs, usually cocaine. Ex; “I sold a brick last week.”
Trap- To sell drugs for a living. Ex; “Trappin out the bando.”
Lick- To steal something, See; Juug. Ex; “I hit a lick on that gas station.”
Atlanta has gone through a renaissance of music of sorts, and trap music is one of the most popular genres today. Just like NWA, they created a new style that has changed the way that artists rap. When gangsta rap was created, it was heavily criticized for the controversies it created. Trap stirs up trouble due to the glorification of selling drugs: just like NWA was scrutinized for rapping about murder and police brutality. Some call it lazy, but a lot of music is really creative and tells a story of struggles if you take the time to listen to the lyrics. The fast beats combined with the themes of being hood, drugs, and money have gotten trap to where it is today. I see trap music being popular for years to come, and may even change the rap game completely.
