Welcome to the Dirty South

  • Justin D Burton Rider University
Keywords: hip hop, dirty south, rap, trap, bounce, bass, ecomusicology, soundscapes

Abstract

This article incorporates R. Murray Schafer's concept of soundscape analysis into "Welcome to the Dirty South," a class offered in Spring 2016 at Rider University. Thinking through ecomusicology as a discipline that can prompt questions about the sounds that shape and are shaped by built environments, I highlight three case studies from the course that span New Orleans bounce, Miami bass, Atlanta trap, and the car-oriented sub-bass of Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. In each case study, I demonstrate how my students and I used earwitness accounts of urban and rural spaces to better understand the music that emanates from these regions, coupling popular music analysis with socio-political approaches to regional histories. I include a sample syllabus from the class, as well.

Author Biography

Justin D Burton, Rider University
Justin D Burton is Assistant Professor of Music at Rider University, where he works primarily in the Popular Music Studies degree. His research revolves around hip hop, gender, race, and critical theory. Justin's two forthcoming books are Posthuman Rap (2017) and The Oxford Handbook of Hip Hop Music Studies (2018, co-edited with Jason Lee Oakes).
Published
2017-04-26