Southern Hip-Hop and the Contributions that Conscious Artists like Ludacris Have Made to It

When you think of Southern Hip-Hop, what comes to mind; conscious rappers with a bit of an artistic abstract influence, such as Andre 3000, or Cee-Lo, or that crunk sound, such as that associated with Lil' John, one of the most prolific producers in this sub-genre of rap? Is Ludacris one of the best, yet underrated artists out there; as he continues to interpolate silly, meaningless lyrics inbetween thoughtful and profound subjects that few artists since Tupac Shakur have done until this day, or is just another of many Southern artists who serve to display how much true hip-hop is appreciated in Georgia?

To truly answer this question, you would have to go all the way back to that time when Ludacris had first redefined himself as a conscious rapper to begin with. For example, take his first three records, the last of which culminated in his attacks on Bill O' Reilly, a cable talk show host where he posits in a verse from "Blow It Out" that he can start his own beverage if he wants to and doesn't need the controversy Bill started through drawing attention to his lyrics (of which had inevitably served to end his with Pepsi) to sell records. From this point on, Ludacris has been an artist that is both conscientious as well as entertaining, and has no problem moving back and forth between both extremes to get his point across and show just how thorough of an artist he is. The irony of this is that the conscious roots from his old birthplace in Illinois were just starting to come through the empty exterior that he projected in order to succeed in the Southern Hip-Hop scene. You can now stand Ludacris next to other artists such as Kanye, Common, and Lupe and suggest that he has found an acceptable, yet overly entertaining, means by which to posit positive lyrics, yet you may not want to, because Atlanta has always had other artists who were able to do so, and rise above the mediocrity that many complain about in Hip-Hop today.