It’s strange, however, hearing the Neptunes produced beat without Ludacris screaming “Cadillac grills, Cadillac mills, check out the oil my Cadillac spills. He sets the tape off with an Atlanta anthem, “Southern Hospitality.” The Ludacris and Pharrell smash hit got a Gambino facelift as he confidently raps “For real, Bino on a mission” which is clear. The 11 track mixtape features all already popular beats following the Gangsta Grillz formula whereas the Kauai portion features original content. On STN MTN, Gambino does just that to an extent. This allows the “he got murdered on his own song” conversation to arise between fans and critics alike. A recurring theme in any Gangsta Grillz mixtape is that the featured rapper hand picks popular beats in the industry and proceeds to spazz on them. Just look at the Lil Wayne’s Dedication series or even the critically acclaimed, Trap or Die, mixtape which sent Young Jeezy right into the hottest MCs list.Īs seen in Lil Wayne’s Gangsta Grillz series, the main focus is to simply murder other people’s beats. Drama’s prestigious mixtape series has be known to propel rappers into superstardom. The significance of the Gangsta Grillz mixtape series runs deep in Hip-Hop. Hosted by none other than Atlanta legend, DJ Drama, STN MTN serves as Childish’s very own Gangsta Grillz mixtape.

The six letter abbreviation stands for Stone Mountain, a small suburb in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, where Gambino grew up. Despite his unconventional southern style, Childish Gambino reps his hometown more than anyone especially on his newest project entitled STN MTN/Kauai. His rapping style is a mix of rapid fire bars, infectious hooks and progressive beats not exactly the Atlanta rap poster boy. Gambino, better known to some as Donald Glover, has been giving us quality Hip-Hop music for years now but doesn’t really fit any particular “rapper” mold. Many people are familiar with his music but unaware of where he’s from and understandably so. However, someone that doesn’t exactly fit into this category is Atlanta bred rapper, Childish Gambino. They have culturally popularized synth heavy strip club anthems, commanding delivery and basically anything that could be played in a candy painted chop top. Aside from that, Atlanta’s style is what sets it apart. This “hustler” persona is everywhere in Hip-Hop but seems particularly strong in ATL. For starters, they are all self proclaimed hustlers that have made it from the trap house to the mansion.

With the exception of Outkast, all the rappers mentioned above have a few things in common that have shaped “Atlanta” rap music. These rappers have been the tastemakers of Atlanta’s rap scene for more than a decade. When someone mentions Atlanta Hip-Hop, who comes to mind? Perhaps Young Jeezy, Outkast, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, Ludacris, 2 Chainz, T.I.

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