Someone @ SOHH.com forgot about Memphis

Ever heard of SOHH.com? Well they’ve heard of Hotlanta but I don’t think they’ve heard of the M-Town… First of all, before I address why I don’t think they’ve heard of the M-Town, let me say that for you who don’t know SOHH.com, it is like the #2 hip-hop site on the web; second only to AllHipHop.com, I believe. By the way, in case you’re wandering, MemphisRap.com comes in at #6, following other Hip-Hop sites like HipHopGame.com, RapMusic.com, and HipHopDX. But just visit Alexa.com if you want to know all of them. Back to the subject at hand, recently SOHH.com announced that they and Ozone Magazine are quote “delighted to bring you the A-town outside of the platinum hits by giving a literary guide to it’s nightlife, restaurants and exclusive events.”

This feature is suppose to be published into three parts which two have already been published. The particular article I’m referring to will be part one. In this article entitled “HotLanta: The Music & The Message”, the writer (Maurice Garland) asks a question after first mentioning that “The Atlanta soundscape is perhaps the most diverse thing in Hip-Hop right now.” The question he goes on to ask is:

“Can you name a city that has a spectrum of artists ranging from the crunkest of the crunk to the hardest of the hard; all of whom make their own trails and sound like no other?”

This is what led me to believe “Someone @ SOHH.com hasn’t heard of the M-Town.”

Can you name a city that has a spectrum of artists ranging from the crunkest of the crunk? Hmmm, you gotta forgive me, but “Get Buck” was coined by Memphis in the 80’s and we been “throwing bows” ever since. Even in the SOHH articles themselves Memphis is mentioned in some form a couple of times such as in part one:

“People are snatching us up so quick,” says Mr. Collipark, CEO of Collipark Records, home to the Ying Yang Twins. Collipark (aka DJ Smurf of Atlanta mixtape pioneers Edward J and the J Team) continues, “Atlanta is more of a major city. So, when a record hits the radar down here, people come with a higher level of money and respect. Memphis and them, they gotta grind, they might have to put out 3 to 4 albums before anybody outside of Memphis know them. In that sense they are ahead of the game because they’ve established a label mentality, in Atlanta we get deals off singles.”

and then again in part two:

“I remember seeing Master P, 8ball and MJG at The Gate,” Big Marc of Da Backwudz told SOHH.com. “Being at the club and seeing all of these people you idolize at an early age will put you in that mind frame of ‘I can really do this.'”

ATL’s Lil Jon has even mentioned in interviews he was inspired to produce Crunk by some of Memphis’ own “Get Buck” artists as I mentioned in a recent article entitled “Memphis ‘Blowin Up’ In The Rap Game?” It’s evident to many who have visited Memphis over the years and have heard and seen “how we do” and have been doing that we are “Crunk, Hard and Sound Like No Other.” Now that I have made that clear, hopefully media forms such as MemphisRap.com, movie “Hustle & Flow” and magazines such as Streetmasters, Concrete, and DOWN will bring it more to the light since it is still evident we’re still partially in the dark mainly due to lack of media representation for the south. But for now let’s start with SOHH. I would like to ask others to help the #2 hip-hop site on the web recognize that the M-Town is an answer to their question, if “they’n know.”

At the end of the question in the article Maurice Garland asks for anybody that knows of such a city to quote “Email us when you find an answer.” So what are you waiting on, go ahead and email them at webmaster@sohh.com.

Wait a minute! Now I know ya’ll be “wildin’ out” alot on MemphisRap.com so let me say, we don’t want anyone sending slanderous or ugly messages. This is not an attack on ATL or on SOHH or on Maurice Garland. Just a friendly email to answer his question, that is all.

If you’d like to read the full article first or later then visit the article “HotLanta: The Music & The Message” at SOHH.com

Signed M Town Luv

Read “Memphis ‘Blowin Up’ In The Rap Game?”

Email SOHH and Answer Their Question
webmaster@sohh.com

Check out Ozone Magazine 25 Greatest Southern Artists Of All Time