New Orleans Hip-Hop

Far too many months have passed since you've "made 'em say ugh" with Master P, let alone "backed that azz up" alongside the lowrider bounce of Juvenile — don't you think? One cursory listen to these classic New Orleans cuts — waxy concoctions of heavyweight bass lines and lean synth hooks — and we're pretty damn sure you'll agree.

The ghetto-superstar glamour and glitz of New Orleans hip-hop is far from superficial. Its sheen can be heard in the songs: the bursting champagne bubbles of "Conversation"; the cruising Cadillac roll of "This Is How We Do"; the minimal, insistent club clap of "We Like Dem Girls" (think Usher's "Yeah!"); and the woofer-wrecking "Go DJ."

These Deep Cuts didn't chart as high as others, but the music's still banging. "Real Big" bounces and breaks its beat like storefront windows, "I'll Pay for It" clangs and clicks on a steady diet of fortified crunk juice, and "Amped Up" is an adrenaline shot to the head of sped-up piano keys and elevator music.

Often overlooked as a bastion of hip-hop in the dirty South, New Orleans is actually the platinum-coated home of two streets-up empires, No Limit and Cash Money Records. Both contrast the sludgy swamp vibe of the Bayou with music that's as flashy and fabulous as a ride down Rodeo Drive. Bass lines hit harder than Ali, synthesizer soundscapes shimmer like a handful of diamonds in the sun, and verses are as snappy and smooth as a slam poet with a particularly dirty mind.