Miami bass
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Miami bass (booty bass, bass music) is a form of music known for deep, throbbing beats, hyperkinetic rhythms and, often, sexually explicit lyrics. It arose in the southern United States, centered on Miami and Orlando, and elsewhere in Florida, as well as Atlanta and Alabama. Miami bass has achieved little mainstream chart success, though it has won acceptance among US southerners and some northern hip hop listeners, a form to which it is closely related.
Musically, its roots can be found in electro. The music came into existence as part of Miami's stereo wars, when people tried to out-stereo each other, claiming that they had the loudest, most bass-heavy stereo system in their car.
Miami was a hotbed for soul music, which evolve into disco music, but when Henry Stone's TK Records empire folded, it left a void in Miami's music scene. At first, electro became the sound, but as it began running out of steam nationally, Stone found a talent in Amos Larkins, who began recording drum-machine based, mid-tempo rap songs. By 1985, Larkins accidentally sustained the kick drum of the 808 drum machine on a song, and a test copy was given out, causing a reaction. Amos followed this path for a while, causing the industry to follow suit, and forming a new genre in the process - Miami bass. MC ADE's "Bass Rock Express" (1985), which is sometimes seen as the first Miami bass track per se, was co-produced by Larkins.
The most famous Miami bass group, however, is 2 Live Crew, known for the censorship efforts surrounding their As Nasty As They Wanna Be album. The group was formed in Los Angeles. Their debut single, "The Revelation" (1985, 1985 in music), was a socially aware examination of poverty and crime, and was influenced by West Coast Electro. Luther Campbell, a record promoter from Miami, made them come to his hometown and turned them into an X-rated group. Their first LP, ...Is What We Are, established the Miami bass sound in many listeners (especially in the south), and included raunchy lyrics (such as "We Want Some Pussy").
While 2 Live Crew popularized Miami bass for many listeners, DJ Magic Mike established a significant underground following during the late 1980s. During the 1990s, Disco Rick, Uncle Al, Get Funky Crew, 69 Boyz, 95 South and Quad City DJ's established Miami bass as a commercial and social force in the south, though northern and international success was slim.
Miami bass has had a lasting influence on other musical styles, particularly Chicago's ghetto house and Detroit's ghettotech and, to a lesser degree, crunk.
List of Miami Bass Artists
- 2 Live Crew
- 69 Boys
- 95 South
- Amos Larkins
- Anquette
- DJ Magic Mike
- Jiggie Gee
- Luther Campbell
- Maggotron
- MC ADE
- MC Shy D
- Tag Team
External links
- Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Miami_Bass_History) devoted to chronicling the evolution & formation of Miami bass
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