It's been 28 years since André 3000 of Outkast proclaimed at the 1995 Source Awards that "the South got something to say," and the region's message has been heard loud and clear across the world.

Driving the news: Hip-hop turns 50 today, and the South's — specifically Atlanta's — role in the genre remains at the center of conversations about its history and future.

Why it matters: Andre's declaration "kicked the door open for these different sounds, these different experiences that happen within Southern hip-hop," Regina N. Bradley, an English professor at Kennesaw State University and author of "Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of The Hip-Hop South," told Axios.

• "Atlanta plays such a significant role because we contribute to a lot of the sub-genres in Southern hip-hop, from crunk to trap to snap, even our own form of conscious rap," she said. "It separates us from the pack."

Between the lines: Atlanta is the hip-hop capital of the South, but its sound is not monolithic, said Greg Street, a long-time DJ and radio host on Audacy's V-103.

• "The artists here are really true artists, and they just do what they do," he told Axios. "And people in the city like what they do."

Flashback: Atlanta has always been a city with its own music scene, Bradley told Axios. One group popular during the 1970s, Atlanta-based Brick, saw success with its unique blend of funk and jazz.

• Funk influence is also heard in the music produced in the early 1990s by Organized Noize, made up of Sleepy Brown (the son of Jimmy Brown, a co-founder of Brick), Rico Wade and Ray Murray, Bradley added.
• "You have Organized Noize introducing an Atlanta sound, but also introducing the city of Atlanta as a hip-hop city," she said.

Before coming to Atlanta, Street was a DJ in Dallas where he introduced Outkast to the audience at a show at The Bomb Factory in 1994. Once he relocated to Atlanta, Street said he began playing songs by Outkast and other local artists like Kilo Ali, Goodie Mob and Ghetto Mafia.

• Listeners began requesting those songs "because you were hearing the artists from your neighborhood on the radio," Street told Axios.

The bottom line: Atlanta will remain relevant in the hip-hop industry because it's a music destination, Street said.

• Atlanta is "too ingrained in the system" for the city to lose its influence. Still, Bradley said she hopes the way Southern hip-hop is documented and represented includes more women, more queer people, and more people outside of New York.
• "We need to honor and celebrate those differences," she said. "Hip-hop didn't hit us all the same way."

Share this story

Hip-hop is a male-dominated industry, but many of its unsung heroes are women, Bradley told Axios.

• Rappers like Rasheeda, Miss B and some of the younger artists like Latto, Baby Tate and LightSkinKeisha are holding their own, but are not at the forefront of people's conversations.

While some of that can be contributed to misogyny, Bradley told Axios that it's more complicated than that.

• At one point, a variety of emcees like Lady of Rage and Queen Latifah were popular, but then the "Lil' Kim effect" happened, and female rappers were expected to be hyper-sexualized, Bradley said.

Yes, but: Several female rappers from Atlanta, including Princess and Diamond from Crime Mob, refused to put themselves in that box.

• "We don't have the language to articulate what women can contribute outside of these expected norms about gender and hip-hop," Bradley said.

State of play: Street told Axios that female rap artists from the South, such as GloRilla (Memphis), Megan Thee Stallion (Houston) and City Girls (Miami), have become popular over the last several years.

• "People just don't really pay attention to them and give them their credit," Street said.

Beyoncé's "Renaissance" world tour kicks off a three-day run at Mercedes-Benz Stadium tonight with no opening acts.

• Here's what to know if you're going.

Get in Formation: MARTA recommends concertgoers who take the train buy their merch before the show and leave the stadium immediately after for ease traveling out of Mercedes-Benz or Vine City stations.

• New this weekend: MARTA will offer bus shuttles from Vine City to West End stations for those heading south after the show.

Break My Soul, but don't break your soles: The concert, roughly 2.5 hours long, starts at 8pm. Wear comfortable shoes, and plan accordingly.

Listen: During the song "ENERGY," Bey sings, "Look around, everybody on mute." At this moment, the audience should stay silent.

• Bey has thus far declared Washington, D.C. the winner of the "Eerbody on Mute War." Surely Atlanta can do better.

Crazy in Love: Will Jay-Z be here too — and if so, will he do anything to celebrate the anniversary of hip-hop?

Share this story

The city of Atlanta is sponsoring and hosting these events this weekend celebrating 50 years of hip-hop:

🎨 ARTScool and The Creatives Project will host a student exhibition and mural reveal from noon to 5pm tomorrow at Guardian Studios.

📻 Experience the 4 Elements of Hip-Hop — art, dance, DJs and emcees — from 6–10pm tomorrow at Future Gallery.

🎤 ATL 50 Hip-Hop: Yesterday, Today and (404)ever Concert, 4–8pm Sunday at Lakewood Amphitheater. Details here.

🏥 Grady Memorial Hospital has launched an initiative that connects patients suffering from addiction directly to treatment and recovery services when they are seen in the ER. (WABE)

💰MARTA's board of directors has approved raises for its workers as part of a new labor agreement. (AJC)

🤔 Plans are unclear for the Atlanta Civic Center's auditorium, as the Atlanta Housing Authority presses ahead toward redeveloping the site. (Atlanta Civic Circle)