St. Louis Bounce
St. Louis ("Blues") Bounce[1][2][3] is a hip-hop music sound made popular by a number of St. Louis, Missouri hip-hop artists and musical production teams, which include Basement Beats (Jason "Jay-E" Epperson, Waiel "Wally Beamin" Yaghnam, Lavelle "City Spud" Webb and Jayson "Koko" Bridges), The Trak Starz (Alonzo "Zo" Lee Jr. & Shamar “Sham” Daugherty), The Trackboyz (Mark Williams and Joe Kent) production teams and Steve “Blast” Wills, who claims to be the originator of "St. Louis Bounce".[4] The sound was popular throughout the first decade of the 2000s. However, not all track productions created by St. Louis production teams were St. Louis Bounce.
The hip-hop sound was most prominent on rapper Nelly's debut album, Country Grammar, which was released June 27, 2000, which was then followed by Nellyville released on June 25, 2002, and the album, Free City, released by the St. Lunatics on June 5, 2001. The sound can also be heard on rapper Pretty Willie's (Willie Moore, Jr.), Enter The Life of Suella album, released on March 26, 2002, which was produced by Willie "JL" Woods and Alex "Big Al" Henry - both of St. Louis.[5] And the sound was heard prominently on the albums, Jackpot, Powerballin', and Hoodstar which were performed and released by St. Louis-based rapper, Chingy, in the early 2000s. Chingy was largely produced by The Trak Starz.
Not to be confused with alternative rap (ex. Arrested Development)[6] or country rap, St. Louis Bounce is described primarily as melodic sing-song rapping over rhythmic bouncy beats laced with strictly-incorporated “bluesy” (or “country”) guitar-tinged riffs and chords.[7] A St. Louis Bounce production can be up-tempo, mid-tempo or down-tempo; and can sometimes sound borderline to R&B because of melodic sing-song rapping. Other instruments - particularly the presence of piano or keyboard - can play a role in production, but guitar riffs and chords are usually more noticeable throughout.
The Trackboyz introduced a twist on St. Louis Bounce thus they became popular for incorporating "unique beats and production that feature breathy gasps, visceral grunts, heel-pounding stomps, and wild clangs"[8] on their tracks. The Trackboyz often created these sounds themselves. "Then, they threw in a bit of live guitar and bass."[8][9]
Although St. Louis Bounce borrows pounding basslines from Southern rap-styles, St. Louis Bounce - for the most part - is distinguished by the ever-present and fairly strict bluesy (or "country") guitar riffs and chords on top of (or around) infectious bassy or percussive beats, which are sometimes accompanied by whimsical lyrics. The guitar riffs and chords produced in St. Louis Bounce tracks can be prominent and constant coupled with fast or slow bassline beats. The guitar riffs and chords also can be camped out in the background playing a low-key role in overall track production. And at other times, the bluesy or ("country") guitar riffs and chords can be intermittently dispersed throughout a track while the bass beats are left to be more prominent.
Examples of St. Louis Bounce
| Song/Track | Artist or Group | Producer/Production Team |
|---|---|---|
| "Country Grammar" | Nelly | Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats) |
| “Roll Wit Me” | Pretty Willie | Willie C. Moore / Willie Woods[10] |
| “Wat The Hook Gon' Be” | Murphy Lee (St. Lunatics) | Murphy Lee & Jermaine Dupri |
| “Nellyville” | Nelly | Waiel "Wally" Yaghnam (Basement Beats) |
| "Tipsy" | J-Kwon | The Trackboyz |
| "Batter Up" | Nelly | Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats), Steve "Blast" Wills |
| "Na Na" | Pretty Willie | Willie C. Moore / Willie Woods[10] |
| “Cry No More” | Pretty Willie | Willie C. Moore / Willie Woods[10] |
| “Designer Love” | Pretty Willie | Willie C. Moore / Willie Woods[10] |
| “Pimp Juice” | Nelly | Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats) |
| “Ride Wit Me” | Nelly | Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats) |
| “Right Thurr" | Chingy | The Trak Starz |
| "Midwest Swing" | St. Lunatics featuring Nelly | Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats) |
| “Bagg Up” | Chingy | DJ Quik |
| “Chingy Jackpot” | Chingy | The Trak Starz |
| “Work It” | Nelly featuring Justin Timberlake | Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats) |
| "E.I." | Nelly | Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats) |
| "#1" | Nelly | Waiel "Wally" Yaghnam (Basement Beats) |
| “One Call Away” | Chingy | The Trak Starz |
| “Shake Ya Tailfeather” | Nelly ft. P. Diddy and Murphy Lee | Nelly & Jayson "Koko" Bridges (Basement Beats) |
| “Boom D Boom” | St. Lunatics featuring Nelly | Waiel "Wally" Yaghnam (Basement Beats) |
| “Po’ Folks” | Nappy Roots | The Trackboyz |
| "Hood Hop" | J-Kwon | The Trackboyz |
References
- ↑ "Blues Suffuse the St. Louis Spirit of Nelly's Rap - latimes". Articles.latimes.com. 2002-06-23. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "The Best St. Louis Hip-Hop Musicians of All Time - St. Louis Magazine". Stlmag.com. 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "Jet". Books.google.com. 2001-07-30. p. 32. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "Steve "Blast" Wills". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "Enter the Life of Suella - Pretty Willie | Credits". AllMusic. 2002-03-26. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "The Great Albums: Arrested Development". Jimdero.com. 2004-01-25. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "The St. Lunatics Fringe | Feature | St. Louis News and Events". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- 1 2 Jake Halpern (2004-04-05). "Selling the Beat". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ Friedman, Andrew (2013-06-12). "Meet Trackboyz, Who Produced Many Other Great Songs Besides J-Kwon's "Tipsy" | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- 1 2 3 4 Jason Birchmeier (2002-03-26). "Enter the Life of Suella - Pretty Willie | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-05.