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Read a Muthafukin Book: Roni Sarig - Third Coast · by Abe Beame
As a lot of people who hate Lil Wayne can tell you, the South apparently owned the last decade in Hip Hop. Commercially, critically, you name it; those Southern boys found a way to best their contemporaries. While we predominantly Atlantic Coast rap nerds are content to debate whether this movement has any merit, music journalist Roni Sarig has taken it upon himself to document it from soup to nuts in Third Coast. Sarig gives an exhaustive account of Hip Hop’s history and development through the South from Miami to Texas to Virginia and everywhere in between.
Sarig is a seasoned veteran with beginnings in rock and as a result some of his best work in the book comes at its outset in which he makes a bold claim: Hip Hop originated in the South. Sarig goes on to acknowledge that while the culture of traditional hip hop as we know it started in the Bronx with Kool Herc and co., he takes a fairly fascinating look at the origins of Kool Herc’s musical inclinations, tracing them from Jamaica back to “rapping” Southern radio DJs in the 40s and 50s. From there things transition to the late 80s where we learn Southern Hip Hop’s driving life force is its propensity for bass, originating in Miami with a club movement taken national by Luke Skyywalker and the 2 Live Crew. The book was released in 2007 and concludes with Crunk and the latest push out of Houston.
In between, the reader is treated to a comprehensive state by state look at the biggest names and styles that have emerged from the South in the past twenty years and their back stories. Unlike other Hip Hop texts you’ve read, Sarig won’t hesitate to analyze the actual music he’s speaking on, and displays comfortable authority with the technical terms he throws around. On the biographical side his research leaves no stone unturned and the book is crammed with tidbits of historical incestuous nepotism that runs through each music scene. Jermaine Dupri was an 11 year old breaking in a Whodini video! Teddy Riley was the engine behind Timbaland and Pharell! Scarface “discovered” Ludacris! From Gangsta Walkin in Memphis to New Orleans Triggerman Bounce the author presents an academic history with well traced roots. The most revelatory section is an inside look at Atlanta’s Organized Noise and the Dungeon Family, from the creative growth of Outkast to the divisive strife between Cee-Lo and the rest of Goodie Mob.
Sarig once wrote a book entitled The Most Influential Bands You’ve Never Heard which claimed history is unfairly written by the winners. He has a desire to tell everyone’s story and that is the gift and curse of Third Coast. The reader comes away with an account of the Geto Boys manufactured origins and the making of East Point’s Greatest Hits but also has to suffer through bios on Cowboy Troy and Magoo, giving the book more of an encyclopedic feel as opposed to the flowing narrative that was Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. Still, Jeff Chang couldn’t touch em all, so for an alternate relevant history of rap, Third Coast is worth taking a little time away from keeping up with Byron Crawford.
Comments for "Read a Muthafukin Book: Roni Sarig - Third Coast"
This book should’ve gotten a little more interest than it did, good review.
Still, I didn’t find it as comprehensive as you presented it, I sorta knew everything I read in it already. It’s like, good for people who don’t know much, the same way Sariq’s book about “Bands You’ve Never Heard” lists stuff like Suicide and John Cale (???).
But my biggest issue was the seemingly random way it would be appalled by certain rappers’ “misogyny” (especially Geto Boys) but dismiss or not acknowledge others rappers doing the same thing. Weird.
— brandonsoderberg May 14, 02:37 AM
Great review, Abe.
Brandon: I noticed this too. If you plan on complaining about misogyny, then it should bug you no matter who it comes from.
The random facts and general interconnectedness of southern hip hop was fascinating. Pharrell was in band camp with Chad Hugo!
I wish the Dungeon Family chapter was expanded to a full-length book, it was probably my favourite chapter.
My main gripe is the prevalence of typos and misspelled song names. “Bonita Applebom”? Never that.
— AaronM May 14, 11:42 AM
i have no review for this book, i just wanted to point out that this is my English teacher, hahah
— jeremy cutler Nov 5, 10:38 PM