Top 10 Atlanta Rappers and Hip Hop ArtistsAtlanta has become the rap and hip hop mecca of the South, earning its reputation as the "Dirty South" while generating some of the most well-known and well-received rappers and hip hop artists to ever come from the chart-topping music genre. Ludacris, whose real name is Chris Bridges, was born in Illinois but raised in Atlanta. He was a DJ on local hip-hop station Hot 97.5 FM before embarking upon a musical career officially in 1999, with his self-released debut album, Incognegro. He signed with Def Jam in 2000. In addition to a very successful music career, Ludacris has starred in movies such as Hustle & Flow and the Academy-award winning Crash. He goes by the nickname Luda. T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, was raised in Southwest Atlanta. He showed rhyming skills at a very young age, and after some scrapes with the law that included serving prison time, T.I. quickly rose the ranks in Atlanta's rap world, started his own Grand Hustle record label, and began a movie career, starring in The ATL. His personal assistant was killed in May 2006 outside a Cincinnati nightclub where T.I. had performed in support of his new album, King. The duo of Antwan Patton (Big Boi) and Andre Benjamin (Dre) formed OutKast during the mid-1990's, helping put the Dirty South on the map and earning worldwide respectability for Atlanta's growing hip-hop and rap music scenes. They quickly earned critical acclaim and many awards, and are set to star together in a movie called Idlewild which will include a full-length album by the same name. Urban music producer icon Jermaine Dupri first struck gold in the music world with the teenage rap duo of Kris Kross. His music label, So So Def records, which he formed at the young age of 16, has become one of the most prestigious in its genre. In addition to signing talented acts, Dupri has produced songs on hit albums for TLC, Usher, and Mariah Carey. He opened Cafe Dupri in 2005 in Buckhead, and remains romantically involved with Janet Jackson. Young Jeezy, who grew up mainly in the Macon area, is one of the stars of the Def Jam label, with his well-received debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 connecting with real people who are surviving the rough streets of Atlanta. Young Jeezy was also CEO of his own company, Corporate Thug Entertainment. His nickname is the "Snowman", which spawned controversial T-shirts that some critics say glorify the rapper's past as a cocaine dealer. An Atlanta native and founder of the "crunk" movement, Lil Jon got his start locally by being a club and radio DJ. He was hired by Jermaine Dupri to work for So So Def. He hit it big in Atlanta in 1996 with the single, "Who You Wit" from his debut album. Quickly he began getting worldwide attention, and comedian Dave Chapelle even parodied the rapper on his show. In addition to crunk, Lil Jon notes punk rock as an influence. An Atlanta native who started with the Lyrical Giants before moving into a solo career with his 2003 debut album, AttenCHUN! He has also collaborated with the likes of local rap stars Youngbloodz and Young Jeezy. Native Atlanta duo of Sean Paul and J-Bo that is part of the crunk movement. With Lil Jon producing on selected tracks, they have turned out several commercially successful singles, including "Damn!" and "U-Way." They consider themselves old school even though they are quite young. They also have started their own record label and production company, and own the Cuban restaurant at the Wyndham Hotel in Midtown. They were arrested in June 2006 on marijuana and weapons charges. This Atlanta-based rapper is behind the well-received albums New Joc City, Joc of All Spades and Hustlenomics. An original member of the groundbreaking Atlanta group Goodie Mob, Cee-Lo is an Atlanta native that has had a successful career as rapper, singer, producer, and songwriter. Having worked on projects with everyone from Carlos Santana to The Pussycat Dolls, Cee-Lo hit it big again in 2006 while being part of Gnarls Barkley, a collaboration with DJ Danger Mouse. | 
| 