Hip-Hop Olympics Bracket Week 5: "Florida Boy"

 
The following is the fifth installment of a new series, The Hip-Hop Olympics Bracket. Throughout the next several weeks, we will be examining several of hip-hop’s most prominent locales. Historical context, musical aesthetic, key players, and prominent themes will be analyzed. Once the series is complete, there will be a vote to decide which region reigns supreme.
We need your involvement for this one. In order to find a winner, we invite our readers to weigh in with their ideal roster for each region: six players, two producers, and two coaches. The comments will be tallied, and once the final vote comes to pass, fan-voted teams will be pitted against one another in order to crown a single champion. We've already covered California, New York, Toronto, and Atlanta.
For this week’s installment, we shall be examining Florida.

VOTE FOR YOUR IDEAL TEAM IN THE COMMENTS SECTION

6 Players2 Producers2 Coaches

Players: Your rappers. The ones you know will murder a track. Maybe it's flow, maybe it's lyrics, maybe it's straight up charisma.

Coaches: Now that you've picked your rappers, you need somebody to keep them in line. To oversee the whole thing. You gotta make sure you've got some OGs holding it down.
Producers: You've got your lineup, but who is going to bless them with the beat?
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Week Five: Florida

Throughout the course of hip-hop history, many regions have stood out as hotbeds, giving us the most prolific rappers of our time. New York, California, Chicago, and Atlanta have each made a significant impact. The first thing that comes to one's mind when they think of Florida is likely the heat. Dubbed the Sunshine State, Floridians pride themselves on their beautiful weather for much of the year. With Miami as one of the most popular cities in the United States, plenty of people are clamoring to enjoy some of that famous South Beach nightlife. Just ask LeBron James...
However, one thing that may not be your first thought when it comes to Florida is its extensive hip-hop history. Sure, rappers love to namedrop Miami hotspots like King of Diamonds in their songs, but the state is not particularly known for birthing the most famous rap artists of any generation. With the breakout of a flurry of stars from Florida, the good news is that it could be recognized as one of the hottest playing grounds for hip-hop in the near future. This week, we examine Florida's strengths in our growing Olympics bracket.
There is no doubt that musicians coming out of Florida are proud of where they're from. Just listen to any Pitbull song on the radio if you're unsure of that. With a growing scene of young stars breaking into the mainstream, there are definitely some OG's to consider. Trina, Gunplay and Trick Daddy initially shoot to mind. Of course, Rick Ross and DJ Khaled are two of the most prominent faces
 out of the state. Embracing Miami as his own, Khaled has come be a major face in terms of production and behind-the-scenes work.Piecing together artists from all over to create the hottest mixes, Khaled has been grinding for over a decade, having worked with a who's who of Floridians, including Rozay.
With his album Port of Miami, Rick Ross pioneered a sound that many Miami natives would soon follow. The album that introduced the hit "Hustlin'" to the world was a game-changer in Florida, inspiring many to pick up the mic for themselves to follow in his footsteps. And there was a lot to follow. As he still regularly crafts bangers, one of the most notable lovesongs devoted to the state is the Maybach Music frontman's collaboration with Kodak Black and T-Pain, "Florida Boy," which leads us to our next topic: the rise of SoundCloud rap from Florida.

Influenced from the sounds of 90's rap out of Memphis and Houston, the lo-fi sound embraced by the SoundCloud revolution likely descended from SpaceGhostPurrp and his Raider Klan collective. Once a member of the Klan, Denzel Curry has become a major part of Florida's scene and, while Purrp has remained relatively underground, he is a major part of the lo-fi movement taking off. For over a decade, Raider Klan has been making noise in Carol City with records featuring the same distorted bass, intentionally choppy sounds that we hear throughout Lil Pump and Ski Mask the Slump God's records today. While Pump and Smokepurpp did not originate from SpaceGhostPurrp's Klan, they have taken the popularization of such a sound and brought it to new heights.
Often seen as the source of the entire SoundCloud experience, Smokepurpp is viewed as an inspiration by many who attempt to use the medium to come up. Cited by fellow Floridian Lil Pump as his best friend and influence, the two have taken the world by storm. While Smokepurpp took more time to become as popular as his friend in the mainstream, his collaborative project with Murda Beatz helped to bring his career to new heights. And do we even need to mention "Gucci Gang?" Lil Pump is currently in charge of the new school and his connections to the Sunshine State run deep. At only 17-years-old, he has the potential to continue growing his clout and usher in a new generation of Florida rap.