Here are 25 songs that define South Florida hip-hop
South Florida’s place in hip-hop history cannot be overstated.
It is, after all, the birthplace of the South’s first subgenre of hip-hop and the South’s first Black-owned hip-hop label. More than that, South Florida – and Miami specifically – has been a place where the music industry as a whole can come, relax and create.
‘Having a good time is a political act.’ Miami hip-hop is about more than dancing
As hip-hop turns 50, it’s time to reflect on everything South Florida has given to the culture that was birthed at a small party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. The region has made you shake, stick, jook, bounce, bop, bobble.
Three journalists — C. Isaiah Smalls II, Michael Butler and Raisa Habersham — took the task of curating the best 25 hip-hop songs that have emerged from South Florida over the past 50 years. This list isn’t perfect. Just a look into some of the best sounds to emerge from the Dirty South.
25. Flo Rida - Low (2007)
In 2007, “Low” was inescapable. You heard it in the club, you heard it on your car radio – and now, in 2023, we’re still hearing it in ads. It’s hard to deny this song was (and still is) everywhere. And you may not know all of the lyrics, but you certainly know how to finish this line: “She got them Apple Bottom Jeans…” - RH
24. XXXTENTACION - Look at Me (2015)
Before his 2018 murder at the age of 20, the late Plantation native attained international acclaim for raucous, distorted songs like “Look At Me.” He was also a source of controversy for crimes like domestic violence and assault and feuds with musicians like Drake. - MB
23. Splack Pack - Scrub da Ground (1993)
It’s a classic booty shaking anthem out of West Palm Beach that still gets a party going. The track puts me in the mind the Cry Baby Dance, putting a hump in ya back and shaking ya rump, and twerking. - RH
22. Denzel Curry feat. Kiddo Marv- Wish (2019)
When you hear Carol City MC Denzel Curry say “Miami-Dade on my mother****ing back” on “WISH,” you know that Curry represents a younger generation of Miami hip-hop artists with pride. Curry showcases his lyrical expertise on “WISH” over a sample of B.B. & Q. Band’s “Genie” while saluting his fallen comrades and it’s impossible not to run this song back when it’s over. - MB
21. Desloc Piccalo - Stick & Roll (2007)
When the DJ drops “Stick & Roll,” just know it’s about to get mad Miami. Better hit your stick or get out the way.
Dubbed the “King of Stick,” Desloc Piccalo taught all of Miami to stick, a dance that closely resembles the jook. Although the two dances are closely related, they are actually quite different. The music associated with both movements is quite different as well, as I explained in my story about the jook music. — CIS
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20. JT Money - Who Dat (1999)
Miami was first introduced to J.T. Money as part of Poison Clan, but the rest of the world slowly came to know him from his 1999 hit “Who Dat.” On the boisterous and braggadocious record, J.T. reminds us he’s a “Veteran in this game, and still bringin’ ruckus.” - RH
19. Pitbull - Culo (2004)
Before he became known as Miami ambassador “Mr. 305” and dressed in tailored suits, Pitbull was known for his razor-sharp rapping skills in English and Spanish. Since releasing in 2004, “Culo” has become a dancehall classic and Pitbull flows smoothly over the infectious Diwali riddim made famous by Nina Sky and Elephant Man. - MB
18. DJ Khaled - I’m So Hood (2007)
DJ Khaled brought together two of the best hip-hop talents Florida ever produced in T-Pain and Plies to join Miami champions Rick Ross and Trick Daddy for a song that resonated with hoods beyond Miami. Music producers The Runners created something that must be played extremely loud at any block party, cookout or event. If you didn’t want to get gold fronts before you heard this, you’re going to want them after. - MB
17. Sam Sneak - Pull Out the Stick (2009)
Rick Ross’ DJ and Maybach Music Group A&R Sam Sneak knows a thing or two about hits. The Haitian DJ’s version of “Pull Out The Stick” is a rousing Miami drill song that has the energy of a high school marching band performance during the halftime of a football game. The song can be heard anywhere from weekend mixes on Miami’s 99 Jamz radio station to local cookouts. - MB
16. DJ Chipman - Beam Ahh (On and On) [2008]
This might be one of the most important jook records outside of Grind Mode’s “I’m So High.” A sped up sample of Eamon’s “On & On,” DJ Chipman created a song that’s inescapable in Miami.
It’s on the radio. It’s in the club. It’s quite literally EVERYWHERE. - CIS
15. Trick Daddy - I’m A Thug (2001)
This was the one that took Trick mainstream. Yes, “Take It To The House” was on a few soundtracks, but this one put him outside of Miami-Dade and helped coin the phrase “Trick loves the kids.” - RH
14. Ball Greezy - Nice and Slow (2017)
Debate me if you want but this is Ball Greezy’s best song. Between the Freddie Jackson sample, the way he floats over the beat and who he is to Miami’s hip-hop scene, this felt like a crowning achievement.
13. City Girls - Act Up (2018)
From the way Miami natives JT and Yung Miami energetically rap “Act up, you can get snatched up,” they might be more motivational speakers than rappers.
The two woman MCs rap over “Act Up’s” bouncy, club-ready beat with an unapologetic self-confidence that symbolizes women empowerment. City Girls don’t ask for permission to be themselves and say what they want. They demand your attention and dare you not to memorize their raunchy lyrics. - MB
12. Kodak Black - No Flockin’ (2014)
On 2015’s “No Flockin’,” Pompano Beach MC Kodak Black talks about being a “project baby” with a melodic rawness that still gets crowds jumping and shouting each word today. The Haitian native has received cosigns from hip-hop stars like Kendrick Lamar and continues to shine despite his legal troubles.- MB
11. Uncle Luke- I Wanna Rock (1992)
Perhaps more prominently known as “Doo Doo Brown,” the track references two 2 Live Crew records and the original “Doo Doo Brown” song by Atlanta act 2 Hyped Brothers and a Dog. Apart from being a good conglomeration of samples (if you listen closely, you’ll hear KC and The Sunshine Band’s “That’s The Way (I Like It)”, you’ll get a good butt workout – or dance session – in. - RH
10. Uncle Al - Mix It Up (1994)
A local hip-hop legend, “Mix It Up” is a cornerstone of mixtape culture. It was just one of the records that cemented DJ Uncle Al’s legacy, a man known for “peace in the hood.” Uncle Al, whose real name was Albert Moss was gunned down outside his home on Sept. 10, 2001. The annual Peace in the Hood festival was created in his honor. -RH
9. Uncle Luke - Scarred (1996)
A classic Luke record that serves as the introduction to Trick Daddy Dollars as we know him. This was as much a Luke song as it was a Trick song: vulgar lyrics, makes you wanna shake what ya momma gave ya, and a quintessential good time. - RH
8. Trina - Pull Over (2002)
Trina made this for the women with the big butts. It’s an anthem for women taking ownership over their bodies and says, “I have a fat ass. OK, and?” -RH
7. Grind Mode - I’m So High (2008)
Grind Mode’s “I’m So High” is incredibly smooth and will forever be linked to Miami jook, a subgenre of Miami hip-hop music. The swirling synthesizers and pulsating beat have made the song a fixture at any Miami nightclub, party or function. The song is a prime example of the diversity and musicality of Miami’s hip-hop scene. This is the kind of song that will make you drop what you are doing and start dancing wherever you are. - MB
6. Rick Ross - B.M.F. (2010)
After Rick Ross teamed up with Atlanta-based music producer Lex Luger for this booming, trunk-rattling anthem, nothing was the same. By evoking Black antiheroes like Black Mafia Family leader Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Gangster Disciples leader Larry Hoover, Ross showed that he was a Miami boss beyond measure. - MB
5. Trick Daddy- Take It to Da House (2001)
This posse cut is a Miami track through and through. The song infuses “Boogie Shoes” by South Florida natives KC and The Sunshine Band (and yes, there is a hint of “The Boss” by James Brown) and merges marching band culture to make a classic hit. -RH
4. Poison Clan - Shake Wit Ya Mama Gave Ya (1992)
An offspring of 2 Live Crew, Poison Clan infused hardened street tales with Miami bass. “Shake Wit Ya Mama Gave Ya” blossomed into an anthem that only further cemented bass music as the soundtrack to aunties’ favorite parties. You can only imagine what Freaknik ‘92 looked like when this dropped. - CIS
3. 2 Live Crew - Me So Horny (1989)
The story goes Uncle Luke was watching one of his favorite movies in “Full Metal Jacket” when the seductive pleas from a scene with a Vietnamese prostitute clicked. One of the standout tracks from “As Nasty As They Wanna Be,” “Me So Horny” took a sledgehammer to white America’s sense of propriety, leading to 2 Live Crew’s music being declared legally obscene and Uncle Luke’s subsequent fight to exercise his First Amendment rights.
Its charting success aside, “Me So Horny” made America question whether free speech applied to everybody. Ask Uncle Luke and the resounding answer is hell yeah. - CIS
2. Rick Ross - Hustlin’ (2006)
“Hustlin’” is more like a Godfather movie than a song. Rick Ross talks about his exploits as a Miami boss as if he were Pablo Escobar and before you know it, the chorus is burned into your brain. Whether you have a day job in Opa-locka or work night shifts in Hialeah, every day you’re hustling. Today, Ross is a Miami hip-hop icon and made it clear with 2006’s “Hustlin’” that if you never heard a song from him again, you would never forget this one. - MB
1. Nann- Trick & Trina (1998)
It’s the definitive Miami song from the cadence, to the back and forth between Trick Daddy and Trina to the raunchiness. It’s also our first introduction to Trina and her saucy Southern accent, further proving women can go toe to toe with men on a track. -RH
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Da Baddest Bitch - Trina (RH), Rollin’ (feat. Waka Flocka) -
Gunplay (MB), Nobody Else (feat. Bushy B & Major Nine) - Ice Billion Berg (CIS)
