City Sounds: Atlanta

Before it was a genre Trap was a place, first mentioned by Atlanta artists in the 1990’s.

Big Boi’s verse on Outkast’s “Spottieottiedopalicious” is one of the first times “trap” was used to describe the place and the hopeless feeling of being trapped:

“United Parcel Service and the people at the Post Office didn’t call you back because you had cloudy piss/So now you back in the trap, just that, trapped/Go on and marinate on that for a minute.”

For decades, some of the most inventive and influential artists in the country have emerged out of Atlanta with messages depicting the dark reality of the trap or imagining an alternative.

Now the signature sounds of Trap music, 808 hi-hat triplet snares, layered sub-bass and synths, have transcended borders and genres with reggaetoneros in Puerto Rico, bubble-gum pop icons, and viral internet stars.