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Miami bass
Subgenre of hip-hop from South Florida From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Miami bass (also known as booty music or booty bass) is a subgenre of hip hop music that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The use of drums from the Roland TR-808, sustained kick drum, heavy bass, raised dance tempos, and frequently sexually explicit lyrical content differentiate it from other hip hop subgenres. Music author Richie Unterberger has characterized Miami bass as using rhythms with a "stop-start flavor" and "hissy" cymbals with lyrics that "reflected the language of the streets, particularly Miami's historically black neighborhoods such as Liberty City, Goulds, and Overtown".[1]
Despite Miami bass never having consistent mainstream acceptance, early national media attention in the 1980s resulted in a profound impact on the development of hip hop, dance music, and pop.[2]
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History
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1980s origins
During the 1980s, the focus of Miami bass tended to be on DJs and record producers, rather than individual performers. Record labels such as Pandisc, HOT Records, 4-Sight Records and Skyywalker Records released much material of the genre. Unterberger has referred to James (Maggotron) McCauley (also known as DXJ, Maggozulu Too, Planet Detroit and Bass Master Khan) as the "father of Miami bass", a distinction McCauley denies, choosing to confer that status on producer Amos Larkins.[3][2]
DJ Kurtis Mantronik (Mantronix) was a key influence on Miami bass. In particular, Mantronik's single "Bass Machine" (1986), featuring rap vocals by T La Rock, was pivotal to the development of Miami bass.[4]
MC ADE's "Bass Rock Express", with music and beats produced by Amos Larkins, is often credited as being the first Miami bass record to gain underground popularity on an international scale.[2]
The single "Throw The D" by the group 2 Live Crew in 1986 gave a permanent blueprint to how future Miami bass songs were written and produced.[2]
Popularity
2 Live Crew (Christopher Wong "Fresh Kid Ice" Won, Luther "Luke Skyywalker" Campbell and David "Mr. Mixx" Hobbs) played a key role in popularizing Miami bass in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The group's 1986 release, The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, became controversial for its sexually explicit lyrics. 1989's As Nasty As They Wanna Be, along with its hit single "Me So Horny", proved more controversial still, leading to legal troubles for both 2 Live Crew and retailers selling the album. All charges were eventually overturned on appeal.[2]
For the better part of the mid 1980s and early 1990s, DJs such as Luke Skyywalker's Ghetto Style DJs, Norberto Morales' Triple M DJs, Super JD's MHF DJs, Space Funk DJs, Mohamed Moretta, DJ Nice & Nasty, Felix Sama, DJ Spin, Ramon Hernandez, Bass Master DJs, DJ Laz, Earl "The Pearl" Little, Uncle Al, Ser MC, Raylo & Dem Damn Dogs, DJ Slice, K-Bass, Jam Pony Express and others were heavily involved in playing Miami bass at local outdoor events to large audiences at area beaches, parks, and fairs.
Clubs in South Florida, including Pac-Jam, Superstars Rollertheque, Bass Station, Studio 183, Randolphs, Nepenthe, Video Powerhouse, Skylight Express, Beat Club and Club Boca, were hosting bass nights on a regular basis. Miami radio airplay and programming support was strong in the now defunct Rhythm 98, as well as WEDR and WPOW (Power 96).
Contribution and promotion of Miami bass also came out of Orlando. 102 Jamz (WJHM), a prominent Orlando radio station in the late 1980s, featured Miami bass and helped its popularity rise in and around Central Florida.
Florida breaks was heavily influenced by Miami bass in addition to elements of house, and deep bass that eventually created "The Orlando Sound". Thus, Miami bass quickly became a Florida staple.
1990s
By the mid-1990s, the influence of Miami bass had spread outside South and Central Florida to all areas of Florida and the Southern United States. In the mid-1990s, it saw a commercial and mainstream resurgence, with Miami bass influenced artists such as L'Trimm, 95 South, Tag Team, 69 Boyz, Quad City DJ's and Freak Nasty all scoring big Miami bass hits. Examples of these songs are "Whoomp! (There It Is)" by Tag Team in 1993,[5] "Tootsee Roll" by 69 Boyz in 1994,[6] "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" by the Quad City DJ's in 1996[7] and "Whoot, There It Is" by 95 South in 1993.[5]
These songs all reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and exposed Miami bass nationally. These artists generally used a Miami bass sound and production but did it in a far less explicit and far more accessible way than had been previously done by Campbell and the 2 Live Crew.[8]
Miami bass is closely related to the electronic dance music genres of ghettotech and booty house, genres which combine Detroit techno and Chicago house with the Miami bass sound. Ghettotech follows the same sexually oriented lyrics, hip-hop bass lines and streetwise attitude, but with harder, uptempo Roland TR-909 techno-style kick beats. In 2007, contemporary hip-hop and R&B songs became more dance oriented, showing influences of Miami bass and techno, and are typically sped up to a "chipmunk" sound for faster tempos for dances such as juking, wu-tanging and bopping, usually only done in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties in south Florida.[citation needed]
Subgenres
Miami bass has been influenced by the cultural history of its wide-ranging community with the evolution of Cuban, Dominican, and Afro-Brazilian-fused sub-genres that include Baltimore club and funk carioca.[9][10]
Another subgenre of Miami bass is "car audio bass", which features an even more stripped down bass-heavy sound, tending to focus on either extremely hard 909 kicks combined with sine waves or the classic 808 kick, or sometimes simply the sine wave by itself.[citation needed] Some artist examples would be DJ Laz, DJ Magic Mike, Afro-Rican (as Power Supply), Techmaster P.E.B., DJ Billy E, Bass 305 and Bass Patrol.
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Characteristic
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Musically
This style of music primarily features drum patterns rooted in breakbeat and funk, with upbeat rhythms often accented by rapid 16th-note hi-hats. The drum programming frequently includes variations such as hi-hat rolls, snare or tap rolls, and conga or tom fills, adding dynamic movement to the groove.[11]
The bass is heavily influenced by dub music, characterized by thick, deep low-end tones. It can range from smooth and monotonous to more melodic and prominent in the mix. Melodic elements—including chords, motifs, grooves, and rhythmic phrases—draw inspiration from funk, soul, and reggae. Chords are typically played in short, staccato "stab" patterns, contributing to the music’s rhythmic drive.
A defining feature is the way tracks build up and break down around evolving musical lines, creating a sense of progression and energy. Another hallmark is the use of scratch solos, often performed with a level of technical skill comparable to DJ battles or turntablism competitions.[12]
The music generally ranges in tempo from 100 to 140 BPM, with a strong emphasis on groove and rhythmic intensity throughout.[13]
Instruments and equipments
The drums are always based on the Roland TR-808 drum machine or its sampled sounds. The loop samples that are sampled from funk and other styles are mainly instruments such as electric guitar or electric piano. The other instrumetal elements are mainly from synthesizers or other electronic devices. the scratches are very sharp and focused even on a solo instrument especially the Technics SL 1200 type of turntables were used. The mixing of the drum sounds is very similar to boom bap style drums with knocking kicks and snapping snares. The hi-hats and cymbals are very bright and give the drum patterns a sharp edge. the vocals are characterized by clear vocals or vocoder vocals which are later either slowed down or sped up and then autotunes are applied. There is a lot of analog coloration on the tracks which makes the sounds very thick and textured.
Vocals & rapping
The rapping style is direct, rhythmic, and high-energy, often delivered with a loud, booming voice to match the heavy bass-driven beats. Lyrics are typically simple, repetitive, and structured for maximum impact on the dance floor. There’s a strong use of call-and-response patterns, making verses interactive and easy to chant along with.[13]
Content focuses heavily on dance, sex, and party life, using slang, punchlines, and vivid, sometimes exaggerated imagery. Wordplay tends to be bold and explicit rather than subtle or poetic, aiming more for rhythm and crowd reaction than complex storytelling. Hooks are short, catchy, and designed for repetition, often built around a single phrase or command to drive the energy up.
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Stylistic differences
In African music
Gqom, an African electronic dance genre that originated in Durban, South Africa, in the early 2010s, is sometimes conflated with Miami bass due to perceived similarities between Durban's cityscape and Miami's South and North Beach areas as well as car culture, with enhanced car sound systems, with an emphasis on bass. However, gqom and miami bass are distinct in their origins and their production styles.[14][15]
Notes
- Pappawheelie. "Miami Bass: The Primer" Stylus Magazine Archived 2007-11-06 at the Wayback Machine
- Unterberger, Richie (1999). Music USA: The Rough Guide. The Rough Guides. pp. 144–145. ISBN 1-85828-421-X.
References
External links
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