Tampa, Florida (my hometown) has a very distinct music scene. With many well-known underground hip-hop artists but very few mainstream rappers, it’s easy to forget that Tampa even has a hip-hop scene. Our music primarily focuses on dance rap, and “twerk”, “krank”, and “jook” music has always dominated the scene. It took a lot of thought to name the 10 greatest rap songs to ever come out of Tampa, and being my first list post, I wanted to personalize it to represent something very important to me: home.
First, a few honorable mentions that narrowly missed the cut:
Lil Kee (feat. Strizzo, Yung G, Javon Black)- Buss It Wide Open
Militant Military- All Da Way Live
Tom G- 10 Wings and Fries
And now, for the top 10.
10. Tom G- City Boy Wit It (2003)
In 2003, little known rapper Tom G released his first Skroll Muzik mixtape (now on #9 in the series), featuring a party song known as “City Boy Wit It”. The song became a staple at roller rinks and school dances, and was one of my first experiences with Tampa hip-hop. Tom G is now one of Tampa’s most prolific hip-hop artists, and has a reputation as the underground king of Tampa, and this song started it all off.
9. Acafool- Hatablockas (2006)
In 2006, Acafool coined a new term for sunglasses with his hit “Hatablockas”. This song inspired a trend during the MySpace era of a picture wearing sunglasses, tagged “I Got My Hater Blockers On”, which almost everyone you knew had somewhere on their page. Acafool has seen minor successes since, but that song and phrase dominated the Tampa airwaves during the Summer of ’06.
8. Strizzo- Bootleg (Burn My Sh*t) (2008)
Strizzo, one of the leaders of Tampa’s dance rap scene, released what is probably the most famous “krank” song, with 2008’s “Bootleg (Burn My Sh*t). Using a simplistic cowbell beat and a basic chorus, the song became a hit in Tampa’s hip-hop scene, and proves that simple can be effective.
7. Javon Black feat. Lil Kee- Shawty Tear It Up (2009)
In 2009, Lil Kee was producing just about every club hit, and that included many of his own. He recruited Orlando R&B artist Javon Black, who began rapping and singing on many of his songs, and in 2009, the duo had a major club hit in “Shawty Tear It Up”, a classic slow grind song, which was even remixed by Sean Kingston. Since then, Lil Kee continues producing and rapping, while Javon Black has primarily gone over to Gospel music.
Javon Black- Shawty Tear It Up
6. MC Nas-D and Freaky Fred- It’s My Cadillac (Got That Bass) (1992)
During the golden age of Miami bass music, Tampa rappers MC Nas-D and Freaky Fred saw success with their booty bounce bass hit “It’s My Cadillac (Got That Bass), in 1992. The video was filmed in Tampa, primarily at a Cadillac dealership, featuring many women shaking their behinds, true to Florida form.
MC Nas-D and Freaky Fred- My Cadillac
5. Tampa Tony- Keep Jukin’ (2003)
Tampa Tony’s sad downfall brings us back to the original “jook” song, 2003’s “Keep Jukin'”. Released off his classic “Y Not” album, Tampa Tony pioneered the simple, cowbell based beat that Tampa is known for today. The song also introduced the “ahh ahh” chorus that became incredibly popular in “krank” dances, and is easily one of the most influential songs for future Tampa releases.
4. Tae Bae Bae- Teco (2011)
The most recent release on the list, Tae Bae Bae struck big with two hits in 2011, “Snatchin” and “Teco”. With its simple beat and seductive lyrics, Teco spawned a YouTube craze of women posting “twerk” videos to the song, and even led to a popular Twitter phrase, #TecoTuesday . Unfortunately for Tae Bae, weapons charges led to an 8 year prison sentence in late 2012.
3. Krazy- Don’t Wanna Leave The Club (1999)
An early Tampa success story was Krazy, who’s “Don’t Wanna Leave The Club” became an underground hit in 1999. With an infectious chorus and relatable lyrics, “Don’t Wanna Leave The Club” still receives plenty of airplay in nightclubs today, and most of Tampa’s 30-somethings have fond memories of this song.
Krazy- Don’t Wanna Leave The Club
2. Rated R- In Here Ta Nite (2003)
Rated R struck gold in 2003 with his only hit, “In Here Ta Nite”. The catchy, easy to remember chorus still plays in heads 10 years later, and the song received mainstream success, being included on the soundtrack to the movie “Malibu’s Most Wanted”. Keeping with Tampa tradition, “In Here Ta Nite” utilizes a simple beat and easy to remember chorus to remain true even today.
1. Khia- My Neck, My Back (Lick It) (2002)
Khia. The Queen of nasty. The one and only. In 2002, Khia became the first Tampa hip-hop artist to receive major mainstream success with what is often referred to as “the nastiest song of all-time”, “My Neck, My Back”. With its heavily censored video receiving turns on MTV, “My Neck, My Back” reached #42 on the Billboard Hot 100, but was a Top 5 in hit in the United Kingdom and Belgium, and still to this day remains the most famous song to ever come out of Tampa.
Special thanks goes out to all of the artists who created the list, and all of the Twitter users that helped me brainstorm for this list. Follow me at @JaySwag813 , and to all the Tampa rappers out there: never stop grinding, you could one day make this list.
Beats, Rhymes, and Life 