i-10 dope zone: katrina
Hurricane Katrina happened 10 years ago. A colossal disaster on so many levels, Katrina and its disturbing aftermath irreparably disfigured the Gulf Coast. Physically, the land was flooded and destroyed. It would never be the same. Socially, residents of the Gulf Coast were not only left behind, but actively neglected and left for dead. They would never be the same.
This Chicago Tribune story may give you an impression that Katrina was some sort of necessary evil to transform a city that was already on the path to destruction anyway. The music that came out of the Gulf Coast post-Katrina isn’t some fantastic byproduct of an awful event. It’s safe to say that the artists that wrote these songs would probably rather they never had any reason to write them. Neither this music nor this post celebrate Katrina for the art that followed it. What it does is chronicle the feelings of the people abandoned by nature, humanity and the government after Katrina.
To maintain the focus of this set of tracks, I made the decision to include only songs from artists who represent the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. While Mos Def, Jay Z and Public Enemy were just a few of many artists to make songs about the event, the point of this post is to focus on what sons and daughters of the Gulf Coast have to say about Katrina
Hear the frustration, love, humanity, anger, sex and humor that only southern rap could respond with in the face of Hurricane Katrina. Also, check out a short list of some readings that look at Katrina’s effect on the Gulf Coast.
"New Orleans Hip-Hop Is the Home of Gangsta Gumbo," Kelefa Sanneh
"I Used That Katrina Water To Master My Flow": Rap Performance, Disaster, and Recovery in New Orleans," Holly Hobbs
"Hiphop as Disaster Recovery in the Katrina Diaspora," Zenia Kish
| 0:03 | "Fuck Katrina" - 5th Ward Weebie - (2006) |
| 5:01 | "Get Ya Hustle On [prod. XL, Sinista]" - Juvenile - Reality Check |
| 8:30 | "Bounce Back (feat. Master P)" - 504 Boyz - Hurricane Katrina: We Gon Bounce Back |
| 11:49 | "The Trailer (FEMA) (feat. Magnolia Shorty)" - B.G. - That Fire Never Dies |
| 14:21 | "My FEMA People" - Mia X - (2006) |
| 18:05 | "1000 Miles (Downtown)" - Raw Dizzy - 1000 Miles To Downtown |
| 22:13 | "Tie My Hands (feat. Robin Thicke) " - Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III |
| 27:33 | "Bush Doesn’t Care About Black People" - The Legendary K.O. - (2005) |
| 31:21 | "Muddy Waters" - L.E.$. - The Beautiful Struggle |
| 35:27 | "Seein’ Thangs (feat. David Banner)" - DJ Shadow - (2006) |
| 39:04 | "Above the Clouds" - Hollygrove Mikey - The Ca$hius Clay Tape |
| 43:00 | "The Levees Broke (Katrina)" - Jay Electronica - (2008) |
| 44:38 | "Georgia Bush [prod. Vudu Spellz]" - Lil Wayne - Dedication 2 |
-- bert