St. Louis ("Blues") Bounce[1][2][3] is a hip-hop music sound made popular in the first decade of the 2000s by hip-hop artists and musical production teams in St. Louis, Missouri.

The style is distinguished primarily by melodic sing-song rapping over rhythmic bouncy beats laced with strictly-incorporated “bluesy” (or “country”) guitar-tinged riffs and chords.[4] Although St. Louis Bounce borrows pounding basslines from Southern rap styles, it is usually distinguished by fairly strict bluesy (or "country") guitar riffs and chords on top of (or around) infectious bassy or percussive beats, which are sometimes accompanied by whimsical lyrics. Guitar riffs and chords are usually more prominent than piano or keyboard. It is not to be confused with alternative rap (ex. Arrested Development)[5] or country rap.

Artists associated with the sound include Basement Beats (Jason "Jay-E" Epperson, Waiel "Wally Beamin" Yaghnam, Lavelle "City Spud" Webb and Jayson "Koko" Bridges), The Trak Starz (Alonzo "Zo" Lee Jr. & Shamar “Sham” Daugherty), The Trackboyz (Mark Williams and Joe Kent) production teams; and Steve “Blast” Wills, who claims to be the sound's originator.[6]

The hip-hop sound was most prominent on rapper Nelly's debut album, Country Grammar, which was released June 27, 2000, which was then followed by Nellyville released on June 25, 2002, and the album, Free City, released by the St. Lunatics on June 5, 2001. The sound can also be heard on rapper Pretty Willie's (Willie Moore, Jr.), Enter The Life of Suella album, released on March 26, 2002, which was produced by Willie "JL" Woods and Alex "Big Al" Henry, both of St. Louis.[7] The sound was heard prominently on the albums Jackpot, Powerballin', and Hoodstar, performed and released by St. Louis-based rapper Chingy in the early 2000s. Chingy was largely produced by The Trak Starz.

The Trackboyz's version of St. Louis Bounce used "unique beats and production that feature breathy gasps, visceral grunts, heel-pounding stomps, and wild clangs".[8] The Trackboyz often created these sounds themselves. "Then, they threw in a bit of live guitar and bass."[8][9]

Examples

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Song/Track Artist or Group Producer/Production Team
"Country Grammar" Nelly Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats)
“Roll Wit Me” Pretty Willie Willie C. Moore / Willie Woods[10]
“Wat The Hook Gon' Be” Murphy Lee (St. Lunatics) Murphy Lee & Jermaine Dupri
Nellyville Nelly Waiel "Wally" Yaghnam (Basement Beats)
"Tipsy" J-Kwon The Trackboyz
"Batter Up" Nelly Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats), Steve "Blast" Wills
"Na Na" Pretty Willie Willie C. Moore / Willie Woods[10]
“Cry No More” Pretty Willie Willie C. Moore / Willie Woods[10]
“Designer Love” Pretty Willie Willie C. Moore / Willie Woods[10]
Pimp Juice Nelly Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats)
Ride Wit Me Nelly Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats)
Right Thurr" Chingy The Trak Starz
"Midwest Swing" St. Lunatics featuring Nelly Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats)
“Bagg Up” Chingy DJ Quik
“Chingy Jackpot” Chingy The Trak Starz
Work It Nelly featuring Justin Timberlake Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats)
"E.I." Nelly Jason "Jay E" Epperson* (Basement Beats)
"#1" Nelly Waiel "Wally" Yaghnam (Basement Beats)
One Call Away Chingy The Trak Starz
Shake Ya Tailfeather Nelly ft. P. Diddy and Murphy Lee Nelly & Jayson "Koko" Bridges (Basement Beats)
“Boom D Boom” St. Lunatics featuring Nelly Waiel "Wally" Yaghnam (Basement Beats)
“Po’ Folks” Nappy Roots The Trackboyz
"Hood Hop" J-Kwon The Trackboyz
"30 Deep Diss" VladHQ New Wave Music Group

References

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  1. ^ "Blues Suffuse the St. Louis Spirit of Nelly's Rap - latimes". Articles.latimes.com. 2002-06-23. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  2. ^ "The Best St. Louis Hip-Hop Musicians of All Time - St. Louis Magazine". Stlmag.com. 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  3. ^ "Jet". Books.google.com. 2001-07-30. p. 32. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  4. ^ "The St. Lunatics Fringe | Feature | St. Louis News and Events". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  5. ^ "The Great Albums: Arrested Development". Jimdero.com. 2004-01-25. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  6. ^ "Steve "Blast" Wills". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  7. ^ "Enter the Life of Suella - Pretty Willie | Credits". AllMusic. 2002-03-26. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  8. ^ a b Jake Halpern (2004-04-05). "Selling the Beat". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  9. ^ Friedman, Andrew (2013-06-12). "Meet Trackboyz, Who Produced Many Other Great Songs Besides J-Kwon's "Tipsy" | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  10. ^ a b c d Jason Birchmeier (2002-03-26). "Enter the Life of Suella - Pretty Willie | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-05.