By shelz.

Once upon a time, long before Hip-Hop was the United Nations of music spreading diversity and acceptance across the land, regional walls towered high.  Every area had a unique signature and folks rarely meandered into outside territories.  This tribal behavior cloistered folks within zones and didn’t allow for many subgenre mutations. The backlash of this sonic redlining came to a head when all things southern started dominating the charts.

There was southern rap that fans from up top and left of the Mississippi decided was acceptable.  Artists like Goodie Mob and Outkast led the cerebral portion of the brigade.  Geto Boys and UGK presented sub mason Dixon gangsta and all were acknowledged as legitimate.  But artists that embraced the party and bullshit elements were regularly handled as the countrified cousins of the genre.  They weren’t necessarily the black sheep, but they weren’t taken all that seriously.

However, within all of that haughty dismissal, there were some songs that just couldn’t be denied.  Even with the deep bass thump of snap hosting drawls hard enough to make locals scratch their heads during some bars, people all over the country had to forget that they didn’t like the south and get on the floor.  You just couldn’t help it.

So here is a list of the best Southern dance songs that managed to make the hardest hard core tri state resident join the party.  You may have felt afterwards that you lost some cool points, but you have to admit all of these songs were a ton of fun.

“Scarred” – Luke Feat Trick Daddy

I don’t think there have been many songs that elicited the physical response this one did.  Even 20 years later, you shake with excitement like your body has been invaded by pop rocks at Lukes intro.  This song is perfectly paced, perfectly proportioned dancemania.  You didn’t even understand half of what they said.  Did it matter? Hell naw.  When you listen to people sing this, everything is coming from Moby Dick to the Easter Bunny. Just make it up as you go.

[pro-player width=’450′ height=’323′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09Spns8ulMc[/pro-player]

“Get Low” – Lil Jon and The Eastside Boyz

This song is really gross.  Sweaty balls and skeet and stuff.  It’s also pretty nonsensical.  Who has panty lines at the strip club?  Does it matter though?  Nope.  Everyone was screaming from the window to the wall even if the window was in the wall. You’re still unable to contain yourself when this comes on.  No shake a booty club from Maine to Minnesota was the same after this song hit the airwaves.

“Chicken Head” – Project Pat

Bald head scallywag, ain’t got no hair in back.  How could you not like this?

[pro-player width=’450′ height=’323′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvaExDwQ5cU[/pro-player]”

“My Boo” – Ghost Town DJs

This is one of my least favorite songs in the history of history.  I don’t think I have ever made it through the whole thing. Short of Larry Graham’s “Just Be My Lady,” it may be the worst thing ever. I’m in the minority in my thinking though because when this song dropped in the late 90’s it followed me up and down the eastern seaboard like a stalker.

“My Neck, My Back” -Khia

This is one of those songs people simply refuse to admit they used to like.  Khia has since become notorious for her fuzzy, yet entertaining net rants and her undying yet somewhat scary love for Lil Wayne. Before that she managed to release some southern sexual blunt force trauma on unsuspecting listeners that re-coined a phrase we were already familiar with, just in a much tawdrier way.  We know you used to listen to this.  You don’t have to cop to it.

[pro-player width=’450′ height=’323′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J0utfYWJvg[/pro-player]

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