Cool Breeze-Whatcha Really Know About The Dirty South?

A few posts back, I posted a GRIMEY mixtape song by Acrite called “Get Em Up”. I’m almost positive that you don’t know who he is so look in the January archives to find the video link. But there was another song on the mixtape where he jacked Cool Breeze’s “Watch for the Hook”. The lyrics, CRAZY, but it made me think about Cool Breeze and how he had one of my favorite Highway CD’s of all time. See, I’m a guy that likes to see the land and get into the landscape and enjoy the sites and stop in on places I might not see any other time. I’m talking about places like Americus Georgia, Dothan Alabama, and Bradshaw Maryland. But anyway, I refuse to get on the highway without this CD because it’s just one of those albums that you just ride to.

Cool Breeze, Cool Cutta or Freddy Calhoun if you wanna go deep with it,is 1st generation Dungeon Family, (See the Archives for Aug 2, 2009) and an MC that is awkward in the sense that he doesn’t fit the mold of what most think a southern artist is. The first thing is that he didn’t curse on the album which is a rarity in Hip Hop. Maybe I had an edited version, but it was still hard as hell. There was dope slanging, car jackin’, plenty of slanguage and references that only people who are from ATL or who have been there for a while would understand and appreciate; However, the themes were universal because the dude is dope. The second thing is, my man is nice; he doesn't fall into the sometimes hypocritical view that is given of the South. You know how it goes, it rocks the club and everybody has a good time but at the same time “it’s garbage” conversation. Cool Breeze came from a camp of real rhymers and it shows.

His album, “East Point’s Greatest Hits” hit home for me because I lived in East Point for a while after I moved to Atlanta before moving to Jersey. East Point is technically a suburb of Atlanta but not really. Depending on where you’re at in the city, you may be across the street from the Atlanta or College Park city limits – both of which I once lived. From beginning to end, it hits hard. From the funky, funky, funky intro to the end, my man doesn’t just give you the average southern song that the industry feeds us; he gives classic ATL hustler/grown man talk with tight rhymes. This is the cat that actually coined the phrase “The Dirty South” on the Goodie Mob song “Dirty South” from the “Soul Food” album. My favorite song on the album besides “Watch for the Hook” and “Butter” would have to be “Hit Man” feat E.J. the Witchdoctor. The Organized Noize Production is superb like always. Yeah, It’s an old album but it’s definitely one that deserves at the very least a look on You Tube and a search on Amazon or I Tunes. Of course I’ve got a video, but do me a favor and TELL SOMEBODY about the site and follow me on Twitter at @TheMarcusObrien and friend me and like the page on Facebook.

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