Goodie Mob

If you've been avoiding your old friend hip-hop because you're fed up with those materialistic, gun-toting ways, then you need to point your ears towards Georgia. If you're wondering who stole the soul and left rap music riddled with pop hook-stealing sellouts, you ought to launch a private investigation of the Goodie Mob. Evidently, they've snatched up all the heart and are hoarding it in Atlanta. The group's name is actually an acronym for "the Good Die Mostly Over B*llsh*t." Their music is primarily dedicated to showing listeners it doesn't have to be that way. Backed by innovative production unit Organized Noize, the Mob delves deeply into the ghetto experience. But rather than glorify the drug-driven violence that's increasingly representative of urban existence, they battle the societal factors and mental conditioning behind it. You can feel their soulful sincerity, poured generously into each gruff, Southern Rap and in every expansive harmony.