Miami Bass

Miami bass is a style of hip hop that emerged in South Florida in the mid-1980s, defined by the sustained, sub-heavy kick drums of the Roland TR-808, fast electro-derived tempos and a DJ-centred culture of car sound systems and outdoor parties. Producer *Amos Larkins* and *MC A.D.E.*'s "Bass Rock Express" (1985) and *2 Live Crew*'s records on #Skyywalker Records# fixed the formula: minimal rapping, call-and-response party chants and lyrics that were frequently sexually explicit. Built to test subwoofers as much as to be heard, Miami bass became the foundation of Southern party rap.