Bounce Music: Mardi Gras

In celebration of Mardi Gras, we’re highlighting the New Orleans origin of bounce music. Learn about what makes bounce “bounce” and tell us your favorite bounce record.

Bounce music is a popular subgenre of hip hop.

  • Bounce calls New Orleans home, dating back to the late 1980s.
  • Characteristics include:
    • The Triggerman beat: Also known as Triggerman bells or just Triggaman, this rhythm track is commonly used by bounce artists. DJ Irv first used the beat for a song called “Where Dey At” by MC T. Tucker, a song that heavily sampled “Drag Rap” by the Showboys. A bounce song is rarely complete without the Triggerman beat.
    • Call-and-response lyrics: Bounce rapping requires heavy audience participation as the crowd shouts back the words rapped by the MC.
    • Deep connection to New Orleans culture: Bounce music distinguishes New Orleans hip-hop from other subgenres. Although vibrant bounce scenes exist in cities like Houston and Memphis, the style routinely harkens back to the brass bands and Mardi Gras Indian chants of NOLA.
  • Song example:
    • Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Mannie Fresh: “Back That Azz Up”
    • Lil Wayne: “Tha Block is Hot”
    • Birdman, Lil Wayne: “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy”

Source: masterclass.com, rollingstone.com