I'll say that today's music, when you talk of the South, is catchy, but they miss out on the other very important element which is the lyrics. Perfect example is Naughty By Nature, who basically created/crafted "the anthem". The type of song that when it's played in the club, will get people dancing, can be played on the radio 100 times, and so on. But take a look at their "anthems". O.P.P. It was not only catchy, but lyrically:
A) Made sense (meaning you could understand what was said), and was a story you could follow/relate to.
B) Lyrically, was on point. Wasn't crazy deep lyrical like a Canibus freestyle, but that's not what the song called for.
C) Will/can be played today (almost 20 years later), and has the same effect it did when it was released.
The same can be said for Hip Hop Horray, and to a lesser extent in terms of playability, Uptown Anthem, & Craziest.
When you get 20 years down the line, will anyone remember, or will any of this so-called "Southern" music have the same impact as that? And when I say "Southern" music I'm referring to a song like Gucci Mane's - Freaky Gurl, and these type of songs. No, it won't because although it may have made a few people dance, what is being SAID in the record is not memorable, and leaves no impressions/has no impact.
Make no mistake, I love some "Southern" artist (OutKast, Luda, T.I., Scarface, to name a few), but the majority of cats from this region don't have it with the pen....I mean thought game. Which is another thing, these artist now brag "I don't even write rhymes, I just go in the booth and spit". Well pity for you if you had to write that simplistic shit. The only rappers that can lay claim to the "off the top of the head in the booth" that have publicly stated that this is their method of recording, that are any good at it, is Jay-Z, BIG (RIP), & Jadakiss/Styles P. The rest need to grab a pen/pad, and put some thought into the shit they wanna say, or continue to be mediocre lyricist.