Art I Heart — "Where They At" Puts New Orleans Rap In Focus

"Treme" is not getting me where I need to go, guys. I was obsessed with David Simon's "The Wire," so his new HBO series, focusing on the musical culture in a post-Katrina New Orleans, was a must-see for me. I love seeing Wire actors Clarke Peters ("Lester Freamon") and Wendell Pierce ("Bunk Moreland") back on the screen. And I will admit Steve Zahn is good for predictable chuckles. Aside from that...a few episodes in, the show is feeling like a chore.

Assuming Simon makes this project stick, bounce is a N.O. musical trend he needs to clue into next season.

My good friend, Aubrey Edwards, shone a spotlight on the genre with her photo archive, "Where They At." Along with music journalist, Alison Fensterstock, she spent two years interviewing and photographing rising stars and local legends of the homegrown musical style. Here's their description:

Bounce’s signature rhythms and call-and-response chants are deeply rooted in New Orleans’ cultural heritage, including Mardi Gras Indian and second-line traditions. The exhibit “Where They At” documents pioneering New Orleans rappers from the 1980’s, 1990’s, and early 2000’s, the period when bounce music melded and interplayed with lyrical hip-hop and gangsta rap in New Orleans to create a unique, hybrid Crescent City hip-hop sound – the newest branch of Southern roots music.

All photos by Aubrey Edwards