Since the conception of hip hop, dwellers beneath the Mason-Dixon have been hard-pressed to get the respect they deserve from those considered “hip hop gurus” and self-proclaimed “hip hop heads.” It took many years of classic works by the likes of U.G.K., Scarface, Eightball and MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob and countless others for the industry and the masses to recognize the inherent genius present in the South and there are still many who are purposely blind to what the Dirty South has to offer musically.

In 2006, Field Mob-Shawn Jay and Smoke aka Chevy P-have inherited the burden of prejudice that their precursors encountered and have to cope with the shadow cast by the overly simplistic and elementary “snap music.” The Albany, Georgia duo has gone relatively ignored by the game even though they have engineered what industry insiders consider to be two impressive albums, 613: Ashy to Classy and From Tha Roota to Tha Toota. The duo literally from the field is newly signed to Disturbing Tha Peace and on deck to release their third LP, Light Poles and Pine Trees which they hope will dispel all those misconceptions and stereotypes about Southern emcees.

From the beginning Light Poles and Pine Trees is a vivid illustration of country living, raw lyricism and unabashed Southern accents. “1, 2, 3” gives you a formal intro to the amusing one-liners of both Shawn Jay and Chevy P. Shawn Jay fires off quotables like “We came up from the bottom to the top/started with the rocks/used to sell them to the fiends/now we got em’ in our watch” and “I’m the film in the camera/nigga picture me rollin’/picture me blowin…trees chiefin’ purple daily/weed no seeds call it Virgin Mary” all in his first verse. Not to be outshined, partner Chevy P spouts out more then a few punchlines of his own to baffle detractors of Southern lyricism. The sun shines hard when the pair gives you a whiff of Southern lifestyle taking you to the grassy knolls of the park on the aptly titled summer ballad “At the Park.” The track moves at a crawling pace as Field Mob describes Atl’s favorite pastime for the summer, chilling at the park, using the track to occasionally drop a few landmark references privy to inhabitants of the A.

On his solo track, Chevy P digs beneath the surface and gives you some insight into his complexion complications on “Blacker The Berry” discussing his troubles growing up as a dark-skinned youth. Over the infamous 2pac (R.I.P.) vocal snippet “the blacker the berry, the sweeter…” Chevy P raps about the impact harsh jokes from his peers about his dark skin complexion had on him and his transition from embarrassment to pride pertaining to his skin color. The song explores unexplored terrain for rappers at least and shows a deeper side to the usually comical rapper, Chevy P. Partner, Shawn Jay uses his solo effort “I Hate You” to air out, in a Kelis-esque manner, his baby mama who appears to be the stereotypical baby mama caricature.

Field Mob continues their push through the summer on lead-off single “So What” featuring two-stepping Ciara. Although the track contains little to no substance, it does have a breezy feel to it that makes it feel like a warm summer stroll in June making it a smooth listen. “Smilin” places Field Mob with DTP general, Ludacris, in a track about them backstabbers who smile when you frown. Luda drops a C-grade verse, but fortunately, Field Mob’s lyrical inclination shines through leaving you with gems like “they jealous, they wanna step in my spot/you can sneeze the rest of your life and still won’t get the blessings I got” and “crooked behind my back/you like a back with scoliosis.” This only covers a few of many tightly woven verses.

Light Pole and Pine Trees is an okay album; not better than their previous efforts but definitely an above average effort by the Field Mob. With production catered to their voice, style and characters it makes the album a fluid ride to the end, but at times is knocked off by obvious attempts to produce formulaic songs i.e. “stripper song” with “Baby Bend Over” and “sex song” with “Eat Em’ Up, Beat Em’ Up.” Besides a few slip ups here and there, this is a nice output. Old fans of Field Mob will disapprove of their shift from being country as hell and not caring to their more mainstream polished new look but will appreciate their continued thoughtfulness and sharp wordplay. For those who haven’t dealt with Field Mob, check it out for a brief look into Southern culture and reassurance that wordplay can be shown by Southern artists.