SWATS, The S.W.A.T.S. or S.W.A.T.S. ("Southwest Atlanta, too strong") is, in street, hip-hop, or local contexts,

Southwest Atlanta : The city of Atlanta, Georgia is made up of 243 neighborhoods officially defined by the city. These neighborhoods are a mix of traditional neighborhoods, subdivisions, or groups of subdivisions. The neighborhoods are grouped by the city plann ...

, plus territory extending into the adjacent cities of College Park and

East Point East Point is the name of several places: In Australia * East Point, Northern Territory ** East Point Military museum located in East Point, Northern Territory In Canada * East Point, Prince Edward Island In Hong Kong: *East Point, Hong Kong In ...

. The term "SWATS" came into vogue around 1996 and was initially made popular by

LaFace Records LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...

groups OutKast and

Goodie Mob Goodie Mob is an American hip hop group based in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of CeeLo Green, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp. History The group was formed in 1991 by Cameron " Big Gipp" Gipp, Willie "Khujo" Knighton Jr., CeeLo Green (born Thom ...

. This was the same time that "ATL" became popular as a nickname for Atlanta as a whole. The term is relevant not just as an identifier for Southwest Atlanta but as a cultural icon embedded in rap lyrics and names of musical and other groups, with reference not just to physical place but a culture and lifestyle.

References to SWATS

Lyrics

The OutKast song " Peaches (Intro)" states: "For…the SWATS…Cause it ain't nuttin but King Shit, all day, err'day". Another Outkast song, "Ova da Wudz" states "put the SWATS, SWATS on your car."

song "I Refuse Limitation" states "SWATS G.A. by way of Cascade Heights", while their song "Goodie Bag" states "Cause in da SWAT's red hots don't drip or bleed", and in "All A's",

Cee Lo Green Cee or CEE may refer to: * C, third letter of the Latin alphabet * Cee, Spain, A Coruña, Galicia * Center for Excellence in Education, US * Central and Eastern Europe * Centre for Environment Education * Centre for the Economics of Education, ...

's chorus states "But don't you dare ride through the SWATS without, at least 30 shots".

Erick Sermon Erick Sermon (born November 25, 1968) is an American rapper, musician, and record producer. He is best known as one-third—alongside PMD & DJ Scratch—of 1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for his production work. Career Sermon started profe ...

rapped "I'm in New York now but I represent the SWATS and A-Town.", in his song "Future Thug" from his sixth solo album ' Chilltown, New York' in 2004.

Media and artists named after SWATS

S.W.A.T.S. is the name of a 2010

web television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...

series by Golden Street Entertainment taking place in Southwest Atlanta. S.W.A.T.S. is the name of a song by rap group 9.17 on the album ''Southern Empire'' released by Motown in 2001. Young Ju King of da SWATS is an artist featured on ReverbNation."Young Ju Prince of da SWATS" on ReverbNation Also referenced as location of "Gina's Beauty Shop" in the movie "Beauty Shop" starring Queen Latifah.

References

{{Reflist Neighborhoods in Atlanta Atlanta metropolitan area African-American slang Hip hop phrases Culture of Atlanta Geography of Fulton County, Georgia