Modifying cars has always been a favorite hobby or past time for many people throughout the years. The latest phenomenon that has come out of hip hop's Dirty South is no different. This phenomenon takes an older vehicle, almost always a Chevy, and completely redoes it with a candy paint job, plenty of chrome, new interior, and of course, massive rims that are 22 inches or greater. It's not uncommon for a car which originally cost the owner less than $1000 to begin with to end up with over $50,000 of work put into it.
These Dirty South rides fall into the three distinct categories of Donks, Boxes, and Bubbles
Donk:
A donk is the original to this phenomenon. It is a Chevy Impala or Caprice dating up to 1976 (although generally dates from 1971 to 1976), and nothing else. The term "Donk" refers to the Impala's logo, which is often referred to as a donkey, or "donk" for short (despite Chevrolet intending it to be the car's namesake, an impala).
Box:
In order for a car to classify as a Box it must be a Chevy Impala or Caprice from 1977 to 1990, the downsized generation of large Chevrolets. The term "Box" refers to the updated body style of the car, which looks like a box on wheels.
Bubble:
Bubbles are the newest of the group, being a 1991 to 1996 Chevy Caprice or Impala. Just as the term "Box" described the car's appearance, so does the term "Bubble" due to this generations' overly rounded appearance.
It is important to note that only an Impala or Caprice can truly be a Donk, Box, or Bubble. There is a subset of cars which fall into the "G-Body" namesake. These are generally the boxier late 70s to late 80s Chevrolet Monte Carlos, Buick Regals, Oldsmobile Cutlasses, and Pontiac Grand Prixs and are all built off of General Motor's G Platform. All of which are also raised up on large rims and decked out in paint which still looks like it's dripping wet.
These rides are all meant for slow rides cruising around the neighborhood and being seen in. Some of that is due to the Dirty South tradition of "lane swinging," or driving at near idle speeds while crisscrossing the lanes of the road back and forth at 45 degree angles to the road. Another good reason to keep the speeds down low is because, even with the beefed up suspension to handle the extra height and clearance required for rims nearing the 30 inch and greater mark, the vehicle's drive train and rear axle were never meant to handle the additional inertial load of such large rims and tires and can easily break under heavy acceleration or fast, sharp cornering.
No matter what the car, be it a Donk, a Box, a Bubble, or even a G-Unit or something else entirely, the amount of time and effort which is put into these vehicles is not only impressive, but awe inspiring and something to be respected.
