Virginia gave birth to southern culture for sure, and because of that, there will always be the South there. There's still the South in NoVa (and DC), just people not from there won't pick up on it, and yes, it is less southern than northern nowadays...
And when Central Virginia is absorbed into the Northeast within the next 3-5 decades, there will always remain some South about it. Because its Virginia, the birthplace of the South and America in general...
But you gotta look at it like this, the US "founded" by white people was exponentially smaller than it is today. If it was "founded" in the same form it is today, over 400 years ago, state lines would be drawn completely different all over the US. 75% of Virginia lives in the NoVa x Central VA x Tidewater crescent, that part of VA would be a different state entirely from the rest of VA, or would be a new state with DC and Maryland where they are more alike to anyway...
Lmao I can hear southern shyt in all these people voices you named, but I'll agree it isn't a "drawl". And maybe because I'm from the area I'm used to how people in the area talk, so I can pick up the deflections easier...
Clipse are from the Bronx and influenced by they early childhood there but both they parents are southern--->mom is from Norfolk and dad is from Tennessee. Them dudes are an anomaly within they own family lol, and they have a ton of family on mom's side around here...
Trey from The Burg which is southern than a muhfukka, and he southern than a muhfukka to me...
Pharell is probably the least southern sounding dude from the area. But he from Seatack/Atlantis, which isn't overtly southern, but it isn't one of the more un-southern areas in VB...