New York! New York! Big city of dreams – it doesn’t seem like that, especially when it comes to the hip hop scene. The birthplace and Mecca, the historical NYC. It is home of rap legends like Rakim, Nasir Jones, Jay-z, Biggie Smalls, 50 cent, etc. Just what exactly happened to that dominance that once reigned supreme? As Uncle Murda would say in one of his rhymes, “We went from setting trends to copycatting.” Powerful words from Brooklyn’s own – But Im a tell the hip hop world exactly what happened.
First off there’s no unification in NY. Being a fellow New Yorker myself, I grew and experienced the rude, arrogant, cocky persona a New York nigga possesses. Trust me, it rubbed off on me and it tends to come out of me at times. New York niggas feel like they’re the shit, untouchable and too good to try certain shit or do certain things. They rather live this false gangsta image and won’t go out of their way to experiment if it’s not in the current trend. They feel like it would make them look like a complete lame.
New York niggas have egos as well. They don’t fuck with certain cliques or hoods and their whole take on it is, “Niggas is grimey, bitches a set a nigga up”, so they keep their circle real tight. Even Jay rapped on the 2001 record “Parking Lot Pimping” where he spits: “Gat on my lap I’m that cautious/ Never trust grimey ass New Yorkers/ Especially when you sitting on 20’s, they get nauseous.” I mean can you really blame Jay, epspecially throughout the years? Diddy faced the career threatening gun and rectless endangerment charge where his long time artist-now-rival Shyne Po was the sacrificial lamb, and unfortunately got hit with the lenghty prison time which lead to his eventual deportation from the United States. 50 Cent was shot multiple times in front of his grandmother’s porch, Mase was ran out of Harlem where he relocated to Atlanta and went Pastor Creftlow on niggas. Charlamagne caught a three peice biscuit and combo over a damn drop. I mean come on, New York!
Even West Coast rapper Tupac Shakir was the victim of New York maltreatment, from the prison bid to the robbery and getting shot five times. There’s too much ignorance in New York City, niggas war over petty and senseless shit, so it makes other camps nervous to do business or create power moves with each other. New York niggas rather result to violence than swallow their pride and make peace with their brother. Motherfuckers don’t like being in the losing end, so if they feel threatened by you, they’ll either cut you off or distance themselves from you. So that causes musical segration in itself.
Motherfuckers don’t understand the logic, “United we stand, divided we fall”. All this everyone-for-themselves shit isn’t going to cut it, all it’s going to do is cause bitterness and jealousy. Instead of blaming Ebro for not playing enough New York records on the radio, you’ll say, “Fuck him”, and just don’t support Hot 97 at all. If thats how they want to play, I mean, they’re losing badly in ratings to Power 105. The Breakfast Club is making them niggas look like fucking Egg McMuffins. Hot 97 got another five years before it’s completely extinct.
Niggas worry about what other regions are doing instead of focusing on our own brand. Just because a rapper is winning right now in Atlanta or Miami, doesn’t mean he will always be hot. So, stop trying to play the role of dick rider and copy their gimmick. Soulja was hot at one time, he started an epidemic, made a whole lot of money doing it, but where is he now? The crazy thing is we’re quick to support these other regions but they don’t even play our music down there. Stop supporting that garbage because it has made us to the point where we can’t even identify our own sound.
All these labels and DJs worry about hit records, when they should worry about making classic records that’s timeless and will be remembered centuries from now. You can’t half ass anything in life because real music fans see through the gimmick. So, if you’re only in this game to make a quick dollar, then you’re in the wrong profession. Rap is art and passion. New York has always been about lyrics, Cali niggas gang bang, Houston niggas sip syrup and do candy paint. Atlanta niggas make strip club records. Once we identify our lane, then we will be able to prosper as a city moving forward.
Stop making records for the clubs and stop making all these chick records, thinking that’s gonna succeed all the time. Just make great music and let the magic happen. Hip Hop doesn’t revolve around women only, because niggas come out and support these hip hop events. It’s not the fact that girls wanna hear the love and party records all the time, you niggas assume that, because thats what they’re used to. Don’t be scared to be different, set the bar, conquer obstacles, and put new music in rotation. Stop always depending on these old timers to save New York, they had their time to shine. Give these young niggas with new talent a chance to shine.
The problem with New York is you niggas are too stuck in that 90s era, and you’re scared of evolution. Give the New York Url Battle rappers radio play, because it’s ovious they can pack a venue, excite a crowd, and bring in ratings. Just look at the Youtube numbers. New Yorkers just need to get it togethor and support each other. Another thing, there’s five million rappers, so niggas need to know when they just aren’t cutting it. Majority of you niggas suck, so please don’t quit your day job. It’s alright to be a fan, it’s alright to be an Indian, and you don’t have to be damn chief all the time. I know everybody wants to be that rich and famous nigga, but there’s other markets in music where you can make serious fame and fortune without rapping. So stop taking the easy way out, and learn to try different aspects of music. I’m the Street Life President and I approve this message.
$treet Life City ($LC) 
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