It's part of the state yes, but the Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn are practically sub Providences. http://brooklyn101.com/maps/brooklyn-overview-map-f.jpg Love how people base there thoughts on articles. Obviously the crime rates have gone down but when I grew up there it wasn't too nice of a place to live. MC's from Brooklyn weren't born yesterday. Samar, have you ever been to the bad parts of New York? Just a question.
What are these providences you speak of? Do you mean provinces? Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island are the five boroughs that make up New York, NY.
Btw I hate talking about the New York as a bad place because it really a beautiful state... but for people who've lived in Brownsville before it's a very poor and dangerous community. I lived there from the age of 3 to 14.
Provinces* Sub Provinces are referred to in New York as the poorer parts with more immigrants coming in and minimum wages if they get jobs at all. This all leads to crimes, drug sells etc.
Brooklyn stopped being an independent city in 1898. For all intents and purposes, it is part of new york city. So in that article that was talking about new york city crime, that includes all of the boroughs. As far as bad parts of new york, I don't know if you count this, I have been through most parts of Harlem on foot to eat soul food and go watch some summer games at Rucker Park. Again, I am not sure if this was or still is considered "the hood".
Well considering that the murder, robbery and rape rate has dropped significantly (50%+ in all stated categories) than it isn't as dangerous as before. New York is a great state and if it has the lowest murder rate in the U.S. than that's great, it really does make me happy that it's progressed so much. However it always wasn't like that. New York was once the head of organized crime in the United States. Rappers like Nas, Taleb, Big L, Jay, Biggie Smalls don't rap about New York's or any other hoods bad sides because they enjoyed the experience, they rap about it to inform the general public about the struggles going on in their suburbs. That's the point i'm trying to get across.
Very observant IMO....I repeat all the time that BIG and 2Pac were the best and worst to happen to hip hop. Their lasting effects might mostly be worse, since their deaths put mainstream hip hop into an almost irrecoverable downturn thats going on 15 years. Another aspect that I think influences hip hip is 2/3's of hip hop is purchased by white people. After BIG and 2Pac, soon after there was a noticeable shift to less grittier forms of hip hop that only had to have surface level street cred. Though purists could tell the difference between Puff Daddy and Nas. Also during that time people like Eminem emerged, during the bubble gum pop/boy band that he tried hard to disassociate from but ironically helped give him rise. Hip hop got even more mixed into rock music with artists like Kid Rock, leading to Linkin Park & Limp Bizkit, etc....Since East and West basically shot themselves in the foot then shot each other, it was a perfect time for the Dirty South with its more palatable, easy to absorb style like Master P and Juvenile.
Master P stole his whole act from The Luniz and Dru Down, ran to the South, and made millions by spitting Bay Area raps with a southern accent. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JPeGTJt8AZQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JPeGTJt8AZQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Man Juvenile and Master P? Man the south started with Geto Boys, 8Ball & MJG, and UGK. The next flock was coming down from Atlanta and Outkast, in which flip the whole southern game up. And its not even that Hip-Hop is dying. It's that music in general is dying no matter what genre you listen to. Through media blasting records and massive promotion for no talent hacks, it becomes hard for real artists to ever get a chance.
Of course it started with those acts. I didnt say that Juvenile and Master P originated southern rap. I mentioned them cuz they came up AFTER BIG and 2Pac died. I used the term Dirty South to describe all the south in consensus, cuz its the most popular phrase to call it by. "Dirty South" was a Goodie Mob song that popularized the phrase right around 2Pacs death. The term wasnt even around when Geto Boys started.
If anything, there is better hip hop today than there was a decade ago. You have to look beyond the crap on radio though. Check out killah priest, snowgoons, jedi mind tricks...
I don't think I understand the definition of hip-hop. If Hip Hop just means rap then yes it's still alive in the form of non-radio-play rap artists like Wu-Tang members, El-P, etc. If by Hip-Hop we are talking about more high-quality, mainstream radio-friendly rap (Hip-Hop Hooray, Dr. Dre's the Chronic, The Fugees, H to the Izzo) then I'd say it's pretty much dead in terms of quality, with the exception of Kanye and possibly Jay-Z. However, even with all the crappy hip-hop groups it still seems popular, no? So, I'm not sure if you can call it dead...it's just that it now sucks.
Are we are talking about the Goodie Mob song, "Dirty South" from their 1996 album Soulfood, then you are a trip. Just cause the coined phrase "Dirty South" hadn't been publicly stated, doesn't mean the word hadn't been around. And Geto Boys been out since 1988 bro and were the only group from the south putting music out in the earlier 90's. Geto Boys were the only rap artists from the south even being played on TV. To orbb- I dont believe there is better talent then in the 90's but I've heard Jedi and they put out some real ****.
For those looking to reignite their interest in hip hop, lyrical delivery, rhyming ability, creativity, and things of that nature, here are my current suggestions: Slaughterhouse <---we've talked about it on the BBS before. A little more "street" then typical old school hip hop w/Jazz influence, but still delivers. Lyrical assassinations left and right. J.Cole <---He's on Jay-Z's BP3 album, also the first signee to Roc Nation. Go check out his mixtape "The Warm Up" and tell me he doesn't make you "feel" the feeling you got when you heard some Tribe Called Quest, and other older hip hop groups from the late 80s, early 90s. Even the production on the mixtape goes back to sampling the smooth bass, and jazz. Definitely one of the artists I look forward to hearing more of....lyrically he can definitely hold his own as well. "Grown Simba" and "Hold it Down" are two of my more favored tracks. And when all else fails, go back and relive the artists' that gave us our good times in the first place, that's the beautiful part about recorded music is you can relive it whenever, wherever.