NY's Identity

I was wondering if I could get all the East Coast heads to chime in on this one...

It seems to me that NY has lost its identity over the last decade. There are no real heavyweights in my eyes. Greats like Jay and Nas and Wu aren't the same anymore. They might be more wealthy and powerful but as far as the music goes, there is no one you can really point to and say, "that's the man right there". I am in no way saying that NY has lost talent, just its unique sound and overall influence. What do ya'll say? Who belongs on NY's Mount Rushmore these days? Who's making the music that is the sound of NY today?

Dude, HOW can YOU say that NAS isn't STILL on TOP?!?!?!?!?? DISTANT RELATIVES is A CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can point to Jay and say "thats the man right there".

NY like other regions have lost their identity. Because the "whats hot" motto is in full effect.

"I can point to Jay and say "thats the man right there"."

The correct answer.

All this talk about the East being this and that is lame. Hip-Hop as a whole ain't what it used to be. In the 80's and 90's you had much better hip-hop artists dominating the airwaves on radio and TV. Now it's the same old Young Money garbage.

NY will ALWAYS be known as the birthplace of hip-hop, and has the most GOAT MC's and albums of any region.

The South may be on top right now, but is Tha Carter III ever gonna be on a level of an album like It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back? Hell no! Is Young Money ever gonna be as respected as Bad Boy was in it's prime? Nope. The MC's in the South dominating the charts right now make most rap purists like myself wanna puke. They only appeal to the bamas, females, and kids.

As for the Mount Rushmore reference. That monument is for all time success, not just for the last few years.

While I would like to see a new NY MC rise to elite status, MC's like Nas, Jay, and Wu aren't washed up in the least.

You missed the point of his thread entirely and failed to answer his question.

right now NYC doesn't have any identity...we have lost our swagger...and I'm starting to wonder if it's ever going to return??

that's the price of getting lazy....

right now Jay-Z and Nas are still doing hip-hop that actually sounds like it's from NYC....

I'll have to think about any others....



that was my original response above Slang and then Kid Joe said NYC hasn't lost a thing and I was pointing out that I disagree with that completely....does that response make sense now Slang?? if not then I'll put it in braille for you man...let me know what you need okay...lol

Exactly one song on BP3 has a distinct NYC sound, Powell (and it comes from two producers from the Midwest), and NOTHING on Distant Relatives sounds like the typical NYC style.

Southern Rap Pro wrote:

You missed the point of his thread entirely and failed to answer his question.

Thank you, sir. And thank you Powell for understanding what I meant. Again, I am NOT saying that Nas, Jay and Wu are washed up. I am NOT saying that NY is irrelevent or shitty or whatever. I am just saying that there is nothing that seems to stand out as NY's definitive sound. Although it is true that identities change and evolve over time, the West and South have been able to maintain a sound that is unique to their respective regions. The midwest has always had a blended sound, IMO. You know when the beat drops if it is a Southern or Western joint. You used to be able to say the same about NY but it is no longer so. I blame 50...

And Shaun, YOU KNOW DAMN WELL that Distant Relatives sounds like a Reggae album with Nas on every song. It has very little influence (sound wise) from Nas.

Well that boom bap basement underground NY sound was never that popular to begin with. But it did give NYC an ID and a strong foundation in its core sound. But Jay, Diddy, 50, and even at early stages Marely marl got it away from that. They all used more universal samples and sounds that could really cross regional boundaries. NY like all this other shit just lost its balance. We love the Jay type beats but where's the Buckshot type beats?

"And Shaun, YOU KNOW DAMN WELL that Distant Relatives sounds like a Reggae album with Nas on every song. It has very little influence (sound wise) from Nas."

lol. I actually haven't even heard it, yet.

lol, you asshole.

be careful, wanduras will ask you to join his reading club...

Jeff wrote:

Exactly one song on BP3 has a distinct NYC sound, Powell (and it comes from two producers from the Midwest), and NOTHING on Distant Relatives sounds like the typical NYC style.

ummm dum-may I'm not referring to just their last albums...I'm talking about most of their recent works....Untitled...Hip-Hop Is Dead......American Gangster.....Kingdom Come


got it lil dahmer??? good mane!

Southern Rap Pro wrote:

be careful, wanduras will ask you to join his reading club...

Bahahahahahahaha! It took me a min to remember what that meant...

lmao

when dpg dropped ther epic song "new york new york" it was over for the easrcoast

The fans are too diverse, so any new artist isn't going to have unilateral success like the 90s. That, and folks don't want to dig for their music...NY hasn't lost a thing. It's all there

Brooklyn Academy
Access Immortal
Immortal Technique
I'll Bill
Rise
Oktober
Q-Unique
RA Rugged Man

Those emcees are all putting out great music. If you don't like it that's on you. But NY certainly has swagger and an identity.

NY will never lose its identity due to the fact you needs SKILLZ to have respect. Even NY rappers I dont like like Jay-Z and Judakiss do have some skills. I feel in other regions skills aren't as important. Also you must understand that 90% of NYs rappers are below the radar now. West coast and Southern rappers have a higher percentage of rappers thats getting exposure even if its just local.

parker lewis wrote:

The fans are too diverse, so any new artist isn't going to have unilateral success like the 90s. That, and folks don't want to dig for their music...NY hasn't lost a thing. It's all there

Brooklyn Academy
Access Immortal
Immortal Technique
I'll Bill
Rise
Oktober
Q-Unique
RA Rugged Man

Those emcees are all putting out great music. If you don't like it that's on you. But NY certainly has swagger and an identity.

let's put that list up against the primetime/golden age NYC hip-hop artists and then let's see if NYC has lost their way due to being LAZY (in terms of creativity...not "digging" for music...lmao)

I'll list 8 artists just like he did:

Public Enemy
Run-D.M.C.
LL Cool J
Kool G Rap And Polo
A Tribe Called Quest
Brand Nubian
BDP
Eric B And Rakim

8 vs. 8.....I already know who wins from these 2 lists and EASILY too....NYC has lost it's way from being the trendsetters to becoming the followers and just being fuckin LAZY....not one of the artists from his list can fuck with any of the ones below it when they were in their primes IN MY OPINION...

NYC has lost it's way...that top list just further proves my point if that's the best we've got to offer in 2010/2011....

D.Powell wrote:

parker lewis wrote:

The fans are too diverse, so any new artist isn't going to have unilateral success like the 90s. That, and folks don't want to dig for their music...NY hasn't lost a thing. It's all there

Brooklyn Academy
Access Immortal
Immortal Technique
I'll Bill
Rise
Oktober
Q-Unique
RA Rugged Man

Those emcees are all putting out great music. If you don't like it that's on you. But NY certainly has swagger and an identity.

let's put that list up against the primetime/golden age NYC hip-hop artists and then let's see if NYC has lost their way due to being LAZY (in terms of creativity...not "digging" for music...lmao)

I'll list 8 artists just like he did:

Public Enemy
Run-D.M.C.
LL Cool J
Kool G Rap And Polo
A Tribe Called Quest
Brand Nubian
BDP
Eric B And Rakim

8 vs. 8.....I already know who wins from these 2 lists and EASILY too....NYC has lost it's way from being the trendsetters to becoming the followers and just being fuckin LAZY....not one of the artists from his list can fuck with any of the ones below it when they were in their primes IN MY OPINION...

NYC has lost it's way...that top list just further proves my point if that's the best we've got to offer in 2010/2011....

how is your post relevant? Kid Joe did not compare those artists to any of the ones you mentioned nor did he say they were better. All he did was point out artists who still have a NY identity in their sound, your post makes no sense as a response

NYC has a lost a bunch Slang....I'm disagreeing with Kid Joe...does that bother you AGAIN??

well then I apologize for you feeling slighted my dude, but my opinion still stands

Fair enough that you like those artists more, Powell. I know that mos people do. Slang's right, though...that's not really what I meant.

parker lewis wrote:

The fans are too diverse, so any new artist isn't going to have unilateral success like the 90s. That, and folks don't want to dig for their music...NY hasn't lost a thing. It's all there

Brooklyn Academy
Access Immortal
Immortal Technique
I'll Bill
Rise
Oktober
Q-Unique
RA Rugged Man

Those emcees are all putting out great music. If you don't like it that's on you. But NY certainly has swagger and an identity.

"NY hasn't lost a thing. It's all there" "NY certainly has swagger and an identity"


umm Kid Joe I disagree 1000% with both of those statements my dude...I feel NYC has lost a bunch and most hip-hop heads feel this way as well at least the ones I know, your list hasn't done anything IMO to show me that NYC is still at the forefront and still controlling the hip-hop game mainly through CREATING the best music...by setting the trends.....by being groundbreaking......NYC is not relevant anymore in those fields....and that is due to being lazy IMO.....we have no swagger any longer...our identity is too sound like we're from the south in 2010/2011....those 8 artists you mentioned are not enough to show me differently.....this is what I'm saying...

You're Hellbent on arguing over this, huh? I said I wasn't trying to compare NY then & now quality wise. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

I'm just saying there is an identity there. I'm not saying they are at the front of the pack (they are to me, but that's personal taste), I'm not they're better than the acts you listed (again, personal choice). I am saying that there is an intertwining collection of artists putting in work in NYC, and that they are connected through a similar attitude and swagger.

I see how you took my statements to mean what you thought. It's not what I meant though.

In your opinion Powell, what area is making the best music right now?

You should check out Oktober: Art of Raw and Access Immortal: American Me, Powell. True NY hip-hop from 05, 07 respectively.

NY is as good as its always been if you aren't a pop-bopper. NY just went into more of a gangster direction. But cats are still spittin'.

KRS ONE, Rakim, PE, are still making solid albums. Also you have everyone biting the mixtape game something NY started. And a slew of slept-on talent too numerous to mention.

I never said cats weren't still spitting Trotter...I just said that NYC has lost it's way creatively that's what I said man...going in a gangster direction is nothing new for NYC man..so why even bring that up???

we have lost our way just a little bit and I really believe that is why the culture is suffering overall....we got lazy man...hey it happens to the best my dude...and there is no fuckin question at least in my mind that we were once the best...

@ Parker I'm not sure who is making the best hip-hop music right now man...most of the shit is bland to me at the moment...but I'll check out those joints you just mentioned soon man...let me pick up those other ones first....lol

I think both Parker and Powell are right just from different standpoints. Parker is basically saying that NY's identity lies in the underground now. Powell is saying that the identity is lost becuse what most people see is the copycat South bullshit. I tend to agree more with Powell's assessment. I feel that if no one is listening or paying attention to your sound (on a national level), then your identity is not strong. Parker and Trotter are right, though, that if you could give a fuck less about national attention then the identity seems as strong as ever...I kinda forgot what my point was...smh.