How New York defined rap's attitude
As it celebrates its 50th birthday, we are mapping hip-hop's story on a local level, with more than a dozen city-specific histories of the music and culture. Click here to see the entire list.
If you've been around for any of the past 50 years of hip-hop, you're already well aware of New York's place in the pantheon. Even if you haven't seen the famous , rarely is the genre spoken about without giving the city its due. Decades later, hip-hop has gone from Sedgwick Avenue to di world, breaking borders and language barriers in a never-ending storm of cultural exchange. It has become the story of the streets, the voice of the marginalized and the mainstream sound for entertainment. And while it has picked up all the lovely nuances of each region along the way, there is no overstating its influence: The
