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Hip-hop music was born on the East Coast of America in the 1970s in New York City, and as the home of hip-hop, it has produced some of the genre’s most renowned acts. New York City is the true Mecca of hip-hop music, and that is an unquestionable fact. Although there’s no doubt that people look to a specific city or region for their music at any given time, New York will always remain the pinnacle of hip-hop.

The official city of New York is comprised of five boroughs: The Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. However, the greater metropolitan area of New York would also include parts of New Jersey and townships such as Mount Vernon and Yonkers. The city of New York dominated hip-hop for a long time. However, in the 1990s, with the rise of Los Angeles and the West Coast, the five boroughs had to cede some of their power and accept that they were no longer the only players in town. This continued to happen throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s.

By the 2010s, New York had fallen quite a way behind other regions of the US in terms of the number and calibre of stars it produced. However, it is still recognised as the birthplace of hip-hop and the Mecca of rap music. Over the years, the different neighbourhoods of New York have asserted themselves.

From Queensbridge and Harlem to Bed-Stuy and South Jamaica, each neighbourhood has attempted to claim the top spot in the city, and one way that some MCs do so is through their music. As such, we have compiled a list of the five best songs about New York neighbourhoods.

The five best songs about New York neighbourhoods:

5. Jim Jones – ‘Harlem’, Diary Of A Summer, (2005)

New York is the birthplace of hip-hop, and following its initial cultivation in the Bronx, one of the first places it landed was Harlem. The Manhattan neighbourhood has a rich cultural history and is home to some of the most iconic African-American celebrities.

During the great migration in the late 1920s and early 30s, Harlem became a bastion of music, dance, art, fashion, literature and theatre. Still, concerning hip-hop, one of the quintessential Harlem collectives in the 2000s was The Diplomats. In this song, Jim Jones speaks about riding through “Washington Height” reflecting on how he would “set up on the stoop” near “7th and Lenox.”

4. Casanova – So Brooklyn, Behind These Scars, (2019)

Although hip-hop culture originated in the Bronx, it is fair to say that in New York, the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens have arguably produced the biggest legends over time. From Biggie Smalls to Jay-Z and Big daddy Kane Brooklyn’s potency is undeniable.

The now-incarcerated Brooklyn emcee Casanova was a New york hit and with lyrics like “You from New York, which part are you from? / I looked at her like, “Are you dumb?” the lyricist really professes his pride in being a native Brooklynite.

3. MC Shan – ‘The Bridge’, Down By law, (1987)

During the 1980s, Queensbridge quickly became one of the most culturally important neighbourhoods in hip-hop, producing a lot of talent. Artists such as Marley Marl, Craig G, Roxanne Shanté, and many more hail from the neighbourhood.

‘The Bridge’ was a legendary diss track and one of the verses implicitly suggested that Queensbridge was where hip-hop started, rapping, “You love to hear the story, again and again / Of how it all got started way back when / The monument is right in your face / Sit and listen for a while to the name of the place, The Bridge, Queensbridge!”

2. BDP – ‘South Bronx’, Criminal Minded, (1987)

The South Bronx is where hip-hop was born and the track ‘South Bronx’ was, in fact, only recorded after a misunderstanding. It was the seminal song of the ‘Bridge Wars’ between Boogie Down Productions and Juice crew.

The song was recorded to reassert that the South Bronx is where hip-hop was created as KRS-One thought MC Shan had said it grew from Queensbridge. The song is an emotional and aggressive ode to the culturally historic area of New York that is responsible for rap music.

1. Ol’ Dirty Bastard – ‘Brooklyn Zoo’, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, (1995)

Although Ol’ Dirty Bastard was a part of the legendary Staten Island collective, the Wu-Tang Clan, he was RZA’s cousin who spent much time in Brooklyn and was raised there. In 1995, the outlandish and kooky released his debut solo project, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, which boasted the track ‘Brooklyn Zoo’.

The song describes utter chaos and the line “Shame on you, when you step through to The Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Brooklyn Zoo” repeats itself throuhout the track. The song is truly legendary and many would consider it one of the best song Ol’ Dirty Bastard made during his career.