Which city is most ridiculed in pop culture? (compared, NYC, crime)
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Family Guy and The Simpsons have ridiculed Gainesville, Florida too (well Family Guy moreso poked fun at U of Florida). Here's The Simpsons "roasting" Gainesville.
I agree with most of your first paragraph. Especially younger crowds wanting to be bigger than everyone. except the last sentence. I wouldn’t say music makes people a certain way, but it definitely has a role in what we think of other cities. Snoop Dogg and co. Gave a new perspective to LA. And so forth.
Now for your second paragraph claiming drill music isn’t mainstream is laughable. Now I will give you that a lot of people don’t know what drill music is by name, but it is a very mainstream genre. You have almost certainly heard it and just figured it to be hip hop. Drill music has been one of the more mainstream forms of hip hop for a while. I don’t expect you to be able to differentiate each and every form of hip hop that emerges, but not knowing the name and it being mainstream is two different things. The biggest names in music period from Kanye West, Drake, Future, etc have got into drill music at some point.
I don't disagree that the music and musicians have given you, personally, perspectives on places that otherwise you may not have had. I don't see that as universally being true for everyone, or even most people.
Your LA example is interesting, because there are literally hundreds of pop musicians of all genres that each represent a different perspective of their LA influence in their music, some wildly different.
Now don't laugh, but I see a huge difference between sub-genres that influence the mainstream, versus mainstream itself.
Easily Cleveland. Lots of the cities on this list have things or one thing (Detroit car industry) attached to them that makes them somewhat respected a little.
I guess I'll scroll through the other 9 pages of this thread, but it didn't take long to prove my point. These videos are now as dated as the river catching on fire. Nobody talks about Cleveland, yet, people got about 50 years worth out of a river catching fire and a series of dumb ass videos (which have only been linked on here about 1,000 times now) ... at least we're not Detroit, right?
I don't disagree that the music and musicians have given you, personally, perspectives on places that otherwise you may not have had. I don't see that as universally being true for everyone, or even most people.
Your LA example is interesting, because there are literally hundreds of pop musicians of all genres that each represent a different perspective of their LA influence in their music, some wildly different.
Now don't laugh, but I see a huge difference between sub-genres that influence the mainstream, versus mainstream itself.
Actually, Chiraq has given me 0 perspection of that. I spent a decent amount of time in Chicago right after graduation high school which was right around the height of the Chiraq era (around 2015). And I didn’t get to see the rough parts (though I want to make a trip specific for this). The perception has affected how society views Chicago. Most of us nerds on this site know more about cities in general, so we aren’t as impacted by these kind of trends.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RocketSci
Your LA example is interesting, because there are literally hundreds of pop musicians of all genres that each represent a different perspective of their LA influence in their music, some wildly different.
100%. NWA and Snoop Dogg gave a new perspective of LA that counters the bubble gum Hollywood perseption.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RocketSci
Now don't laugh, but I see a huge difference between sub-genres that influence the mainstream, versus mainstream itself.
Are you trying to tell me Kanye West isn't mainstream? Future? Drake? Drill music isn't some random sub culture. It's one of the more popular forms of hip hop post 2014. The only thing I agreed with you is that many people don't know what drill music is. But this is just because they know it as hip hop, the most popular genre in the world right now.
I think this thread is proof that perceptions change overtime. Chi-raq is a newer (very mainstream) perception of Chicago, and this "mistake by the Lake" is an older tie to Cleveland. If you scroll through, you'll notice those who notice the Chicago perception notice the Cleveland perception less and vice versa.
Last edited by ParaguaneroSwag; 04-19-2021 at 12:27 AM..
I 100% agree with Massachoisetts. I rarely hear anything negative about Cleveland. The most notable Cleveland references I’ve seen as it relates to pop culture is Lebron winning the finals with the Cavs (Lebron boosts anything tied to him), Ted from How I Met your mother, and the occasional MGK reference.
The only negative pop culture reference as it relates to Cleveland is how bad the Browns were for a while. They one a single game in two entire seasons. That's about it though.
I guess I'll scroll through the other 9 pages of this thread, but it didn't take long to prove my point. These videos are now as dated as the river catching on fire. Nobody talks about Cleveland, yet, people got about 50 years worth out of a river catching fire and a series of dumb ass videos (which have only been linked on here about 1,000 times now) ... at least we're not Detroit, right?
Wouldn't the last part of your statement imply Detroit is more ridiculed?
I think Cleveland has some real points of ridicule through the years like mistake on the lake, the browns ineptitude, etc.
That said, I think Detroit has definitely been ridiculed more as the city of no hope and the story of a once great American city turning to rubble. That storyline has been with Detroit for as long as I can remember and I'm 44.
Cleveland has some real classic punch lines associated with it, Detroit has the history of the burned out, hollowed out large American city.
Actually, Chiraq has given me 0 perspection of that. I spent a decent amount of time in Chicago right after graduation high school which was right around the height of the Chiraq era (around 2015). And I didn’t get to see the rough parts (though I want to make a trip specific for this). The perception has affected how society views Chicago. Most of us nerds on this site know more about cities in general, so we aren’t as impacted by these kind of trends.
100%. NWA and Snoop Dogg gave a new perspective of LA that counters the bubble gum Hollywood perseption.
Are you trying to tell me Kanye West isn't mainstream? Future? Drake? Drill music isn't some random sub culture. It's one of the more popular forms of hip hop post 2014. The only thing I agreed with you is that many people don't know what drill music is. But this is just because they know it as hip hop, the most popular genre in the world right now.
I think this thread is proof that perceptions change overtime. Chi-raq is a newer (very mainstream) perception of Chicago, and this "mistake by the Lake" is an older tie to Cleveland. If you scroll through, you'll notice those who notice the Chicago perception notice the Cleveland perception less and vice versa.
Definitely the bolded. A city in 2021 may have no resemblance to the same city of decades past, or even of just a couple of years ago. But first impressions may be the longest lasting, and these impressions are told to others and repeated long after they are no longer valid, especially bad impressions.
Regarding the artists you describe, it seems to me that drill is just one of many influences. To use an old example, I doubt if anyone who even knows what skiffle music is could call it mainstream, but it was an early influence on the Beatles who were definitely mainstream. They are known as a "rock and roll" band, not a skiffle band. By the same token Kanye is known as a "hip hop" artist, not a drill music artist. It's what they are "known as" that exemplifies the mainstream.
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