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Also, no New Yorker outside of true hip hop heads will admit that go-go music was woven into hip hop music in the 80's and early 90's. A lot of rappers stayed at HBCU's when they were coming up. They were at Howard all the time.
Interesting. Would you say hip hop has influenced go-go more than go-go has influenced hip hop? And would you say go-go has been as instrumental to the development of hip hop as reggae and calypso?
These are the most famous Black people from Washington, DC. These are people who are the very least "black famous," meaning that many if not most Black Americans would recognize them.
Marvin Gaye
Dave Chappelle
Charles Drew
Duke Ellington
Cory Booker
Elgin Baylor
Jeffrey Wright
Clifton Powell
Regina Hall
Taraji P. Henson*
Adrian Dantley
Johnny Gill
Susan Rice
DJ Kool
Ari Lennox
*Grew up in MD
These are the most famous Black people from Harlem. This is a fair matchup considering Harlem has a smaller population than DC.
James Baldwin
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Harry Belafonte
Kareem Abdul-Jabar
Cicely Tyson
Diahann Carroll
Ruby Dee
Glynn Turman
Tupac Shakur*
Mekhi Phifer
Charles Rangel
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Jacob Lawrence
Romare Bearden**
Audre Lorde
Bumpy Johnson***
Kelis Rogers
Doug E. Fresh
Stephanie St. Clair****
Teddy Riley
Cameron Giles
Rakim Mayers (ASAP Rocky)
Kurtis Blow
Carmen McRae
Azaleia Banks
Teyana Taylor
Nicky Barnes
Mason Betha (Ma$e)
*Left Harlem at 13
**Moved to Pittsburgh at 16
***Moved to Harlem at 13
****Came to Harlem at 14
Last edited by BajanYankee; 01-19-2024 at 01:27 PM..
Interesting. Would you say hip hop has influenced go-go more than go-go has influenced hip hop? And would you say go-go has been as instrumental to the development of hip hop as reggae and calypso?
Trick question lol. I said early hip hop... The go-go sound was in the music early on. i believe there was a producer from DC working closely with the artists in NY. But from the mid 90's on i will say hip hop has influenced go-go more, no doubt. hip hop got so popular and the bands would make their own version of the rap songs. And now go-go's popularity amongst the younger folk in DMV waxes and wanes; they seem more hip hop heads now more than ever.
No my overall point is that NYC is not a "Black Capital" more than DC or Atlanta, it is just the overall cultural exporter along with LA in the United States. It exports local culture at a higher volume than any other cities sure. But that doesn't mean that African American's look to NYC as their shining star for Black anything. Even in the "Northeast" by Census designation, I see NYC as more of the overall dominate city of exporting everything culturally yes, but not necessarily being a "Black Capital" where Blacks before anyone look to move there, choose to leave Boston, Philly, South Jersey etc. to move to NYC by choice because of it being the "Black Capital" of the region. I'm talking about more than cultural exportation.
That export is why the rest of Black America outside of DC/DMV would gravitate towards NYC more so than D.C.
Look I can tell you straight up from a Black Southerner/Texan perspective that when Black folks down here think of the Northeast in terms of Blackness, New York City is the first city that comes to mind. Generally speaking to Black folks in the south, New Jersey, Boston and Philly might as well be NYC.
Yes D.C. has played a very prominent role and contributed a lot to Black America. But D.C./DMV has always been more lowkey and local with it's contributions to Black America. With NYC it kind of helps when you're the most populated and famous city in America and also helps when you're big media hub. When you have the most famous news publications and the entertainment industry at your door step the local Black community will benefit from that. The presence of the federal government overshadows D.C. local Black culture to the general American public. You'll be surprised at how many Black Americans are not aware how Black D.C. was and still is to some degree.
Now in 2023 Black people are not moving to NYC in droves but it's influence over that region is still very strong. I mean I honestly think if NYC was more affordable you would see more Black transplants in the city but it's just not affordable for droves of transplants especially Black Americans to move there.
These are the most famous Black people from Harlem. This is a fair matchup considering Harlem has a smaller population than DC.
James Baldwin
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Harry Belafonte
Kareem Abdul-Jabar
Cicely Tyson
Diahann Carroll
Ruby Dee
Glynn Turman
Tupac Shakur*
Mekhi Phifer
Charles Rangel
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Jacob Lawrence
Romare Bearden**
Audre Lorde
Bumpy Johnson***
Kelis Rogers
Doug E. Fresh
Stephanie St. Clair****
Teddy Riley
Cameron Giles
Rakim Mayers (ASAP Rocky)
Kurtis Blow
Carmen McRae
Azaleia Banks
Teyana Taylor
Nicky Barnes
Mason Betha (Ma$e)
*Left Harlem at 13
**Moved to Pittsburgh at 16
***Moved to Harlem at 13
****Came to Harlem at 14
And this is still such an undersell.
other people have lived there or were from there. And lived there is important because it speaks to the gravitas..
Let add
Kareem Campbell
Counter Cullen
Count Bassie
Donald Faison
Sugar Ray Robinson
Thurgood Marshall
Gordon Parks
Malcolm. X
Zora Neale Hirston
Billie Holiday
Bonangles
Madam CJ Walker
Ving Rhames
Big L
Q Tip
Dame Dash
Fatman Scoop
Billy D Williams
Biz Markie
Nina Simone
Fats Waller
Joe Louis
WEB Dubois
Marcus Garvey
Lena Horne
Langston Hughes
Paul Robeson
Doug E. Fresh
ASAP Ferg
DJ Red Alert
Dave East
Frank Lucas
Pee Wee Kirkland
Nevermind black Cultural sites like the Apollo Theatre, Sylvias, and Rucker Park. There was also a TV show just now called ‘Harlem’.
This is just Harlem- one section of the third largest borough.
There's no comparison for Northeastern Black between NYC and DC. Quite honestly NYC is the only othercity I even had really familiarity with in The World As a midand the only one I judged my city against. I figured any other city had to look like NYC and Boston was not a real city not just in comparison. But in life.
DC? I'm not even sure I'm aware it was a city and not a literally like district or building until much much later.
And true to Red Lions point… people from Maryland and anywhere else have told me many times when I said I live(d) in Boston or Connecticut they're like yeah w/e that's what I mean when I say New York. Or they say my accent sounds like New York.
I agree with you that there's no denying the importance of Harlem as a shaper of Black American culture and thought, and that no other community in the Northeast matches it (or, for that matter, any other single urban neighborhood in the country, though some might make a case for Chicago's South Side, which probably outdid Harlem on the Black media and Black capitalism fronts. And Tulsa's Greenwood in that latter category.)
But other cities can lay claim to the people whose names I boldfaced below, and at least one of them (Zora Neale Hurston) is more closely identified with her native region and state, even if she achieved fame by writing about them from a distance. Some (like Walker) started on the road to renown elsewhere and then amplified their success when they landed in Harlem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade
Kareem Campbell
Counter Cullen Count Bassie
Donald Faison
Sugar Ray Robinson Thurgood Marshall
Gordon Parks Malcolm. X Zora Neale Hirston
Billie Holiday Bonangles Madam CJ Walker
Ving Rhames
Big L
Q Tip
Dame Dash
Fatman Scoop
Billy D Williams
Biz Markie
Nina Simone
Fats Waller
Joe Louis WEB Dubois
Marcus Garvey
Lena Horne
Langston Hughes Paul Robeson
Doug E. Fresh
ASAP Ferg
DJ Red Alert
Dave East
Frank Lucas
Pee Wee Kirkland
But other cities can lay claim to the people whose names I boldfaced below, and at least one of them (Zora Neale Hurston) is more closely identified with her native region and state, even if she achieved fame by writing about them from a distance. Some (like Walker) started on the road to renown elsewhere and then amplified their success when they landed in Harlem.
And I've probably left a few others out.
Doesn't really matter of other cities can lay claim. I know Malcolm X was in Omaha Roxbury and Detroit before hand.
There more you're missing on the list. The point is they all come through NYC at one point or another. I don't tHats the whole point t if the gravitas I refer too. For every single one of them Harlem was a major factor in their life or in some cases where they're not associated with.
Crazy how when I said NYC I was getting push back and hate but now it’s an acceptable answer.
I think you need to review your posts that were getting "pushback." You'll see that they were totally different from recent posts.
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