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Ask a bunch of people across the country what is Atlanta most known known for and rap music will be the #1 answer by far.
I doubt that would be the #1 answer on a poll in this very forum. You know there are a lot of people who don't know the first thing about hip hop as an industry right?
The #1 answer for what Atlanta is most known for in a random nationwide poll is much more likely to be the airport, traffic, MLK/Civil Rights, Coke, TV/film industry, its large Black population, or something sports-related before the hip hop industry...and maybe the '96 Olympics or its tree canopy. At most the hip hop industry might be mentioned within the context of the broader entertainment industry as a #1 answer but there are definitely several other things that have been associated with Atlanta for much longer and are more widely known than its hip hop industry.
I doubt that would be the #1 answer on a poll in this very forum. You know there are a lot of people who don't know the first thing about hip hop as an industry right?
The #1 answer for what Atlanta is most known for in a random nationwide poll is much more likely to be the airport, traffic, MLK/Civil Rights, Coke, TV/film industry, its large Black population, or something sports-related before the hip hop industry...and maybe the '96 Olympics or its tree canopy. At most the hip hop industry might be mentioned within the context of the broader entertainment industry as a #1 answer but there are definitely several other things that have been associated with Atlanta for much longer and are more widely known than its hip hop industry.
That's a fair point. It probably wouldn't be #1 on this forum. It would probably be lower on this forum than on a random sample of the general population too. It might not even be #1 in the general pop, but I think it would definitely be higher up than it would be for NYC. There's just so much to say about NYC.
My thinking is that people who are into that kind of music will probably answer hip hop for both cities. People who aren't into hip hop might not put it for either city, but more likely to put it for Atlanta than NYC since they are less likely to have a general knowledge of other things the city is known for in modern times. I feel like the entertainment industry is an extension of the music industry in ATL more than the other way around (like LA for example)
I wonder what the generational breakdown would be on this topic. I’m a child of the eighties and nineties. For me, the 80s and 90s hip hop vernacular has overwhelmingly influenced my preferences. Which is heavily New York biased.
Nineties Atlanta rap definitely had its positive influences with Outkast, Goodie Mob, TLC and Arrested Development. But, when it turned into strip club rap (ei.. lil Jon) decent beats with trash lyrics and Trap just all around trash, a few artists with some decent lyrics & beats (ei.. TI, Youngbloodz, Future), Atlanta rap music has become almost foreign to me.
Can't even believe this is a question the birth place of Hip Hop the home of prolific rappers then anywhere else vs Atlanta come on no disrespect to the ATL but there is no comparison to be had.
Can't even believe this is a question the birth place of Hip Hop the home of prolific rappers then anywhere else vs Atlanta come on no disrespect to the ATL but there is no comparison to be had.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ny57
This has to be a joke right ??
I feel like we're answering different questions here. I'm not reading this as which city has had a bigger impact on Hip Hop or which one produced more important and famous artists over the years. It's not about which city has a bigger or better scene.
It's which city is more famous for hip hop. If the question was the Bronx versus Atlanta, then it goes to the Bronx. the Bronx is famous for hip hop. I might even give it to Brooklyn over Atlanta. But as a whole, NYC is just famous for too many things. Hip hop is a small piece of the huge pie in NYC whereas in Atlanta it's a much bigger piece of amuch smaller pie.
For example of what I'm talking about, compare these two articles:
Even though NYC literally gave birth to Hip Hop and definied it more than any other city, that's only mentioned down in chapter 4 subsection 7 of the page.. That's how big NYC music scene is. ...
Atlanta's rap scene is front and center on it's article. It's the majority of the page is talking about it.
Look... I love Atlanta and all... But NYC pretty much is the symbol of Hip Hop... Harlem, South Bronx, Queensbridge... Like, seriously??? Is this really up for debate?
This isn't about what's more mainstream currently... Ask ANYONE not in the US and the answer will be quite simple: NYC, without a doubt. The second would probably not be Atlanta either, but rather LA.
I'm going to say NYC in regards to all of the elements and history tied to hip hop culture. I remember going to a show in the Bronx a decade ago celebrating hip hop culture that included breakdancers from around the world from Colombia to Japan to Jamaica to Germany, the Human Beat Box machine, and numerous other acts. It felt very organic and tied to the origins of hip hop. Plus, when you factor in all the rappers considered legends or "GOAT's", NYC has more: Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Wu Tang, 50 Cent, Tribe, De La, Mobb Deep, etc.
Atlanta, to me, is more of a powerhouse due to NYC's decline. It's a cheaper city with just as much music industry influence as NYC so it's more profitable to get a rap career started there than NYC. Also, sample laws have hurt a lot of NYC producers which gave Southern and trap producers like Lil Jon, Metro Boomin, Zaytoven, etc. a natural advantage and we all know how beats and hooks have mattered more than lyrics and skill for quite some time in rap now.
Atlanta is still big with that Lil Baby kid doing his thing but it wasn't really a natural rise. Atlanta just grew strong because NYC and LA declined commercially after the 90's and early 2000's and the tastemakers of rap today are bigger on beats, hooks, and adlibs than lyricism and technical skill. In the 90's, Atlanta took a backseat even to New Orleans due to the huge No Limit/Cash Money run. Dungeon Family did their thing but they were sort of overshadowed back then.
Also, if you travel overseas, you'll know that the Boom Bap and G Funk sounds are way more associated with hip hop than the trap sound. The Wu Tang Clan alone is more famous than almost every hip hop act from Atlanta on an international scale.
Look... I love Atlanta and all... But NYC pretty much is the symbol of Hip Hop... Harlem, South Bronx, Queensbridge... Like, seriously??? Is this really up for debate?
This isn't about what's more mainstream currently... Ask ANYONE not in the US and the answer will be quite simple: NYC, without a doubt. The second would probably not be Atlanta either, but rather LA.
I doubt that would be the #1 answer on a poll in this very forum. You know there are a lot of people who don't know the first thing about hip hop as an industry right?
The #1 answer for what Atlanta is most known for in a random nationwide poll is much more likely to be the airport, traffic, MLK/Civil Rights, Coke, TV/film industry, its large Black population, or something sports-related before the hip hop industry...and maybe the '96 Olympics or its tree canopy. At most the hip hop industry might be mentioned within the context of the broader entertainment industry as a #1 answer but there are definitely several other things that have been associated with Atlanta for much longer and are more widely known than its hip hop industry.
This site is full of old city nerds. Of course NYC will win. Ask the general public and it will be Atlanta.
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