Cities that have the made the biggest contributions to music (excluding LA and NYC) (best, better)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Which cities do you think have made the most contributions in the music world in any genre? I've excluded LA and NYC because are pretty clearly the top 2 and are heads and shoulders above other cities in the wealth of musical output that have come from them. Here's my list:
Chicago - Both Chicago Blues and house music originated here. So many influential music icons from pretty much every genre come from Chicago like Steve Albini, Muddy Waters, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Patti Smith, and many more.
Detroit - Detroit pioneered both the Motown sound and the genre of techno. It was also historically a hotbed of many other genres like blues, jazz, r&b, soul, gospel, rock and roll, and hip hop. Notable artists are Gladys Knights & The Pips, Parliament-Funkadelic, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Jack White, J. Dilla, and Danny Brown.
Atlanta - ATL's dominance in hip hop and r&b is quite evident, though it also is killing it in other genres like indie rock, alternative rock, pop, and neosoul. Some amazing artists/bands that have come out of ATL are Outkast, Janelle Monae, Childish Gambino, Deerhunter, Black Lips, Atlas Sound, and Manchester Orchestra.
Minneapolis - Prince alone could easily boost Minneapolis to the top 10. There's a variety of other great artists like The Replacements, Husker Du, Lizzo, The Jets, and The Time.
A few other notable mentions are New Orleans, Memphis, and Seattle.
Minneapolis would be on a lower tier. The idea that Prince plus some smaller acts... If that puts it on a higher tier then Seattle's grunge era would be at least on a similar level.
My employer has renovated two core Seattle schools. One's grads include Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and Maclemore. The other had a grad/parent fundraiser before we started work...Heart, Pearl Jam...
New Orleans as honorable mention is laughable. Jazz originated there, Cash Money and No Limit ran the 90s and early 2000s southern hip-hop before Atlanta. Lil Wayne is just as international known as Prince. Drake is/was under Cash Money and is even a bigger star than Wayne. Then you have Louis Armstrong, Fatz Domino, Harry Connick Jr, Kermit Ruffins, Aaron Neville, Phil Anselmo (vocalist from Pantera), Allen Toussaint, and one of the best producers in Mannie Fresh amongst many other rappers like Juvenile, BG, Mystikal, and $uicideboy$.
Houston. I don't have to name the musicians who have stamped their name on Houston music history; Houston introduced the country to chopped & screwed music and the Houston vibe.
New Orleans as honorable mention is laughable. Jazz originated there, Cash Money and No Limit ran the 90s and early 2000s southern hip-hop before Atlanta. Lil Wayne is just as international known as Prince. Drake is/was under Cash Money and is even a bigger star than Wayne. Then you have Louis Armstrong, Fatz Domino, Harry Connick Jr, Kermit Ruffins, Aaron Neville, Phil Anselmo (vocalist from Pantera), Allen Toussaint, and one of the best producers in Mannie Fresh amongst many other rappers like Juvenile, BG, Mystikal, and $uicideboy$.
I said notable mentions, not honorable mentions. I agree that New Orleans is just as important (if not more so) as the others, I just didn't want to write a description.
Also, I disagree that Lil Wayne is on the same level as Prince. I'd argue that Prince is one of the most important and influential American musicians of all time. His innovation and virtuosity have made a huge mark on music. Lil Wayne is very commercially successful, but has he had an even remotely similar significant, long-lasting impact on music? No.
I said notable mentions, not honorable mentions. I agree that New Orleans is just as important (if not more so) as the others, I just didn't want to write a description.
Also, I disagree that Lil Wayne is on the same level as Prince. I'd argue that Prince is one of the most important and influential American musicians of all time. His innovation and virtuosity have made a huge mark on music. Lil Wayne is very commercially successful, but has he had an even remotely similar significant, long-lasting impact on music? No.
Whats the difference between notable and honorable?
Prince is by far the better artist but there's probably more people under 30 around the world who can name multiple Lil Wayne songs compared to Prince. And he has had a similar significant long-lasting impact on music. All these new rappers grew up listening to Lil Wayne, not so much Prince. With that said, Prince obviously has more impact but Lil Wayne's influence is probably more relevant in 2021.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
