New York, the concrete jungle some call home and the city that never sleeps, the mecca of hip-hop. It dictated the trends, it led with its distinctive styles, and it gave birth to so many iconic artists over the years. Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z said it best: if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
This was especially true in hip-hop for a long time, NY acting as the focal point in which artists would become viable across the country. The identity of NY rap has shifted slightly to fit new stylings. But the essence of New York has always remained the same. Consequently, Noisey has selected four albums over the decades that depict NY’s growth and cultural reflection in hip-hop. In doing so, someone who has never visited before can sample some of the energy they lead with every day.
4 New York Hip-Hop Albums You Should Play When Visiting the Big Apple
‘Illmatic’ by Nas
Illmatic is the quintessential NY album. Few records are so vivid in how they depict their setting both lyrically and musically. “Life’s A B***h” is a sun peeking above an apartment building as Nas and AZ reflect on their struggles and successes. “NY State Of Mind” takes its grimy DJ Premier production and lends visions of dirty subways, tight apartment complexes, and danger in any alleyway. Skyscrapers, bodegas, and the sounds of trains passing by, Illmatic has a keen sense of texture and context to seamlessly define what New York sounds and looks like.
‘The Blueprint’ by Jay-Z
Released on the day of 9/11, The Blueprint has taken on a new context within the New York ethos. It’s Jay-Z at the peak of his powers, where he created an empire from the chaos and rubble of an unfair system. It’s a measure of perseverance as well as indulging in its luxuries. Because they beat the odds, it’s only right they bask in it. Despite the tragedy, it still sold 427,000 copies, reflective of the hustler’s mentality that comes with being a New Yorker.
‘Meet The Woo 2’ by Pop Smoke
As much as it’d be easy to say records like Illmatic, The Blueprint, or even Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The 36 Chambers represent the NY State of Mind today, it wouldn’t be completely correct. Although those records’ DNA can still be found, New York is known for its malleability and innovation.
However, during the 2010s, hip-hop was in a vice grip by seemingly everyone but them. Chicago, LA, Central/South Florida and especially Atlanta were pumping out the most exciting artists of the moment. But by the end of the decade and into the 2020s, the late Brooklyn-bred Pop Smoke struck New York like a jolt of lightning. His gruff, Rottweiler voice and delivery gave credence to the state’s bubbling drill scene. Meet The Woo 2 was his opus, a record that gritty street rappers still attempt to capture. An out-of-towner could immediately grasp the blockbuster energy he led with before his tragic death in 2020.
‘2 Slizzy 2 Sexy’ by Cash Cobain and Chow Lee
Similar to Pop Smoke, Cash Cobain and Chow Lee don’t exactly represent the romantic ideals of New York hip-hop. However, they do distill a magical energy that New Yorkers experience with ‘Sexy Drill,’ a sexy, extremely lusty sub-genre where sex, liquor, and hookah smoke reign supreme.
2 Slizzy 2 Sexy laid the groundwork for this sound to take off. Cobain glues contemporary samples that give universal appeal at a drill tempo that cements it as an NY exclusive. Meanwhile, he and Chow Lee galavant in their horniness, listing off their freakiest inclinations fueled by whatever alcohol they could find. “I hit it raw but it’s feelin’ like Friday Night Smackdown,” Lee cheekily raps. It’s decidedly fun above all else, a much-needed form of levity after losing artists like Pop Smoke.
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