To Bowen........Top 25 cities for hip-hop

****Now you know why Ryan & Dwight left you, They wanted to upgrade.


If you're looking to follow the roots of a genre, you may want to hit the scenes at these locales around the world to hear the next great artist in hip-hop, per Vibe Magazine.



1. New York City, New York

Rappers Who Rep: LL Cool J, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, Nas, Run DMC, Rakim…


City Anthem: Jay-Z Feat. Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind”
Unofficial Mayor: Jay-Z

Why It’s Important: Back in 2003, when small town N.C. lyricist J. Cole had merely a dollar and a dream, he enrolled in St. John's University—not Clark Atlanta or UCLA—for a shot at real-lifing his rap aspirations in New York. And why not relocate to hip-hop's most storied city? Justifying why the Rotten Apple reigns the rap map doesn’t really take much explanation: New York mothered this shit (not to mention DJing, graffiti and breakdancing). And since, the city has steered the hip-hop ship for the greater portion of the culture’s 30-plus years. Whether you’re talking iconic masterpiece albums (Nas’ Illmatic, Biggie’s Ready to Die), fashion (Rev. Run’s shell toe Adidas, Fabolous’ Mitchell & Ness collection), deep crews (Wu-Tang, Boot Camp Click), or dances (b-boying, Harlem Shake), all were hatched within the five boroughs. Sure NYC has taken a back seat in the past decade, but even without new jacks like A$AP Rocky and Azealia Banks stepping up, New York will forever stand as hip-hop’s capital city.


2. Atlanta, Georgia


3. Los Angeles, California


4. New Orleans, Louisiana


5. Houston, Texas


6. Chicago, Illinois
 
Rappers Who Rep: Kanye West, Common, Twista, Lupe Fiasco, Rhymefest, Cool Kids


City Anthem: Common “Chi City”

Unofficial Mayor: Kanye West

Why It’s Important: The Windy City has been dictating the currents of rap since the ’90s when Chicago MCs like Twista converted their hood raps into national hype. Some could argue that Common Sense unveiled the South Side sound after dusting off the ’70s soul and funk samples—“I Used To Love H.E.R.,” etc.—pairing it with working class lyricism. Yet, no one’s put the city on his back more than Kanye, who brought his quirky Chicago-isms to the mainstream. Lately, Lupe Fiasco occupies the streets just as much as he occupies pop charts, while up-and-comers Rockie Fresh and Cool Kids’ own Mikey Rocks are still building on the Chi’s rep as a hip-hop hot spot.

7. Detroit, Michigan


8. Miami, Florida



9. The Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, and Vallejo)



10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


11. Virginia Beach, Virginia


12. Newark, New Jersey


13. Cleveland, Ohio


14. Tokyo, Japan


15. Memphis, Tennessee


16. St. Louis, Missouri


17. London, England


18. Washington, D.C./Baltimore area



19. Toronto, Canada



20. Austin, Texas


21. Jackson, Mississippi



22. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


23. Kansas City, Kansas


24. Boston, Massachusetts


25. Amsterdam, Netherlands


http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/represent-represent-25-most-important-cities-hip-hop?page=26