Is All Hip-Hop Local?

I grew up in the Washington, D.C. metro area (Alexandria, VA to be exact) in the 80's and 90's. If you grew up on the east coast during that time, the road to Hip-Hip music and culture lead to one place: New York. Hip-Hop music and culture is American but its specific origin is in New York (Bronx, NY to be even more specific). From the early 80's through the early-mid 90's, what we learned about and embraced when it comes to Hip-Hop came directly from New York. All of the elements of Hip-Hop was started and thrived in New York City.

As Hip-Hop became more and more popular, as its music and culture spread to other parts of the country (and the world), local scenes began to emerge and thrive, with the natives embracing New York-influenced Hip-Hop but also giving their own interpretation of the culture.

Washington, D.C. is a "hub" of Hip-Hop culture, meaning that just about anybody who's somebody in Hip-Hop travels to and through D.C. D.C. is always a major stop on the itinerary of Hip-Hop's biggest figures. Yet D.C. has never been known as a hotbed for Hip-Hop music and culture. D.C. is home of Go-Go music and though Hip-Hop is popular in this area, Go-Go has and always will be king in the nation's capital! (Go-Go music was created in D.C. right around the same time Hip-Hop culture began to take shape in New York.)

D.C. has a rich music history other than Go-Go music. Duke Ellington, the great Jazz composer was from D.C. The great R&B singer, Marvin Gaye was from D.C. Historically, Punk rock music has had a significance presence in D.C. But D.C. is a go-go town. Go-Go is the face of D.C., the music shapes the identity of "Chocolate City".

Washington D.C.'s local music scene is dominated by Go-Go music. Grunge music was started in Seattle, Washington. House music was developed in Chicago. Every area; whether broken down by region, state, city or even neighborhood, has its own local music flavor. Hip-Hop's reach is global. But Hip-Hop music doesn't have a monolithic sound. The east coast, west coast, Midwest, dirty south-all of these regions of the U.S. have developed its own interpretation of Hip-Hop music and culture.

Though record sales of its music are declining, the culture continues to thrive. This is due in part to the localization of Hip-Hop which really began to become more evident in the late 90's. As a long-time fan of Hip-Hop music, I struggled with this development because as I stated earlier, I grew up in an era when New York was Hip-Hop. Period. Don't get me wrong, I loved N.W.A. and Ice-T from the west coast, Geto Boys and later Outkast from the south, but the majority of my influence and inspiration came from New York's Hip-Hop scene. And as I said, there really wasn't (and still isn't) much homegrown Hip-Hop in D.C. So I was somewhat reluctant to embrace of the emergence of Hip-Hop artists coming out of Atlanta, Houston, Tennessee, St. Louis, Detroit, etc.

For example, I loved N.W.A. and the sounds of Dr. Dre from day one, but most of music that has come out of the west coast over the years hasn't grabbed me the way the music of Ice Cube, Ice-T, Too Short, Tupac and Snoop Dogg has. I like The Game, but honestly west coat Hip-Hop just isn't on my radar the way it was in the early to mid 90's. I've always loved Outkast, Scarface & the Geto Boys and I think that some of the best MCs in the game today come out of the south like T.I, Ludacris and Lil' Wayne. Still, while I love the music from today's dirty south Hip-Hop (obviously influenced by the southern soul and funk from the 60's and 70's), I'm often under-whelmed by the lyrical performances of many of the MCs who represent the Dirty South.

But I have grown an appreciation for non-New York/east coast Hip-Hop. For example, I didn't like Nelly when he first came out. He still wouldn't make my 10 greatest MCs list but I think he's a true talent that has made a notable contribution to Hip-Hop. Outkast is one of the greatest Hip-Hop groups of all time. Eminem would make my 10 greatest MCs list. 3 of Hip-Hop's most talented and innovative music producers are from my home state, Virginia! (Timbaland, Pharrell & Chad Hugo).

Hip-Hop wouldn't exist if it wasn't for New York and the spread of the culture throughout the east coast. But Hip-Hop wouldn't continue to thrive if it wasn't for the interpretation and adaptation that developed and continue to grow in areas outside of New York and the east coast.

There's a saying in real estate that simply states: "All real estate is local". Well, I think that can be applied to Hip-Hop music now. Critics want to say that Hip-Hop's popularity is fading and that its dominance is over. But record sales don't gauge the strength of a subculture. The spread of Hip-Hop all over the world will ensure that it continues to thrive in spite of Soundscan numbers. Local artists are able to distribute their music quite well without media hype or promotion from major labels. Those who live and embrace the culture will keep Hip-Hop alive. Corporate takeover will ultimately ruin a Hip-Hop anyway. The passion millions have for Hip-Hop will keep it thriving even if the profits began drying up and the opportunists abandon it to look for another movement to exploit.