I’ve only been to New York City once. I spent close to a
week there when I was 12 or 13 years old, and while I have a sister that moved
to Manhattan about a year and a half ago, I haven’t gotten a chance to visit
her there yet. As such, about 95% of my understanding of NYC’s geography comes
from rap lyrics. Lines calling out streets and housing projects throughout the
five boroughs have created a New York City in my head that is almost certainly
incomplete and skewed toward certain areas, but this rap-centric New York feels
realer to me than the city I visited over a decade ago.
Jay Shells, a New York based street artist and hip-hop head,
has also gravitated to the geographical specificity of hip hop songs. Being
called out on a great song lends a street corner or a park bench an added
cultural significance and power that can’t be taken away by either urban blight
or gentrification. He made 38 of these things, and all of them can be viewed
here.
Shells gets extra points for putting up a sign of Lil’ Fame
accusing the 73rd Precinct cops of being drug dealers right in front
of the 73rd Precinct station in the middle of the day.
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