How come Baltimore and DC never produced any rappers?

[Sankofa Alwayz]

You're correct but i recently had this convo with some friends who are all born and raised in DC or PG and they fought me tooth and nail saying they weren't Southern.

That’s because we’re not breh It’s not even because of some shyt we’re supposedly “ashamed of”, we just don’t culturally identify with the South heavy despite technically being in the Upper South like that the same way we don’t identify with NYC heavy like that either despite technically being an East Coast subregion. Take me for instance, I’m a born & bred Prince Georgian and got ancestral ties to the South, specifically the Carolinas (even more specifically, Florence, SC) and many of us are proud of our Southern ancestry and love going down to visit distant relatives. We just don’t necessarily identify as Southerners. I’ve always identify more with the Mid-Atlantic than I do the South (at least Deep South) or Northeast (at least “deep” Northeast from Central Jersey on up). We’re definitely a cauldron that mixes the cultural influences of both regions tho...You’ll see that mix in certain fabrics of our being from how we carry ourselves to our architecture to our fashion to our mentality to the type of cuisine that’s traditionally popular out here to our accent and slang to our music and then some. Same thing can also apply to Baltimore as well, they’re a mix too but they definitely come off as a lil more up north to me

 

[Sankofa Alwayz]

Unless you came from the DMV, heads think that the area is soft because of a lot of blacks with good paying jobs. I live in,NY and I been telling people that DC got gutter areas, but people think that I was joking until they see it for themselves.

Usually it’s either the OGs or the NYC folks attending Howard or Bowie that’s gotta get them hip

 

[IllmaticDelta]

You're correct but i recently had this convo with some friends who are all born and raised in DC or PG and they fought me tooth and nail saying they weren't Southern.

Like I said, it's because of modern perceptions influenced by modernization/demographics change(s). This is why I made sure to highlight historical facts and opinions of people who were born at least a 100 years ago, as they made it clear they were in/from the South. It's the same thing with Florida/South Florida, that region was always considered the South and now because of modern immigration/demographical changes, cats are trying to say it's the Caribbean

 

[submarine1]

DMV has this weird image where people think its all hood outside the capital parts and all Maryland is suburbs except for Baltimore.
And they think Virginia is all country. It's funny how even today a lotta people dont believe that was really Baltimore in THE WIRE.
When I tell them those are all actual streets and none of that is a studio set-up they can not believe it, especially if they have been there (inner harbor only) - they simply can't fathom the desolation and straight up dead blocks.
DC gets so many tourists and they see like 15% of the city and they think they've seen IT ALL.
They do the mall, reflecting pool, Georgetown, Friendship Heights, Lincoln/vietnam memorial, smithsonian, museums and thats pretty much it - maybe if they have a local friend/guide they venture into select parts of SW or NE, the gentro parts of course.

San Fran is the same way - people do the Golden Gate, Union Square, Fishermans Wharf and maybe the Marina then they are out. They dont see the Mission, SoMa, Sunset/Parkside etc and they definitely dont cross that bridge east to the town (Oakland).

Back in 2005 my Korean friend (born and raised in DC) came to San Francisco on a tourist trip with his mom. He called me and at that time I lived in Richmond CA, back then Richmond was like #7 most dangerous city in America. I gave him directions and he was saying in Union Square - so he goes to the front desk and ask which cable car to take to get to the train station - they ask where he's going and he tells them Richmond - the front desk people are like - "thats a dangerous area you shouldnt be going there". So he gets to the train station and he's friendly talking to people and they ask where he's going and he tells them Richmond and people are like "it's going to be dark by the time you get there - tell your friend to meet you somewhere else like Berkeley or something "......so he's on the train and chatting with strangers and a guy ask him where he's headed and he says Richmond and a black guy tells him "if anybody black tries to talk to you just keep walking"......so i'm chilling in the house like 5 blocks from Richmond station and he calls me all shook like "hey meet me at the station" - I repeated the directions and told him to just come on via foot and he insisted I meet him halfway so I'm like FINE, so I start walking and I finally see him down the block walking all nervous, head on a swivel looking like a lion might jump out the bushes. My roommate at the time was my brother (born and raised in DC, went to Wilson HS) and we had a bunch of friend over - all Richmond locals. He tells me the story I just told you while we are rolling blunts. We walk to the taco truck, later we get chinese food, we go to the homies house, all in richmond - chilling. I finally ask him has he seen anything different OR worse than he's seen in DC growing up and he's like ...NOPE....I told him EXACTLY. He felt silly letting people psyche him out like that.

regardless of region pretty much all hoods are the same...if you know how to move in ONE you know how to move in ALL.
Don't be a bama and you wont be a target.
Y'all got me reminiscing

 

[submarine1]

.....It's the same thing with Florida/South Florida, that region was always considered the South and now because of modern immigration/demographical changes, cats are trying to say it's the Caribbean

f-cking hilarious when Florida still has SUNDOWN TOWNS. my mom's family is from florida, it dont get no deeper south than that, people think florida is all Miami, Ft Laudy and Orlando when in reality Florida is more like Tallahassee and Panama City - don't be a gay cuban jew walking alone in those parts of florida - nobody is coming to save you.

 

[BigMan]

That’s because we’re not breh It’s not even because of some shyt we’re supposedly “ashamed of”, we just don’t culturally identify with the South heavy despite technically being in the Upper South like that the same way we don’t identify with NYC heavy like that either despite technically being an East Coast subregion. Take me for instance, I’m a born & bred Prince Georgian and got ancestral ties to the South, specifically the Carolinas (even more specifically, Florence, SC) and many of us are proud of our Southern ancestry and love going down to visit distant relatives. We just don’t necessarily identify as Southerners. I’ve always identify more with the Mid-Atlantic than I do the South (at least Deep South) or Northeast (at least “deep” Northeast from Central Jersey on up). We’re definitely a cauldron that mixes the cultural influences of both regions tho...You’ll see that mix in certain fabrics of our being from how we carry ourselves to our architecture to our fashion to our mentality to the type of cuisine that’s traditionally popular out here to our accent and slang to our music and then some. Same thing can also apply to Baltimore as well, they’re a mix too but they definitely come off as a lil more up north to me

Coming from Jersey and then learning the history y’all southern lmao. Just have heavy northeast influence and a different history/culture from the Deep South

I love living here and I love DC/PG so it’s all love from here.

 

[Money Be Green]

Cause we some shyt besides Wale

 

[submarine1]

@Sankofa Alwayz Maryland is the south tho

Ancestral roots, culture, food and historical lines make it the South.
There are influences from all over but "mid-atlantic" is a regional designation while SOUTH is a cultural designation -still Maryland is 100% part of the South. TEXAS is a better arguement politically they were southern but culturally they are super WEST.
The separation some Marylanders want from the south is a generational thing, all your elders know Maryland is the south and have never questioned it.

Cheasapeake and Cumberland and panhandle Maryland is super super county southern bro.
Hell - even Pittsburgh aligns itself with mid-america more than the eastern seaboard, Philly is super east coast, Pittsburgh not so much. The question to ask your homie is WHY they are so against being included in the South?
Cuz if mid-Atlantic was really a thing (other than regional) what are we talking about? Delaware DC and Baltimore?
cuz Philly and Jersey aint doing that "mid-atlantic" stuff at all lol.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

@Sankofa Alwayz Maryland is the south tho

Ancestral roots, culture, food and historical lines make it the South.
There are influences from all over but "mid-atlantic" is a regional designation while SOUTH is a cultural designation -still Maryland is 100% part of the South. TEXAS is a better arguement politically they were southern but culturally they are super WEST.
The separation some Marylanders want from the south is a generational thing, all your elders know Maryland is the south and have never questioned it.

Cheasapeake and Cumberland and panhandle Maryland is super super county southern bro.
Hell - even Pittsburgh aligns itself with mid-america more than the eastern seaboard, Philly is super east coast, Pittsburgh not so much. The question to ask your homie is WHY they are so against being included in the South?
Cuz if mid-Atlantic was really a thing (other than regional) what are we talking about? Delaware DC and Baltimore?
cuz Philly and Jersey aint doing that "mid-atlantic" stuff at all lol.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

Coming from Jersey and then learning the history y’all southern lmao. Just have heavy northeast influence and a different history/culture from the Deep South

I love living here and I love DC/PG so it’s all love from here.

My mother's father who was born/raised in the North East (NYC/Jersey) joked on his wife (my grandma) and her extended family, all of the time as being "County" for being born/raised/rooted in Maryland/Virginia/DC

 

[submarine1]

Since we are talking about Southern stuff lets talk about music and the DMV.
I worked for Strawberries Inc (the company that owned Waxie Maxie's and other record stores). My office was in Greenbelt mall.
You know who the biggest sellers were in PG County in the late 90s and early 2000s?

2pac
Scarface (including FaceMob)
Bone (including Mo Thugs and all off shoots)
Lil Wayne (his biggest buying region was DC around 2006)
Outkast

I made CRAZY commissions special ordering Suave House records for stores. DC folks had never heard of Mr.Mike and Tela and South Circle. I literally had customers come back thanking me for the referral talking about "this sh1t is cranking".
Now if we gonna keep it super 100....
Does anyone remember how popular "Sprinkle Me" from E-40 was in DC?
Listen to the elements in that song...now listen to the old suave house records
Now listen to "Time for Freakin".....
Now tell me the emerging DC sound wasn't leaning in a southern direction in the mid 90s.
Anybody remember the Southwest Ryders double album which was a collab between west coast and southern artist hosted by E-40?
This was a hot selling album in DC.
Once again I'm a little bit older but I made money in music off these trends so I remember all this stuff.

 

[Sankofa Alwayz]

Coming from Jersey and then learning the history y’all southern lmao. Just have heavy northeast influence and a different history/culture from the Deep South

I love living here and I love DC/PG so it’s all love from here.

Lol yeah when it comes to the Southern side of things, the influence around here is more Upper Southern as opposed to Deep Southern. For the latter, you’ll encounter that moreso in Chicago, STL, East STL, and maybe Cincinnati (unless that’s Mid-Southern)

 

[Sankofa Alwayz]

Cause we some shyt besides Wale

Idk why this made me crack up

 

[Sankofa Alwayz]

Like I said, it's because of modern perceptions influenced by modernization/demographics change(s). This is why I made sure to highlight historical facts and opinions of people who were born at least a 100 years ago, as they made it clear they were in/from the South. It's the same thing with Florida/South Florida, that region was always considered the South and now because of modern immigration/demographical changes, cats are trying to say it's the Caribbean

South Florida? Miami-Dade don’t consider themselves Florida period It’s an MIA girl I’ve messed with on and off that has the “Miami Against Florida” mentality lol

 

[Sankofa Alwayz]

@Sankofa Alwayz Maryland is the south tho

Ancestral roots, culture, food and historical lines make it the South.
There are influences from all over but "mid-atlantic" is a regional designation while SOUTH is a cultural designation -still Maryland is 100% part of the South. TEXAS is a better arguement politically they were southern but culturally they are super WEST.
The separation some Marylanders want from the south is a generational thing, all your elders know Maryland is the south and have never questioned it.

Cheasapeake and Cumberland and panhandle Maryland is super super county southern bro.
Hell - even Pittsburgh aligns itself with mid-america more than the eastern seaboard, Philly is super east coast, Pittsburgh not so much. The question to ask your homie is WHY they are so against being included in the South?
Cuz if mid-Atlantic was really a thing (other than regional) what are we talking about? Delaware DC and Baltimore?
cuz Philly and Jersey aint doing that "mid-atlantic" stuff at all lol.

I went to UMES and did a trip to Wisp Resort fam, I’m well aware of how country Western MD and The Shore are The Shore definitely felt Southern and so does most of Southern MD. Western MD felt more like a fusion of Appalachian, Western PA, and Southern with what Imma assume is Pacific NW-style air quality ....Basically like most of RDR2 lol

My elders never really viewed MD and DC as being the South but then again, most of them are/were originally from VA (Richmond and Tidewater region) and North Carolina.

But it’s funny you mention Pittsburgh because much of Central and Western PA felt country Southern til you hit up Harrisburg, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, or Erie...Only difference was the architecture and accents of course. I definitely wasn’t feeling Etters/Goldsboro when I stopped there for gas once Had to keep my head on a swivel like I was in the back roads of South Carolina. Kept getting a white trash Italian guido vibe from the place. Honestly, much of South Jersey gave me that vibe too outside of Cherry Hill, Atlantic City, and gutta ass Camden.

I’ve also dated a girl from The Pitt, them nikkas sound like and carry themselves like they from the Midwest, not no Mid-Atlantic/East Coast breh lmao