Your top 5 all-time Most musically gifted black cities

Most musically gifted Black folk

  • Bmore

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • New York

    Votes: 54 68.4%
  • Chicago

    Votes: 33 41.8%
  • Memphis

    Votes: 39 49.4%
  • Philly

    Votes: 21 26.6%
  • DC

    Votes: 6 7.6%
  • LA/Compton

    Votes: 23 29.1%
  • ATL

    Votes: 20 25.3%
  • New Orleans

    Votes: 38 48.1%
  • Houston

    Votes: 5 6.3%
  • Dallas

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • Cleveland

    Votes: 4 5.1%
  • Detroit

    Votes: 53 67.1%
  • Indianapolis/Gary

    Votes: 5 6.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 5 6.3%

  • Total voters
    79
  • Poll closed .

Black Magisterialness

Moderna Boi
Supporter
Joined
May 23, 2012
Messages
20,328
Reputation
4,329
Daps
49,543
In my mind it goes (in no order)

Detroit - Not just Motown, but also create Techno which eventually evolved into house, EDM and other genres. Not to mention one of the only cities that still sounds unique when it comes to rap/hip-hop.

Memphis - Blues...period.

NYC - The birthplace of rap and jazz arguably the two most important musical genres in the diaspora.

--------------------
All of these cities innovated on genres created by the three above but didn't really create anything new. One could say ATL's invention of trap changed the face of pop music, but ultimately its NYC that should get the credit for rap.

LA
Atlanta
Houston
New Orleans
--------------------
Again, the work their are known for is mostly derivative.

Chicago
Philly

It's shocking with how many black folks is in Alabama that Birmingham/Montgomery are just non-factors when it comes to our artistic culture.
 

How Sway?

Great Value Man
Supporter
Joined
Nov 10, 2012
Messages
25,286
Reputation
4,340
Daps
82,861
Reppin
NULL
NY
Detroit
Memphis
New Orleans
A tie between philly and Chicago

In that order.
 

How Sway?

Great Value Man
Supporter
Joined
Nov 10, 2012
Messages
25,286
Reputation
4,340
Daps
82,861
Reppin
NULL
In my mind it goes (in no order)

Detroit - Not just Motown, but also create Techno which eventually evolved into house, EDM and other genres. Not to mention one of the only cities that still sounds unique when it comes to rap/hip-hop.

Memphis - Blues...period.

NYC - The birthplace of rap and jazz arguably the two most important musical genres in the diaspora.

--------------------
All of these cities innovated on genres created by the three above but didn't really create anything new. One could say ATL's invention of trap changed the face of pop music, but ultimately its NYC that should get the credit for rap.

LA
Atlanta
Houston
New Orleans
--------------------
Again, the work their are known for is mostly derivative.

Chicago
Philly

It's shocking with how many black folks is in Alabama that Birmingham/Montgomery are just non-factors when it comes to our artistic culture.
Jazz started in New Orleans and then migrated to Chicago and Kansas city after. NY was actually later on the Jazz tip

And Techno actually comes from House music
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2017
Messages
195
Reputation
-45
Daps
513
Reppin
All Thats Good Within Thee World
Detroit-Motor City was able to transition to a mini Black Hollywood because of Barry Gordy

NYC- Hip-Hop wise NYC is the mecca and you can also attribute NYC to disco and new jack-swing music. Even though a lot of new jack-swing music was not rooted in a location, the culture of it was due to the founder, Teddy Riley being a Harlem dude.

LA/COMPTON- Hip-hop was introduced to gang life because of this region of California. They also ushered in certain styles that traveled to other regions and became iconic in fashion and musicality.

ATL-They carried the rap game in the early 2000's and made crunk music popular which even had NYC dudes trying to do it since 50 Cent punked anyone who tried gangsta music in the NYC region. Basically, if you were not Kanye, Lil Wayne, or 50 Cent in the early 2000s you had no choice but to get a job at UPS or try to be affiliated with ATL dudes/music scene and hop on the crunk wave.

Gary, Indianapolis- The Jacksons put Gary on the map. Hell, they put the whole state of Indiana on the map since I never heard anybody associate Indiana with the Colts. Joe Jackson deserved a mural or statue in the town. They should make their house a national landmark. To this day we have never seen a whole family dominate the entertainment business. Katherine and Joe had some superpower DNA.

 

How Sway?

Great Value Man
Supporter
Joined
Nov 10, 2012
Messages
25,286
Reputation
4,340
Daps
82,861
Reppin
NULL
@keon no love for the crib? Lol

The whole world stole its sauce from the city and they continue to do so lol. (Mick jagger and the beetles and all them stole from buddy guy and howling wolf. House basically revolutionized music as a whole.)

Quincy jones
Herbie hancock
Kanye
R kelly
Curtis Mayfield
Twista
Earth wind & fire
Lionel Richie grew up in joliet for a little bit( even though he's really from Alabama)
The Jackson's (I'm reaching but Gary is technically part of the Chicagoland area)
 
Last edited:

Black Magisterialness

Moderna Boi
Supporter
Joined
May 23, 2012
Messages
20,328
Reputation
4,329
Daps
49,543
Jazz started in New Orleans and then migrated to Chicago and Kansas city after. NY was actually later on the Jazz tip

And Techno actually comes from House music

You're right on Jazz...that's my mistake.

But on Techno predates House, but not by alot. When you're talking about house you're talking about really the stuff coming out of Chicago around 1981-82 from Frankie Knuckles and the sort. That then spread through mostly gay bars in the east until eventually taking root in NYC then London heavily. In many ways it's roots are in disco.

Techno on the other hand, was being conceptualized as early as 1978-ish with May/Saunderson etc, in Detroit. Cybotron dropped in 1980 and basically was already becoming an established genre overseas in the mid 80's even before House getting out Chicago. Eventually, the two meshed in the mid-90's and started to become things like deep house, ghettotech, jungle and whatnot.

You could make the argument that one came before the other, i think that's fair, but the legacy of techno far outweighs the legacy of house even if they did blend a bit in the 2000's. It doesn't help that Detroit and Chicago share alot of cultural exchange due to proximity.
 

keon

imma hitta by myself
Supporter
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
5,300
Reputation
1,005
Daps
15,692
@keon no love for the crib? Lol

The whole world stole its sauce from the city and they continue to do so lol. (Mick jagger and the beetles and all them stole from buddy guy and howling wolf. House r)

Quincy jones
Herbie hancock
Kanye
R kelly
Curtis Mayfield
Twista
Earth wind & fire
Lionel Richie grew up in joliet for a little bit( even though he's really from Alabama)
The Jackson's (I'm reaching but Gary is technically part of the Chicagoland area)
it was a tuff decision but Maurice White from EWF is originally from Memphis and thats part of the reason why I didn’t pick my own city :mjcry:
 

jerzboy

Superstar
Joined
May 18, 2012
Messages
7,858
Reputation
1,432
Daps
25,602
Reppin
NULL
For ATL’s contributions today, it’s nowhere near Detroit, NYC, Memphis, Philly or New Orleans… what genre is tied specifically to that city? Lol. Like what did they invent and was the hub of?
 
Top