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Why the Evergreen Sound of New York City Hip Hop Will Always Stay True
In the first installment of KOOL Sound Cities, we explore the significance of NYC to the Hip Hop we know today.
When the folks at 1520 Sedgewick Ave, in the Western stretches of the Bronx, spent their loose subway fare to party in the first-floor rec room, no one knew they’d kickstart a cultural makeover. Grandmaster Caz, lead MC of the mighty Cold Crush Brothers, lived within walking distance from Sedgewick and couldn’t escape chatter about Herc’s innovative party. And on Follow the Leader, his infallible sophomore LP, Rakim kept heads nodding and speakers blowing, proclaiming that “competition is none.” In 1987, the famous battle between Bronx sovereign KRS-One and Queens scrapper MC Shan produced some of rap’s most unforgettable disses, anticipating today’s timeline-commanding beefs between Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
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