I'm from where the hammer's rung, News cameras never come
You and your man houndin' every verse in your rhyme
where the grams is slung, nuggas vanish every summer
Where the blue vans would come, we throw the work in the can and run
Where the plans was to get funds and skate off the set
To achieve this goal quicker, sold all my weight wet
Faced with immeasurable odds still I get straight bets
So I felt some more something and you nothing check
I from the other side with other guys don't walk to much
And girls in the projects wouldn't f#ck us if we talked too much
So they ran up town and sought them dudes to trust
I don't know what the fuck they thought, those nuggas is foul just like us
I'm from where the beef is inevitable, Summertime's unforgetable
Boosters in abundance, buy a half-price sweater new
Your world was everything, So everything you said you'd do
You did it, Couldn't talk about it if you ain't lived it
I from where nuggas pull your car, and argue all day about
Who's the best MC's, Biggie, Jay-Z, and Nas
Where the drugs czars evolve, and thugs always are
At each other's throats for the love of foreign cars
Where cats catch cases, hoping the judge R and R's
But most times find themselves locked up behind bars
I'm from where they ball and breed rhyme stars
I'm from Marcy son, just thought I'd remind y'all
Jay Z
"Where I'm From"
I did this one back in March. It's been a while so I figured that I'd re-mix it for those who missed it the first time!
This is one of my favorite songs from Jay Z's second cd. In the song, he tells you distinctly and descriptively where he's from (Marcy Projects...Brooklyn, NY). I've never been to Marcy. But through this rhyme...I have.
There are a lotta people who read this blog and participate each day on the blog. Their profiles may say what city they are in but I'd like to dig a little deeper today. Tell me about where you're from. What do you like about where you're from? What don't you like about it? And if you wanna throw in a statistic about it...do it!
WHERE I'M FROM- Florence, South Carolina
population- 67,000
Likes- great place to raise kids, it has a "down home feel" for a small town, it'll always be home
Dislikes- very little social and economic development, people stay locked in the "small town mentality" and aren't willing to break out of it.
Stat- Florence is at the intersection of I-95 and I-20, approximately halfway between New York City and Miami, Florida.
Where are YOU from???
WHERE I'M FROM- London UK
ReplyDeletepopulation- approximately 7,200,000
LIKES
Its dyanmic, a vibrant and a mix of all cutures (you don’t even have to speak english to live here)
There is always something to do at any time night or day
You can be or do anything and you could possibly wish for - you can also earn a lot of money doing it!
Think of a cuisine and you can definitely find a resturant to serve it
Although people that live here forget, its actually a beautiful historical city.
Oh and I love carnival!
DISLIKES
It must be one of the only places in the world where you can have a traffic jam at 4am.
The tubes are overcrowded and they need to fix it before the olympics
The Governement have gone CCTV crazy we have 10,000 crime-fighting CCTV cameras which cost £200 million but unfortunately 80% of crimes are unsolved whilst we are the star of our very own CCTV movies and are filmed on one every 20 seconds :(
Angel pretty much summed up London, so I'll leave you some stats:
ReplyDelete(1)London's 7.5 million residents account for 12.5 per cent of the UK population
(2)30.7 per cent of London's population belong to non-white ethnic groups
(3)London's busiest station in rush hour is Waterloo, with 46,000 people entering the station during the three hour morning peak. The capital's busiest station overall is Kings Cross St Pancras with 77.5million passengers a year
(4) London is home to 30 of England's 100 universities
(5)the Metropolitan Police Service's Operation Trident, set up to combat black on black gun crime, seized a total of 917 firearms in 2006/07
(6)there are 4.6 uniformed police officers per 1,000 Londoners
I could go on but we'd be here all day.
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ReplyDeleteThe ROC Baby
ReplyDeleteRochester, NY
45 minutes from the Canada border
Home of Country Sweet...
bread Boss Sauce
ya'll dont know nothing about Nick Tahoe's
and Meneze's Steak & Cheese
We got famous people like Taye Diggs, DJ Green Lantern, Que (Dy26) and Tweet that were born and raised
Underground recording studios that Missy, Jodeci, and countless others were in before they made it big
I dont care anything about the population or all that mess... the above info is what counts.
Holla!... the ROC is in da building!
East Oakland, California....All Day.
ReplyDeleteHome of the infamous Everret and Jones BBQ. Oakland is the home of dumbest shit every...Ghostriding the Whip. Oakland is also home of some of the best Green on earth...and the crime rate is out of this world.
Quick Facts.
Oakland is the Birth Place of The Black Panther Movement
We invited the word "wazzupper"
Right across the bridge is San Francisco.
Oakland is home of some of the greatest talents in the world. And I am really about to go through all of them.
MC Hammer, Keyshia Cole, Leon Powe, Jason Kidd, Tom Hanks, Marshawn Lynch, Tony Toni Tone, that one young black kid that play on Tyler Perry's show. Can't forget about Too Short, Goapaple, Gary Payton, punk ass Shamar Moore...okay thats all I can think of right now. If I think of some more I will come right back.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Oakland town bizz-ness yaddamean lol
Detroit, Mi
ReplyDeleteWestside, Smith Homes Projects
Population: Just under a Milli
Oldest Freeway in the Country, The Davison Freeway
Home of Better Maid chips, Wonder bread, Faygo and Vernors pop..NOT SODA, POP
Likes:
Family here.
Summers in the D.
It might get cold, but no hurricanes, lil chance of tornadoes, no earthquakes
Dislikes:
The negative attention from outsiders..like they city aint had problems.
O
I'm the first BROOKLYN-ITE to comment?? Shocker!
ReplyDeleteWell, then, I'm here to rep BED-STUY, DO OR DIE BITCHEZZZZZZZ lol
(sorry... it just came out...)
Nowhere near Marcy Projects (Bed-Stuy is huge) in fact, not in the projects at all, so I (thankfully) missed out on all that gangsta mess!
LIKES: what isn't there to like?
DISLIKES: wait, I thought of something--- Gentrification. Once a white family moves into your 'hood, it's OVER lol
STAT: I don't know if it's an official stat or not, but according to ME, Brooklyn gave birth to some of the hottests MCs, artists, actors, writers (ahem) and made baseball the national pastime it is today.
Y'all got NOTHING on Brooklyn, so there!
Where I'm From - Buffalo, NY
ReplyDeleteThe 2nd largest city in the state
Home of the Buffalo Bills
Famous for the Original Buffalo wings. I recommend the Anchor Bar if your ever in town.
President William McKinley was shot and mortally wounded at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo on September 6, 1901. Teddy Roosevelt never did thank us! j/k
Buffalo has a reputation for snowy winters, yes, we get a lot of it.
@ JustO - damn on Vernons pop. That shit is so hard to find now. Can I get you to send me a six pack? lol
@ Angel
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to go to London! It just seems like a cool place to be
@ BorednTalkative
30% non-white? Wow! What percent is black? Growing up, I always thought that blacks were scattered throught the UK. I didn't realize how DEEP we are over there until I got older
@ Eb
Green Lantern is from Rochester? Word? Is Iron Man and Aqua Man from there, too? LMAO!!! Juss kiddn
@ dessex
Wow! I forgot that Oakland was the home of the Black Panther movement! Good stuff!
I remember hearing about Jason Kidd when he was in the 8th grade!!!
@ Just O
Never been to the D...but I wanna go! Detroit is home to the Motown sound!
What do you think is gonna happen to Detriot if the Big 3 goes under?
@ Jaded Santana
Is Brooklyn in the house? LoL
Birthplace to Michael Jordan, Jay Z, and Biggie. Nuff said
@ Pigskin Loving Lady
Home of the Buffalo Bills!!! LoL! Sorry...that was a low blow. I know. LoL
I'm from BROOKLYN, Brownsville, NEVER RAN NEVER WILL! You've all witness our greatness and ya love it! (I also did not grow up in the projects, but on a tree lined block full of dr's, lawyers, sanitation workers, retirees a melting pot indeed)
ReplyDeleteWHERE I'M FROM- Brooklyn, NY
population- 2,508,820
Likes- EVERYTHING! You get it all in Brooklyn, culture, history, who needs funky old manhattan when you can live in the BK. The largest city in the NYC. That's right all others are boroughs
Stat- BEST PIZZA in the world!
You've all sang a song that referenced some place in Brooklyn, You know you wanted to go to Pops Barbershop.
Brooklyn experienced one of the worst teachers strikes in history, shutting down many of the schools. This historical event lead to the current local school boards that decide the fate of our community schools.
Nathan's and CONEY ISLAND, has the oldest wooden rollercoaster in the world.
need I go on? Come visit us sometimes!
@the f$%k it list- TELL 'EM GIRL!!! Everybody knows Brooklyn is where it's at, they just don't want to admit it...
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Junior's Famous Cheesecake and OH SNAP- the only part of NYC with an IKEA... yup yup... don't hate!
(ok, I'll stop now...)
YEAH JADED! I forgot about the IKEA with the BIGGIE mural on the side. HOTNESS is my CITY!
ReplyDeleteok I gotta do some work.
Oh wait and don't forget the best comedic rapper ever.... that's right ODB, BABY JESUS.
What is your favorite movie?
ReplyDeleteSchool Daze? Brooklyn's finest
Mo better Blues? YEP YEP
Malcolm X. HOLLA
SPIKE (Lee) JOINTS, Brooklyn's own!
hahah, ok I'm done taking over the comment section (for now)
I'm From the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia Pa.
ReplyDeleteGrew up in Wild Wild West Philadelphia, a few blocks from
The former Fresh Prince, Will Smith. (Nope, don't know him...I think I went to school with one of his sisters.)
Love the neighborhoods and the seperate history and loyalties of the people in the different areas..
Lots of good people despite what you hear on the news about the murder rate.
Home of Jazmine Sullivan (she's from South Philly), Boyz II Men,
,Jill Scott ,Teddy Pendergrass
and Kobe Bryant..
Feirecly loyal and bad mannered fans who once booed Santa Claus.
(Yeah,I know...I was 11 years old when that happened..My dad took us to that cold Eagles game which we were losing and when I saw them booing Santa and throwing snowballs
at him I was traumatized...so was my brother..We mostly don't talk about that day..even now.)
Philly is about 95 miles from New York City, home of some of my favorite female bloggers-lolol
so of course the bk has already been represented (like kyle told me yesterday, we ERYWHERE!!!)
ReplyDeleteBEDSTUY
likes:
fam is there
diversified ethnically
is part of the greatest group of boroughs in the world
whatever you wanna do, there's somewhere in bk to do it
night life never ends
public transportation system is extremely extensive
i'm not a shopper, but living in bk would make me one
the men...muy bueno!!
dislikes:
fam is there
parking is a BITCH
gentrification is a BITCH
decent amenities in the hood is non-existent
streets are full of potholes and wreak havoc on a car
harsh winters (in comparison to atl)
a few facts:
most folk that live there probably don't own or drive a car.
there's a bodega on every corner.
the water is clean, but crunchy
come here for the universal hip hop parade
dave chapelle's 'block party' was filmed here :)
probably the most famous borough in ny
ALSO KNOWN AS BUCKTOWN
who was rooted here? chris rock, mos def, june jordan, big daddy kane, lil kim, gza, aaliyah, lenny wilkens, jay-z, smif-n-wessun, juan williams, bob dylan, truman capote, marilyn monroe, mary tyler moore, gabriel byrne, walt whitman, ole dirty bastid, just-ice...imma stop, cuz now you know EVERYBODY from here.
Where I'm From: Fairmont, NC
ReplyDeletePopulation: Less than 10,000
Likes: It's where my family is and it's the safest place on Earth.
Dislikes: There is nothing to do, nowhere to go, folks there are like crabs in a bucket, it is becoming increasing violent.
Stat: We are on the NC/SC border and we have two exits off Interstate 95. "South of the Border" is but a 15 minute drive and I spent many a ditched high school day running around that place.
Hey Kyle, my uncle pastors a church down in Florence. How small is the world?
@ pigskin....i think we can work out a deal for the pop...lol
ReplyDelete@12k...its alot of folks employed by the big 3 and suppliers and sorts...will be a real downfall if something dont change for the good.
Where I'm from--- Olean, NY
ReplyDeletePopulation---15,000
Location- 60 miles south of Buffalo
*6 miles from the Seneca Indian Reservation
*12 miles from the PA border
*Home of a former Governor of NY-Frank Higgins
*Peter Tomarken-Game show host of Press your Luck
Saint Bonaventure University
*Bob Lainer-NBA player who attended St. Bona's and would do yard for my parents!
*CUTCO Knives- The best and sharpest knives in the world!
Likes-Can get a drink for $4
*Chicken wings
*Roast Beef on Kimmelweck sandwiches
*Good homemade food
*Be able to see numerous po-wos!
DISLIKES
*Too white for me(93.5%)
*Folks stuck in their ways
*No Culture
*Not close to major shopping areas!
It was cool growing up there but I can't imagine raising my kids with sooo many white kids. I want my kids to have some diversity. I guess my parents thought the same thing since they shipped my ass to BROOOOOOOKLYN every summer to stay with my aunties!!
So, that's my hood from 1-18! But I rep BK now!!!
Jacksonville, FL
ReplyDeletePopulation 799,875 (12th most populous in the US)
The largest city in the state of Florida in terms of both area and population
Likes
Some Family is still there
Jenkins Bar B Q (always roll thru when I'm home)
Nice Weather
Other Florida cities are a short drive away. You can get just about anywhere in the state in five hours or less.
Dislikes
The city is still racist.
It's country as hell. Not progressive at all.
Not really much to do.
I can't go to my Grandma's house when I visit. She passed in 2004. It makes for a real disconnect. That was my HQ whenever I rolled into town.
In short, I never liked living in Jacksonville. As soon as I graduated high school, I was up out of Dodge. I returned for about a year after college and then moved to the ATL. I have only made weekend and week long visits since 1991. After about three days, I'm usually ready to go. If it wasn't for family, I would keep it moving.
Well Boo .... we're from the same place ... so I have nothing extra to say .... However ...
ReplyDeleteThe Black Album .... uh uhm uhm
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ReplyDeleteNew Orleans is in the building! East Shore Rydah for life!
ReplyDeletePopulation: Now under 500k
LIKES: It has some of the most gorgeous architecture in the US. It's sort of like a big gumbo pot. There is such a mixture of cultures, and it all sort of blends into one big New Orleanian culture. It also has some of the best food and music in the world. Home of such celebs as: the Manning Boys, the Marsalis family, Ellen DeGeneres, Jelly Roll Morton, Harry Connick, Jr., Reese Witherspoon, Anthony Mackie, Wendell Pierce, and Garrett Morris. I won't touch the obvious celebs, as well as the ones smart enough to make New Orleans their home later on.
DISLIKES: Hurricanes! The local political infrastructure is in a shambles. Education is in the toilet. Which, in my opinion, is related to the fact that as a tourist town, they are more focused in turning out the next crop of service people rather than white collar workers.
@ShellyShell @ EB, we'll have to form the TRI-STATE/UPSTATE NYers group! lol
ReplyDelete@Just O- email me @ pigskinlovinglady@gmail.com for my address.
Im "parched" lol
From: orgininally from Lafayette, La but reside in Baton Rouge,La.
ReplyDeletePopulation of BR: 770,037
Likes: the downtown area. the view of the mississippi river. the levee, its peaceful!!!
dislikes: we are too congested and we still have this racist mentality down here. whites and blacks. we carry chips on our shoulders!!!
East Point, GA!
ReplyDeletePopulation: 'bout 40,000
Likes: ITP, close to everything, good eats, and lots of Black folk
Dislikes: EP police, too many doggone Waffle Houses and liquor stores. I mean, it would be nice to see something different on the corner every once in a while.
Fun fact: EP is the home of Tri-Cities High School. 'nuff said. lol
I LOVE LOVE LOVE East Point...and I'll be there on December 13th. Yesssssss
Oh boy here we go...Im from PHILLY PA.
ReplyDeletepopulation- estimated in 2005 to be about 1.4 million you can imagine what it is now.
likes-Being a young single black woman I would have to say the city life is very exciting. You can never run out of things to do.
Living here for 25 years I can truly say I that I always discover something exciting and new about the place that I never knew before.
dislike-The bad rep we have compared to other cities and the polution I'm a stickler for polution. I absolutely hate to see litter or people littering, I'll cus someone out in a minute for littering, how dare they...
But all and all I can truly say I'm proud to be a Philadelphian...just don't know if I'll be here for the rest of my life lol!
I'm so glad Charece is here...reppin Philly with me..I felt so alone-lolol..All these Brooklynites in the house. They dominated the page.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Decatur, Georgia (Decatur Where It's Greater):
ReplyDelete*A suburb of Atlanta, GA
*Home of great institutions such as Agnes Scott and Emory University
Population, diversity, etc....look it up.
Washington D.C!
ReplyDeleteI love D.C... the museums, monuments at night, and the White House! This is an exciting time to be an Washingtonian. Now everyone is trying to find their way here for the Inaugaration. I've heard people are even renting out their houses because all of the hotels are booked. I wanna know who from the planet is coming to D.C in January? ROLL CALL!
@clnmike- HEY! stop talking about us!
ReplyDelete@lrenee- I'll be in DC crashing on my sister's couch and acting a fool all over our nation's capitol for the inauguration :D
And since I'm back over here, might as well remind people that I'm...
"real cool, 'cause Brooklyn's cool
Friday doin' the last day of school..."
and that there's...
"NO. SLEEP. TIL BROOK-LYYYYN"
and...
"Shame on You, when you step through to, the Ol' Dirty Bastard,
Brooklyn Zoo!"
BIG UP BROOKLYN! WOOP WOOP!
ok, I'm done. for now.
WHERE I'M FROM- Stockton, CA.
ReplyDeletepopulation- well over 260,000 people.
Likes- NOT A DARN THING!!! The only half way decent thing I can say about this horrible city is that its only an hour away from the Bay Area.
Disklikes: EVERYTHING!! The city smells due to all the factories, the crime rate is ridiculously high, drugs are easy to come by, the police department is riddled with racist pricks wanting to pull over any black or hispanic person in a decent looking vehicle...
I could go on and on.
Stat- Located in the central valley of California, Stockton is one of the largest agricultral cities in the country. Its located 45 minutes south of Sacramento and about 1 - 2 hours from San Francisco, Oakland, Hayward, San Jose, and other bay area cities (depending on traffic). Home to the University of the Pacific which is actually a pretty decent (and expensive) school.
um...i'm from bk too (well...at least for the first few years of my life) but i think F$%klist & Jaded handled that. so yea.
ReplyDelete