Rappers, Reps And Hometowns; Or, Did You Know Drake Was From Toronto?

posted in: Music News • Pop • Urban

That’s right, R&B/rap sensation Drake is Canadian! Who would’ve thunk it?

To not know that Drake is from the Great White North in this day and age would require one to have been under a rock, which is subsequently under a large pile of rocks in the desert where there is no WiFi connection. It’s a convention of the genre to toast one’s hometown, or to “rep your hood” (as is the preferred vernacular) but no one is a bigger promoter of their city then Drake. “All I care about is money/And the city where I’m from” is a couplet in not just one but two of Drake’s singles. And the most recent release from his upcoming full length Take Care””Headlines””came out with a video that is a visual love letter to Toronto.

Drake ~ Headlines (Official Video) from OctobersVeryOwn on Vimeo.

Is Aubrey Graham on the payroll for the Tourism Board of Ontario or something? The video features the Rogers Center opening majestically for Drake as he stands stoically on the field. We are also treated to shots of Drake gliding vertically above the city in a glass elevator (maybe on the side of the CN Tower?) and Drake in an ugly sweater. Solid effort all around.

Drake’s not the only rapper to really show his city love, even if Toronto isn’t the gangster’s paradise that other hip-hop strongholds have historically been.

Over the course of his career, rapper Wale has gone from next big thing to also-ran to the secret weapon of the sleeping dragon that is Rick Ross‘ Maybach Music Group.

Regardless of his formidable skill, a big part of his success is his love for the city that birthed him, Washington, DC. He has had a definitively DC upbringing as well, spending his formative years both in the heart of the district and living in various suburbs. And Wale lets you know that; song after song, repping “DC chillin”, rattling off zip codes and neighborhoods like Ludacris in “Area Codes” (hoes not included).

Hip-hop weirdo Tech N9ne might be better known for his blunted rhymes, unorthodox lyrical themes and other idiosyncracies, but he also is the biggest booster of his hometown of Kansas City, MO. He’s such a booster that he has songs like “Mo Flows” incorrectly attributed to him. And while Kansas City may not strike someone as the “party capital of  the world” or someplace to really get down, N9ne will sometimes take a break from his weirdness to do a good old fashioned send up of his burg. From appearances on compilations like For The Mo to songs about his love for “KC Tea”, Tech N9ne lets you know loud and clear where he’s from.

Finally, a send up not to a single rapper, but to a whole scene. No, not Compton, or Brooklyn or the Bay Area. That would be too easy. No, we’re going to talk about Houston. They do things bigger in Texas and no regional scene is as relentlessly self-promoting and self-aware as Houston’. Between Scarface’s warts-and-all music video as love letter for “On My Block” to DJ Screw’s incomparably influential output, few other cities can boast of a community as cohesive and loud for their size.

Any spots that we forgot? Mad that your town didn’t get any love? Let us know in the comments!

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