Help me figure out my hip-hop cross stitch project.

[K]

So I've backstitched a map of New York City. It's essentially this, with all the neighbourhoods and the five boroughs outlined individually.

Now In the blank space in the upper left, I'd like to have a list of rappers and DJs from new york, and lines pointing to where they're from.

The problem is after days spent stitching the map, I've realised that 'from' doesn't really mean anything.

Like take RUN-DMC. Run and DMC are from and associated with Hollis, Queens. So just stitch little lines from both of their names to hollis. 

Jam Master Jay, however, is from Brooklyn, but moved to Queens which is where he met Run and DMC. So do I draw the line to Brooklyn? Or Queens?

But what about like, DJ Kool Herc? DJ Kool Herc essentially invented hip-hop, and he did it in the Bronx. But he's from Jamaica (the real Jamaica, not Jamaica in queens).

It feels wrong not to include him, but then if I'm not stitching where people are 'from' am I stitching where they're associated with? 

Slick Rick is the same. England to The Bronx

After this, I gotta figure out what to do with people who I don't know where they're from. Like, Wu Tang are from Staten Island, but like... which neighbourhood are they all from.

Man I thought this project was gonna be so easy.

[METALMAN]

 

Quote

Yeah, I'm up at Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca
Right next to DeNiro, but I'll be hood forever
I'm the new Sinatra and since I made it here
I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere

I used to cop in Harlem, all of my Dominicanos
Right there up on Broadway, brought me back to that McDonald's
Took it to my stash spot: 560 State Street
Catch me in the kitchen like the Simmons whippin' pastry

Cruising down 8th Street, off-white Lexus
Driving so slow, but B.K. is from Texas
Now I'm up at Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
Now I live on billboard and I brought my boys with me

Say what up to Ty Ty, still sippin' Mai Tais
Sittin' courtside Knicks and Nets give me high fives
Nigga I be spiked out, I can trip a referee
Tell by my attitude that I most definitely from

In New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York
I made you hot nigga

Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game
Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can
You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though
But I got a gang of niggas walkin' with my clique though

Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we selling rock
Afrika Bambaataa shit, home of the hip-hop
Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back
For foreigners it ain't fair they act like they forgot how to add

Eight million stories out there in the naked
City it's a pity half of y'all won't make it
Me I gotta plug Special Ed "I got it made"
If Jeezy's payin' LeBron, I'm payin' Dwayne Wade

Three-dice Cee-lo, three-card Monte
Labor Day parade, rest in peace Bob Marley
Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade
Long live the king, yo, I'm from the Empire State that's

In New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York (welcome to the bright lights, baby)
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York
Welcome to the bright light

Lights is blinding, girls need blinders
Or they can step out of bounds quick, the sidelines is
Lined with casualties who sipping life casually
Then gradually become worse, don't bite the apple Eve

Caught up in the in-crowd
Now you're in-style, and in the winter gets cold en vogue with your skin out
The city of sin is a pity on a whim
Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them

Mommy took a bus trip, now she got her bust out
Everybody ride her, just like a bus route
Hail Mary to the city you're a virgin
And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church ends

Came here for school, graduated to the high life
Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight
MDMA got you feeling like a champion
The city never sleeps, better slip you an Ambien

In New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York

One hand in the air for the big city
Street lights, big dreams, all looking pretty
No place in the world that can compare
Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeah
Come on, come
Yeah

In New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York

 

you're gonna have to draw lines connecting Jay-Zed to EACH of those places

 

[MDK]

Asking a group of people that are mainly from the UK is a really good start to this.

[METALMAN]

Do Bristol and have little lines showing the wards that Massive Attack, Tricky and Roni Size come from

[MDK]

2 hours ago, metalman said:

Roni Size

Choon m8

[Your Mom]

Slick Rick is from England?!?

[MDK]

13 minutes ago, The Chiksrara Special said:

Slick Rick is from England?!?

Yeah mate. Wrong endz but I guess he is safe.

What do you have against us, m8? You want some? 

[K]

20 hours ago, The Chiksrara Special said:

Slick Rick is from England?!?

Busta Rhymes grew up in a sleepy seaside town in england for a while.

[Your Mom]

2 hours ago, K said:

Busta Rhymes grew up in a sleepy seaside town in england for a while.

Ok now you're just messing with me

[K]

Just now, The Chiksrara Special said:

Ok now you're just messing with me

Aha I know right, it's bonkers

"Busta Rhymes later moved to the United Kingdom, spending time in Liverpool and Morecambe, England"

"Busta Rhymes (Trevor John Smith) became a big swimming fan and attempted to set new records in the 100 meters at liverpool university"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busta_Rhymes

http://www.amworldgroup.com/artist-booking/busta-rhymes

 

[K]

(MF DOOM was born here too and has never even become a US citizen)

Hey... guess where Young MC was born?

[Liam]

7 hours ago, K said:

(MF DOOM was born here too and has never even become a US citizen)

Hey... guess where Young MC was born?

Slough?

I looked - Wimbledon. Fair play.

Edited August 19, 2017 by Liam

[MalaCloudy Black]

I think stitching where they're associated with is fair play. Hip-hop's origins in New York are undeniably important and even if some of these guys aren't from Queens or the Bronx or wherever, it's where they started or where they were first noticed, so "associated with" seems fair. I'd just be sure to note that, yeah, I know Kool Herc is from Jamaica, but he invented hip-hop in the Bronx and that's why you've drawn a line from him to there.

[K]

18 minutes ago, Blaine ClouDeBeers said:

I think stitching where they're associated with is fair play. Hip-hop's origins in New York are undeniably important and even if some of these guys aren't from Queens or the Bronx or wherever, it's where they started or where they were first noticed, so "associated with" seems fair. I'd just be sure to note that, yeah, I know Kool Herc is from Jamaica, but he invented hip-hop in the Bronx and that's why you've drawn a line from him to there.

Cheers Cloudy, that's what I figure. I've attached my sort of, working model. I've stopped where I am because I'm gonna have to seriously cut down on the amount of names included. Gonna cull it to 50 and see if that fits, and then work from there. It's hard though. Even cutting it down to the 100 on the list was difficult. Let me know if you think I've missed anyone.

So basically the black overlay you can see is what I've stitched. The real map underneath is to help me place on certain streets or neighbourhoods if I have that information. 

I'm working it up on the computer for now just to see how it will 'fit' obviously it's much too busy already, so I'll need to cut down on the names a lot.

 

Edit: ugh. I've re-read the list of names, and I wanna keep them all. Not get rid of half. Might have to rethink this project a little.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Sidebar: have you seen Hip-Hop Evolution on Netflix? I think you'd like it if you haven't.

[Lint]

You don't have the Beastie Boys on there?

[K]

6 minutes ago, Lint said:

You don't have the Beastie Boys on there?

They're there.

7 minutes ago, Blaine ClouDeBeers said:

Sidebar: have you seen Hip-Hop Evolution on Netflix? I think you'd like it if you haven't.

I haven't no. I'll check it out man, thanks very much.

[MalaCloudy Black]

3 minutes ago, K said:

They're there.

I have no. I'll check it out man, thanks very much.

You'll hear about him in Hip-Hop Evolution, but I don't see Coke La Rock on there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coke_La_Rock

La Rock was a friend of Kool Herc's. 

He's shouted out in the 2nd verse of South Bronx, along with Herc and Afrika Bambaata.

[K]

Aha cheers man.  yeah that's an important one. Gotta find someone else to cut now.

[MalaCloudy Black]

What about cutting Lloyd Banks, Jean Grae, Azelia Banks, Nicki, and maybe Immortal Tech? Maybe Joey Bada$$ and A$AP Rocky? Not that I'm saying anything about their worth or contribution to hip-hop (it pains me to mention taking Jean out) but they're all fairly young and still have a while to make a bigger, more everlasting mark on the business. Same for Cam'ron. Probably Action Bronson too. Jim Jones and Juelz Santana. Maybe even El-P too (another one that pains me), though the argument could be made for his contributions to underground hip-hop for the last decade or two - Def Jux, Company Flow, etc. being enough to keep him on there. 

I guess you could probably also argue Tech's importance to the political side of things and more independent/underground rap as well though.