New York City is the most populous city in the USA and the birthplace of hip hop so it’s only natural that some of the greatest and most talented emcees and producers came from their famous five boroughs. East Coast rap songs generally have a pretty basic form to them: drum machine for the beat; a sample to give the song some depth; and urban poetry full of energy, puns, and wit (hopefully). Here are ten of my favourite rap songs from artists born in NYC – in no particular order, with only one song per artist.
