Hip Hop Landmarks @ Google Maps

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 6:04 pm

I know a lot of the people at this forum are from overseas or even in distant corners of the U.S., so I did a little googling and cutting and pasting because I thought you would all enjoy having some visuals to go along with the music you like.

Stapleton Houses, Staten Island (Wu-Tang)

Queensbridge Houses, Queens (Marley Marl, MC Shan, Roxanne Shante, Craig G., Poet, Screwball, Nas, Big Noyd, Mobb Deep, Capone, etc.)

Marcy Houses, Brooklyn (Jay-Z, Lil' Kim)

Lefrak City Co-Ops (Akinyele, Noreaga)

1520 Sedgewick Avenue, Bronx (Birthplace of Hip Hop)

Spectrum City Studios, Hempstead, Long Island (original Bomb Squad studio)

Allah's School In Mecca, Harlem, NY (5%er Street Academy, site of Brand Nubian "Wake Up" video)

Big L's "Danger Zone"

Linden Blvd & 192st Street (A Tribe Called Quest stomping grounds, "Check The Rhime" video, "to the kids at Nu-Clear")

"490 Madison, we're here Sha .. he said 'alright Tip see ya tomorrah' " - "I Left My Wallet In El Segundo"

"I live up the road, at Woodfield & Lafayette" - Hard To Obtain "L.I. Groove

"To all the Ku Klux, I live at 744 Macon Place, Uniondale, NY" - Rumpletilskinz "Hudz"

Obviously, these are of different levels of obscurity or importance, but it was fun to hunt them down anyway. Enjoy.

chillhood · Post by **chillhood** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 6:15 pm

you meant google streets. sympathic initiative to say the least

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 6:17 pm

chillhood wrote:you meant google streets. sympathic initiative to say the least

Well, I used the google street view function, yes. Thanks for clearing that up.

thebigk · Post by **thebigk** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 6:21 pm

yo, this is pretty ill. i'll be honest and say i can't really recall any of these.. gotta peep some of those vids again. thanks tho

Ho1ogramz · Post by **Ho1ogramz** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 6:46 pm

Nice work Thun. I go to Queens every few months for business so I had my fair share of awe staring at the buildings, but those that are unable to see them would appreciate this. So many stories told.

malpractice · Post by **malpractice** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 8:20 pm

google street maps is the greatest.
i like how you can move the arrows and cruise around a neighborhood

ZiekeFons · Post by **ZiekeFons** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:18 pm

dope!.. when i see pictures of NY buildings i always get a kind of special feeling.. i dont know why

Reggie · Post by **Reggie** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:26 pm

Ha, what is Spectrum City now, a dentist's office?

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:52 pm

Reggie wrote:Ha, what is Spectrum City now, a dentist's office?

It was originally a dentist's office. Currently there are a few businesses listed there, including a law office, and Rhythm Method Enterprises (i remember seeing their logos on album sleeves in the '90s, I'm guessing that's the bomb squad.)

catfish hunter · Post by **catfish hunter** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 10:55 pm

cool man thanks.

Jaz · Post by **Jaz** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:23 am

I enjoyed seeing these historic places of interest.

Mark 563 · Post by **Mark 563** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:02 am

Great thread.

I'd be keen to see more.

hell0maryjane · Post by **hell0maryjane** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:07 am

give it up to thun for havin too much time at work.

nah but for real, very dope.

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:19 am

Those are all that immediately come to mind. There are some spots that don't exist in a recognizable form anymore (alot of those '80s clubs, for example) or were destroyed (Albee Square Mall). I wanted to get a shot of the Amphitheatre from Wild Style but there is no clear view of it.

Here are some more:

Patterson Houses (Lord Finesse vs. Percee P. Battle)

Mott Haven Houses (Show & AG, Party Arty)

Forest Houses (Diamond D, Fat Joe)

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:22 am

There is something about NY rap that really lends itself to specificity of geography. I can't think of a single address in New Jersey that is especially relevant to hip-hop, only towns and general vicinities...

Except for maybe the OutHouse (Outsidaz) and who really gives a fuck about that?

thomasv · Post by **thomasv** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:50 am

here's "the wall" by Wu-Tang... people tagged over it

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:54 am

thomasv wrote:here's "the wall" by Wu-Tang... people tagged over it

The wall that used to have the "Can It Be All So Simple" mural I presume?

Another interesting thing - zoom out and pan just a little to the west of Stapleton Houses and check out the enormous gulf between the rich and the poor that is readily apparent there.

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:56 am

Ha, now looking closely I can see where the original mural got tagged over. How shockingly gay.

catfish hunter · Post by **catfish hunter** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 2:18 am

besides NYC pjs the only other one i can think of that were repped in song as hard were the New Orleans ward projects. and compton.

can we get a shot of Valence and Magnolia?

thomasv · Post by **thomasv** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 2:42 am

Park Hill(Rae,U-God,Meth,Deck)

Warren G's album cover location

philosophic · Post by **philosophic** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:10 am

Great thread

multsanta · Post by **multsanta** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:54 am

Thun wrote:I can't think of a single address in New Jersey that is especially relevant to hip-hop, only towns and general vicinities...

Donnelly Homes, Poor Righteous Teachers

I'm trying here thun. Google hates Trenton.

multsanta · Post by **multsanta** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:59 am

Headland & Delowe (it was the start of something good.)

And LOL @ the danger zone being an H&R Block. Where no man can withhold or stand his own.

kimani · Post by **kimani** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:00 am

I feel like a putz for only seeing two of these places during my time NY (the two being the two Harlem locales...and Doug E.'s Chicken & Waffles, though it was closed for the handful of months I was living there). But I was always amazed that such (in my opinion) historic locations are just passed over, whereas the birthplaces, instruments, gig locations of musicians in other genres (mainly rock) are revered and preserved, visited by millions of people while residents on 135th st don't even know who Big L is when his mural is 4 blocks away. Anyway, props on these.

kimani · Post by **kimani** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:16 am

multsanta wrote:
And LOL @ the danger zone being an H&R Block. Where no man can withhold or stand his own.

Haha, yeah...though in The Danger Zone's defense, that's the wrong side of the street:

(The red you can barely see is a United Fried Chicken & Pizza-and the actual corner)

And of course, one block up:

Jaz · Post by **Jaz** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 5:20 am

can you do the spot where Biggie rhymed his off when he was a youngster please Thun?

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 5:42 am

Jaz wrote:can you do the spot where Biggie rhymed his off when he was a youngster please Thun?

I have no idea where that would be exactly. I think premier discusses it in detail in that interview with Pete Rosenberg that was posted in M2C but I wouldn't know where to look anyway.

Jaz · Post by **Jaz** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 5:55 am

Thun wrote:
Jaz wrote:can you do the spot where Biggie rhymed his off when he was a youngster please Thun?
I have no idea where that would be exactly. I think premier discusses it in detail in that interview with Pete Rosenberg that was posted in M2C but I wouldn't know where to look anyway.

It was in Brooklyn

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z3 · Post by z3 » Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:09 am

dope thread. very interesting

Moolah · Post by **Moolah** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:41 am

z3 wrote:dope thread. very interesting