Music scholar Katya Deve explores the history and geography of hip-hop.

May 26, 2017 6:27 PM

The Geography of Hip-Hop is an interactive map documenting the history and geography of hip-hop. The map (and accompanying essay) explore how hip-hop has spread around the world and how different cites have developed their own distinct sounds and styles of hip-hop. The interactive hip-hop map allows you to browse and listen to hip-hop music by location. The map features 955 songs, most of which you can listen to directly from the map. The size of the markers on the map reflects the number of artists featured from that location. In this way you can get a rough idea about the size of the hip-hop communities in these different urban locations. [via Maps Mania]
posted by Room 641-A (11 comments total)

Once again Wyoming's rich hip-hop scene goes unheralded.
posted by lamp at 7:14 PM on May 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

I was looking forward to hearing hip-hop from around the world, but the map and essay cover only the US (not even Canada). (Also the essay link refuses to load on Firefox, but works on Chrome.)

Off to listen to some music now....
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:39 PM on May 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

Yes hip-hop has spread around the world but this map stops right at the edge of Donald's wall. Not having Michie Mee or the Dream Warriors in here, I get it. But no Drake?
posted by thecjm at 8:53 PM on May 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm just here to mention that the Kamaiyah record from last year is amazing. Ditto Anderson.Paak's multiple projects. And I can now verify that live nowhere near them. So not even a neighbor thing.
posted by thivaia at 9:30 PM on May 26, 2017

This is great - I've added some of the playlists on Spotify, and found new artists to listen to, whether by going back in time from regions I know I like, or by listening from regions where I didn't know hip hop existed.
posted by batter_my_heart at 11:18 PM on May 26, 2017

yep, no hip hop anywhere outside the USA. Sure.
posted by wilful at 12:18 AM on May 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

This is a great start; sure, it ends at the boarders of the US and is not entirely comprehensive, but that doesn't mean that it can't be expanded upon. I would view this as an introductory course and not as an end-all-be-all list of world hip hop artists.
posted by shesaysgo at 9:09 AM on May 27, 2017

No Winnipeg's Most?
posted by spitbull at 2:55 PM on May 27, 2017

That said, "music scholar" seems a bit of overkill as a term for someone who appears to be a college senior.
posted by spitbull at 2:58 PM on May 27, 2017

And who cites a bibliography of 9 items, including two by Jeff Chang, two by Paul Miller, and Tricia Rose's now dated chestnut "Black Noise."

There is a TON of recent actual scholarship on rap and hip hop as global phenomena. This "scholar" bit here is somewhat false advertising for something that looks like a well done undergrad project. No reason to judge it too harshly for its limitations.
posted by spitbull at 3:02 PM on May 27, 2017

Not even Puerto Rico....
posted by Dr. Curare at 12:25 AM on May 28, 2017