City dwellers take pride in the cultural advancements of their urban society. Throughout history, cities have boasted the achievements of the great minds that lived and worked within their domain. The genius of a city’s residents becomes an integral part of the cultural landscape and helps distinguish that city as a member of the culturally elite. Music specifically has always been a pride to the cities where musical geniuses originate, and the relationship between city and musician is hardly single sided. The city itself influences the music of its artists, and in turn, their masterpieces help shape the city’s cultural landscape. The homes of famous musicians such as Mozart and Beethoven have been turned into …show more content…
Hard economic realities with little hope for a better future created a crime infested environment that sometimes seemed like the only way of surviving for Bed-Stuy’s youth. “The average 16-year-old dallying on Franklin Avenue in the shadow of the elevated train is either a dropout or has a good chance of becoming one (half of Bed-Stuy's students do not finish high school), and is probably unemployed and likely to stay so” (Douglass 1985). From this downward spiraling of economic uncertainty emerged the Notorious B.I.G. He describes his life growing up in the lowest times of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s history through his rap songs. In his song “Juicy,” Biggie talks about the rough reality of living in Bed-Stuy by rapping “To all the people that lived above the buildings I was hustling in front of, that called the police on me when I was trying to make some money to feed my daughter.” Financial stability was far from guaranteed and being labeled a failure was a common occurrence for the average high school …show more content…
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