One of the most powerful elements of Hip-Hop is its identity in various regions. Each major city in Hip-Hop has songs that tell the unique story, sounds, and styles of its residents. When you hear a city’s name, certain songs immediately come to mind and are among the first you play on your headphones once your flight touches down. They’re the jams that natives use to induct outsiders into their hoods, and they’re an undeniable way for city dwellers to bond and show that they speak the same language.
For the “Get Up Anthems” series, Billboard sent its editorial staffers around the country to sit down with Hip-Hop greats and host Rosci Diaz at six hubs of the genre – Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles – to determine the most important songs in each location. After sipping on Tres Generaciones® Tequila cocktails and engaging in a spirited debate about a song’s cultural impact and Billboard chart performance, each panel of experts determined the “get up anthem” of their respective cities. Read below to see what you missed and catch up on all the content here.
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Houston
Image Credit: Billboard Rap legend Bun B and producer/DJ Chase B joined the panel to take a ride through Houston’s Hip-Hop history before crowning the city’s definitive Get Up Anthem. The panelists — which also included Billboard’s Deputy Editorial Director Damien Scott, Billboard editor Cat Johnson, and host Rosci Diaz — discussed everything from hits like Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé’s “Savage (Remix)” and Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin’” to anthems like Lil Keke’s “25 Lighters” and Lil Troy’s “Wanna Be A Baller.” After a detailed debate around the chart performance and cultural impact of 15 songs, the final choice for number one was DJ Screw’s “June 27th,” the Houston rap icon’s 30-minute song made in 1996 to honor his friend D-Mo’s birthday. It narrowly defeated Z-Ro’s “Mo City Don” for the top spot. “‘Mo City Don’ excluded some people just on the principle of the name of the song,” Bun B explained. “‘June 27th’ is literally a call to action to Houston. The date itself is a self-proclaimed holiday.”
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Atlanta
Image Credit: Billboard For the Atlanta stop in the series, Rosci Diaz, Damien Scott, and Billboard’s Hip-Hop/R&B Chart Manager Trevor Anderson were joined by Grammy Award winner Killer Mike, and hit-making producer London on da Track. They cut an initial roster of 30 songs down to a list of 10 nominees, highlighting timeless cuts from the likes of Gucci Mane, Rich Gang, Future, and Goodie Mob. The panel ultimately decided on a two-way tie for the number one spot, between OutKast’s ‘90s classic “Player’s Ball” and T.I.’s “Rubberband Man,” from his 2003 album Trap Muzik. “Atlanta is a city where you don’t have to be native to this city, but if you’re a playa, it’s where you wanna be. … It is the quintessential invite to a city where opportunity’s abound,” Killer Mike said, exalting the anthem. Scott said that when “Rubberband Man” comes on in the club, he sees people rolling up their sleeves to show off their rubber bands instead of their jewelry. “I can’t overstate how big and impactful this song was,” he said.
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Chicago
Image Credit: Billboard For the midwestern stop on the Get Up Anthems series, Diaz and Billboard staff writer Kyle Denis connected with Chicago staples Twista, Vic Mensa, and Dreezy to talk about the city’s rich Hip-Hop history. They eventually settled on 15 songs, showcasing ‘90s staples like Do Or Die and Crucial Conflict, 2000s titans like Kanye West, and stars like Lil Durk and Lil Bibby from the 2010s’ Party staples such as DJ Casper’s “Casper Slide” and Cajmere’s house hit “Percolator” were also shown their proper respect. The top two slots were between Chief Keef’s monumental drill revelation “Don’t Like” and Twista’s Kanye-produced “Overnight Celebrity.” The Speedknot Mobsta himself walked away with the number one spot. Denis pointed out that “Overnight Celebrity” was No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and No. 1 for eight weeks on the Hot Rap Songs charts. “When you hear that song, you hear Chicago,” Dreezy said. “You’re still getting lyricism, the musical aspect, and classic Kanye production.”
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New York City
Image Credit: Billboard The birthplace of Hip-Hop, New York City, was represented by rap hall-of-famer Method Man and young OG Joey Bada$$. The two rap stars joined Diaz and Billboard’s Deputy Director of R&B/Hip-Hop Carl Lamarre to cut down an initial collection of 40 songs to a final playlist of 20. The panel chopped it up about greats like Jay-Z, Nas, Big Pun, and Busta Rhymes, while also showing respect to younger stars like Cardi B and the late Pop Smoke. Meth revealed how LL Cool J’s “I Need Love” was his “spirit animal” while he was creating his iconic Mary J. Blige collaboration “You’re All I Need.” He shared that while “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me”)” was the Wu-Tang Clan’s first hit, “Triumph” is still the song that gets the most passionate response at the group’s live performances.
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Miami
Image Credit: Billboard For the Miami stop of the Get Up Anthems series, the Diamond Princess herself Trina and radio personality/DJ/producer Alex Sensation stopped by to speak with Billboard reporter Heran Mamo and assistant editor Jessica Roiz. The panel discussed hits from Miami icons like Rick Ross, Plies, and City Girls, along with breaking down the city’s rich Latin culture by highlighting artists such as Bad Bunny, Enrique Iglesias, and Pitbull. The final choice was Celia Cruz’s “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” narrowly beating out Gloria Estefan’s “Conga” for the number one spot. “When you speak to any of the other female artists, they always say, she’s the queen. Nobody can take that title from her,” Alex Sensation said. “For that record, she was getting out of doing straight salsa and tropical, and she added some reggaeton kicks. That was one of the first records where she tried to do a fusion, go a little urban for the younger generation.”
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Los Angeles
Image Credit: Billboard The final stop of the Billboard and Tres Generaciones Get Up Anthem Series was in Los Angeles, where Billboard’s Carl Lamarre connected with West Coast rap titans The Game and D Smoke. The panel discussed revered icons like Dr. Dre, 2Pac, and Snoop Dogg, along with underrated greats like Kurupt and MC Eiht. The list also included Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” the newest song to make an appearance in the series. The powerful duo of Dre and Snoop had several cuts on the list, including the number two spot of “Gin and Juice.” But after calling D Smoke’s brother SiR for a tie-breaker, they decided on Ice Cube’s euphoric early ‘90s gem “It Was A Good Day” as the definitive Get Up Anthem for Los Angeles.
After visiting six of the country’s Hip-Hop hot spots, locking in with nearly a dozen of the culture’s most respected voices, and sitting for hours of cocktails and debates, Billboard and Tres Generaciones have compiled a list of some of the culture’s premier Get Up Anthems. There were only a few number-one spots available, but hundreds of artists were given their props here (you can listen to them all on the Spotify playlists that we’ve put together for each city). What did they miss, and what did they get right?
Watch the debates, grab a drink, and leave your thoughts in the comments or in our mentions at @billboardhiphop and @tresgeneracionestequila.
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