Yeah, Yeah, I already thought of Straight Outta Compton

January 13, 2011 2:44 PM

I am Looking for rap songs that are about or reference specific neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Help?
posted by orville sash to Media & Arts (17 answers total)

Well, I assume Compton is adequately covered in your library. How about "The Next Episode" off of Dre's Chronic 2001? That lists off at least 7 or 8 different neighborhoods that they creep through.
posted by norm at 2:48 PM on January 13, 2011 [2 favorites]

straight outta compton (nwa) or do you mean "echo park" neighborhoody?
posted by anya32 at 2:49 PM on January 13, 2011

eek, my computer didn't show me your title ... duh! seconding "the next episode"
posted by anya32 at 2:51 PM on January 13, 2011

you can do a search for neighborhoods here (rap lyrics website) - it's not comprehensive, though, but probably a good start.
posted by anya32 at 2:55 PM on January 13, 2011

Dr. Dre w/ Snoop Dogg - Next Episode ("Dippin' in hoods / Compton, Long Beach, Inglewood")
Snoop Dogg - Gin and Juice ("So much drama in the LBC")
Skee-Lo - I Wish ("So many people want to cruise Crenshaw on Sunday")
posted by mhum at 2:59 PM on January 13, 2011

Cube's "Now I Gotta Wet'Cha" features some unkind words about Simi Valley, which is not properly part of LA, and somewhat dated. But kind of awesome nonetheless.
posted by norm at 3:02 PM on January 13, 2011

2Pac - California Love
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 3:07 PM on January 13, 2011 [2 favorites]

The Beastie Boys, "So What'cha Want;" Gardena is technically its own town, but it's over by Lawndale and so on in the South Bay.

(Not very impressive when you're, say, driving down Rosecrans singing that you're the illest motherfucker from here to Gardena.)
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 3:18 PM on January 13, 2011

You could talk to these guys.
posted by phil at 3:22 PM on January 13, 2011

Well Cypress Hill is a group, not a song, does that count?
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:23 PM on January 13, 2011

"L.A." by Murs
posted by chrchr at 3:27 PM on January 13, 2011

Ohhla has more lyrics than rapartists.com. If you combine that with Wikipedia's list of LA neighborhoods and a series of Google site searches (like "'Echo Park' site:ohhla.com"), you ought to come up with a very long list.
posted by box at 4:28 PM on January 13, 2011

This is How We Do It by Montell Jordan (South Central)
posted by fuse theorem at 4:58 PM on January 13, 2011

Brotha Lynch Hung has a lot of songs about Garden Block. Bambu's "Crooks and Castles" calls out some spots.
posted by yeloson at 5:39 PM on January 13, 2011

Regulators - east side of the lbc, and 213.
posted by lain at 6:11 PM on January 13, 2011

I Left My Wallet in El Segundo
posted by sanko at 10:02 PM on January 13, 2011

Mack 10 has a bunch of songs about Inglewood, Ice-T's first "hit" was Justiceville (about a homeless squatter neighborhood), and he also has plenty of songs that reference Crenshaw.
posted by klangklangston at 10:54 AM on January 16, 2011