In the 5 a long time since DJ Kool Herc willed hip-hop into existence again in 1973, giving again to the neighborhood has been one in all the issues that has remained intact as a main focus of the tradition. Doing good for the hood is one thing that’s engrained inside hip-hop’s cloth. A extremely regarded type of this recognition is when rappers are introduced with a key to the metropolis.
The centuries-long custom not solely signifies that the recipient of a key to the metropolis has supplied an awesome profit to a sure neighborhood as an entire. It additionally serves as a direct implication {that a} rapper is universally beloved by the locations they name house.
Major cities throughout the nation have bestowed keys to the metropolis upon a few of hip-hop’s main figures via the years. Artists like Nicki Minaj beamed with pleasure when her hometown of Queens acknowledged her accomplishments each inside and outdoors of the vocal sales space with a key in 2017. When Drake was given Toronto’s key to the metropolis in 2016, he described the honor introduced to him by his house metropolis as “one of the greatest moments” of his life. That similar month in 2016, the metropolis of Compton blessed Kendrick Lamar with the time-honored award touting the hometown MC as a “phenomenal artist whose work has served as a catalyst to raise a new level of consciousness for this generation.”
With all that in thoughts, XXL highlights the many situations by which rappers and different hip-hop notables have been introduced with a key to the metropolis. Check out those that’ve acquired the honor beneath.
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