Puttin' On For Your City: An Analysis

by J. Brown

Confession: I really like T-Pain. Having attending college from 2004-2008, Mr. Pain was an integral part of my party-going experiences. It could even be argued that other than Lil' Wayne, T-Pain was the biggest hip-hop artist during that time period. In addition to having his own smash singles, like "Buy U a Drank", he was also featured on A LOT of other people's singles. Just look at this list of singles that he was featured on; his 2007 was insane. 

Graduating college should have put T-Pain in a strictly nostalgic place for me, somewhere along with Bacardi Limon, fake IDs and Ramen noodles. That hasn't happened. I still enjoy his music, and could probably spend an unnecessary amount of time spouting the merits of Thr33 Ringz. So the other day, I was listening to his latest album while mopping the floors in my house. (I'm still an adult, after all.) On the first song, he used a phrase that's overused in hip-hop, but for some reason, it made me think. Yes, I said it: T-Pain's music made me think. In the first verse - which is mostly just about being a baller and gettin' these hoes - T-Pain claims that he does it "for my hood." Though I've heard rappers say this countless times on records, for some reason, I really thought to myself, 'What does that actually mean?' How exactly does one "do it for their hood"?


At this point, I realized that I had probably put more thought into it than even T-Pain did when he said it. Trite phrases can be like that. People say them because it's just, what you say. You're supposed to rep your city, put on for your town, and do it for your hood. Jeezy made a whole song about it, for crying out loud. Neither he nor Kanye spent any parts of the song actually explaining what it is that they do for their respective cities, but no matter. It's just what you say.

I imagine that the idea of puttin' on for your city can be looked at in a variety of ways. First and foremost, it stands for representing where you're from. Not only does that mean proudly proclaiming your city of origin, but also presenting yourself in a manner that represents the demographic of that given city. Before touching on the second part of that, I want to discuss the first part for a moment. It always bothers me when you ask someone where they come from, and they'd name some more popular, nearby city. If you do this, you are a liar. You're not from Chicago; you're from Skokie. You're not from DC; you're from New Carrollton. You've never had an Atlanta address; you were born and raised in Macon. And I know, it's easier to just give people the closest city they've heard of because it's more relatable. But how in the world will they ever hear of your city if you never mention it? That ain't puttin' on. 

Rappers, for the most part, do a really good job of telling you where they're from. I imagine this stems from the fact that different geographical locations are often associated with different musical styles; saying I'm from Atlanta or Brooklyn means something in the context of hip-hop, so announcing my hometown gives the listener an indication of what type of music they can expect. For artists from lesser-established parts of the country, name-dropping their hometown can be a way of "putting it on the map", so to speak. Most of the country didn't even know that St. Louis had rappers before Nelly came out. In instances such as his, I think their mere presence on a national scale counts as a valid put-on.

The second part is interesting to me, especially in hip-hop, a genre which is largely dedicated to posturing and showmanship. If puttin' on for your city entails being a representation of the people in your city, does that mean your public persona should be a mock-up of your city's stereotypical resident in order to rep properly? Likewise, if I present myself in a manner that is unlike the folks from where I hail, does that mean I no longer represent them? If T.I. does it for Bankhead, Atlanta, are we to believe that most people from there also walk, talk and act like him? On the same token, if no one else in Harlem dresses or sounds like A$AP Rocky, does that mean he's not repping properly? I imagine any of those things could be surmised, depending on who you ask. Wale, as an example, probably introduced the DC go-go sound to a lot of people around the country who had never heard it before through his music. However, a lot of hip-hop fans who are actually from DC don't think he does enough to represent the District. So is he puttin' on or not? The answer is completely subjective.

So, being proud of your hometown and standing as an archetype of your city's people could be one way to look at it. But perhaps puttin' on for your city could also represent the effect that one's fame and fortune has on the current inhabitants of said city. Let's use T-Pain as an example here. He's from Tallahassee, FL. For most people, the only thing we know about this panhandle city is that it's where Florida State plays. When you think about rappers, singers, and really, anyone talented, most people don't think to go scouting in Tallahassee. With that in mind, what effect might T-Pain's success have on the people of Tallahassee? Could his success alone count as a positive for his hometown, even if he never goes back and does anything else for them again? And how exactly can you quantify influence?

After being called out by Harry Belafonte for not using his money and influence towards social justice issues often enough, Jay-Z famously responded by claiming that his presence is charity. From Jay's perspective, his journey from Marcy Projects to millionaire status is an inspiration in and of itself. Whether or not he ever donates a single dollar to the current dwellers of Marcy, he feels he's already donated his life story. The way Jay sees it, any little project kid now knows that he too can be rich and famous one day, because Jay-Z did it. This is the same line of thinking that's used by people who believe that Black children are now intrinsically more motivated to succeed because their President is Black. (Again, thanks Jeezy.) 

Personally, I don't really buy this. I've never seen anyone gain more opportunities for success simply by seeing someone else become successful. It's great for young Black children to have examples of Black success like Obama and Jay-Z, especially considering that these examples didn't exist not too long ago, but having people to look up to doesn't necessarily have any significant impact on your life. When I was growing up, most of us looked up to Michael Jordan, but we still can't ball like him. Likewise, most project kids won't be the next Jay-Z, and most Black kids won't make it to the White House. Regardless of my opinion, maybe artists really do feel that their success makes a difference. If their riches & fame help their hometown folks feel better about themselves, I'm all for it. From this perspective, maybe making it rain while yelling "Detroit!!" counts as puttin' on, too.

There's one last definition that could be used to describe what puttin' on for your city really means. That is, of course, giving back. Let's say I don't constantly yell the name of my hometown on my songs, and I don't serve as a true representation of the people who live there. Maybe the locals don't even look up to me like they look up to Jay-Z. But instead, I'm donating to the local schools, performing free concerts, and organizing voting registration drives. Is this puttin' on, or does it only count if I share it with the rest of the world? 

As an example, Denzel Washington is from Mt. Vernon, NY, which is also my hometown. I know that every year, he donates money to the local Boys & Girls Club. Most people outside of Mt. Vernon would never know that. In fact, most people don't even know that Denzel is from Mt. Vernon. So, that lends itself to a deeper question: Is puttin' on for your city really for your city, or is it for everyone else? 

In a day and age when everyone is looking for ways to prove themselves as unique outliers, maybe repping your city is just another way to differentiate yourself. It's hard to truly know what an artist means when they say they "do it for their hood". We can only use context clues to try to figure out what it means for them. What we do know for certain is that with great power comes great responsibility. Whether that means name-dropping, showing off how rich you are, or actual philanthropy, those in power must decide for themselves what they think is the best way to put on.