Warren Britt ft. YC The Cynic, J-Monopoly – In The City [Video]

New York hip hop. It’s the only reason why BirthplaceMag.com exists and of course, it’s probably the only reason why the genre itself exists, so as advocates for New York area rap, we save a special part of our heart for songs that pay homage to the Big Apple. When three hard-hustling NYC MCs, Warren Britt, YC The Cynic (one of our recent “5 Reasons New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck“) and J. Monopoly (of O.I.S.D.), join forces to deliver a heartfelt track on the subject, the Don Willi-produced “In The City,” we pay attention, and even more when the tribute is accompanied by a solid visual counterpart, in this case, a smooth  Hemamset Angaza-directed video.

Britt was nice enough to send a personal email alerting us to the video release, citing BirthplaceMag.com and our support for the underground as a partial inspiration for the video. We are honored that in our short existence, we have been able to spread our own message, that New York hip hop is alive and well, and that bubbling just out of sight of mainstream and most other hip hop media, there is a resurgence of progressive and enjoyable music in the tri-state. These artists, organizations and events inspire me to spend a part of every one of my days covering this music that I love, in the city of its birth. As I’ve stated in the past, our mission is to not only help bring NY hip hop “back,” but more importantly, to help move NY hip hop “forward”. These particular hard-working MCs, who appear at countless underground events, showcases and album release parties in the area, often supporting each other, are inspiring and we are honored to be appreciated reciprocally.

But enough mushy crap. What is this, an award ceremony? What you can do now is learn more about Warren Britt, check our review of YC The Cynic’s mixtape You’re Welcome and stay tuned, because we are definitely going to be bringing you more from J-Monopoly and the Operation Industry Shut Down collective in the near future. In the meantime, “In The City” invokes a Nas-like vibe, the verses are pure New York City, and the video is cleverly and creatively shot, thanks to Angaza, Director of Photography Jonathan Bailey and Editor Alex Ricciardi. The video features cameos from assorted NYC hip hop heads, such as Charlotte Mishell, Natty S. , Rashid Amir, X. Maximus, Knickie D., Dyalekt Raps, Donyetta Conrod, Mr. Beatz, E.Y.E. Q, Varyus Waise, and many more.

Britt, we appreciate the appreciation, and we will continue in our endeavors to bring the efforts of the NY-area hip hop underground to light for a larger audience. With that said, here is the video for “In The City”.