Yes, folks you read that correctly. Desiigner,’s hit record, Panda just became the first NY rap song to go number one on the Billboard Top 100 Chart. No NY based rapper has done that since, the southern biter and NYC native, Mims with his 2007 hit, This is Why Im hot. Back then Mim’s took a lot of heat because of the song’s intentional southern influence and because of lines like,

“This is why I’m hot, I don’t gotta rap/I could sell a mill sayin’ nothing on the track.” ~ Mims

Fast forward 9 years later in 2016, it is Brooklyn native and G.O.O.D Music artist, Desiigner that is bringing the borough back to prominence in music but is he? Though his single has garnered much success on radio and billboard charts, the 19 year-old emcee has been dragged online the last few months by those claiming that he bit, Future’s sound and style. That criticism has a very great deal of legitimacy as Desiigner does sound quite identical to Future.

Future of course is an Atlanta artist, and he has not been happy with the attempted imitation. However, though many say that Desiigner jacked Future’s sound, Desiigner with just one single to date has already fared better on the charts than Future ever has with any of his singles. Though Future seems to be the brightest star in The Trap, the highest spot that the Freebandz General has reached with his own records is, No. 28.  His DS2 single, “Where Ya At” featuring Drake made it to number 28, as well as his Evol single, “Low Life” featuring the Weeknd.

Desiigner is the first artist signed to G.O.O.D Music since, Pusha T took over duties as President of the company. It should be noted that Panda’s success should be partially credited to Kanye West. The G.O.O.D Music, leader found the record and remixed it, calling it “Father Stretch My Hands Part II. That track appeared on his latest album, The Life of Pablo which obviously brought a lot of attention to Desiigner.

Panda is clearly a hot record but it is clear that it does not sound northern at all. To Desiigner’s credit, fans do not have a huge sample size of his material which makes it difficult to totally knock him. Contrary to the track’s sound and resemblance to Future, Desiigner does have a number one record and that is something NY Hip Hop fans and artists should be proud of. Or should they?

New York, though once the Mecca of Hip Hop has now been disregarded in exchange for a love affair with brass beats, southern dialects and Atlanta sound. Atlanta has been the staple of Hip Hop for almost the last decade and NY artists have been struggling to get any national recognition with their natural sound. In 2006, Fat Joe recorded a hit record with, “Make it Rain,” featuring Lil Wayne but he rapped some lyrics that stirred mass controversy but raised many points.

Now why’s everybody so mad at the south for/Change your style up/Switch to southpaw/Jada, I was listenin’/So I made him a anthem to make some dividends~ Fat Joe

It is no secret that Atlanta and the south is dominating music but the question remains what does that mean for NY and other East Coast artists? It appears that artist are leaning towards adopting a southern sound to appeal to the masses. New Tri-State artists that have experienced national success, include Harlem’s ASAP Rocky, ASAP Ferg, and New Jersey’s, Fetty Wap but they also have been criticized for sounding southern. Up and coming artists who have more of an authentic sound such as, Troy Ave and Dave East have struggled with getting that same recognition. Their production and deliveries clearly scream NY and that seems to be the problem.

Are the days of that original New York sound, that included gritty lyrics, hyper aggression and flat out realness behind us or will NY rappers get the rest of the country to come back east?

~TayJordan