A History of Rap's Obsession With Paris

The Throne performs "N***as In Paris" there tonight-but they weren't the first hip-hop artists to be fascinated with France's capital city.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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By the time you read this in America, Jay-Z and Kanye West will be taking the stage in France for another date on the European leg of their Watch The Throne tour. That means, in true meta fashion, the superstar rap duo will, for the first time, perform "Niggas In Paris"... in Paris.

It's a benchmark for the genre's long-standing obsession with the pristine French city. Ricky Powell took a now-iconic photo of Run-D.M.C. in front of the Eiffel Tower when they visited over two decades ago. More recently, A$AP Rocky shot a video there and MCs like Tyga and Young Jeezy put together extensive vlogs documenting their Parisian excursions.

Like most examples of exhibitionism in hip-hop, the desire to show off one's experience in Paris comes from a place of aspiration. International travel is a sign that you've made it, and few places are more globally recognizable than Paris. Plus, you can buy a lot of Louis Vuitton there. Continue reading for a complete look at rap's 25-year relationship with the City of Light.

Written by Ernest Baker (@newbornrodeo)

Run-D.M.C. takes Paris

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Q-Tip on A Tribe Called Quest's "Luck Of Lucien"

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Raekwon on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx classic "Ice Cream"

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Nas on "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)"

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Kool G. Rap on "Da Heat"

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Ghostface Killah on "Ghost Deini"

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Outkast performs "Gasoline Dreams"

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Tha Liks member J-Ro on "Sickness"

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Clipse's Pusha T on "Cot Damn"

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Cam'ron on "I'm Ready"

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Kanye West has a flight to catch on "Punk'd"

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Nas on "Bridging the Gap"

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Ghostface Killah on "Back Like That"

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Ghostface Killah on "Clipse of Doom"

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Mariah Carey and Pharrell shoot the "Say Something" video in Paris

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Lil Wayne on "Getting Some Head"

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Andre 3000 on Lloyd's "You" remix

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Chamillionaire on "Money Already Made"

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Common on "Southside"

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Lupe Fiasco on "Paris, Tokyo"

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Chino XL on Akwid's "Ombligo A Ombligo (Bad Girl)" remix

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Lupe Fiasco and Gemini on "We On"

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Wiz Khalifa on "Teach You To Fly"

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Rick Ross on "Lay Back"

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Zion I on "Critical"

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Curren$y on "Sail On"

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Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa on How Fly track, "All Over"

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Drake on "My Darling Baby"

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Royce 5' 9" on Slaughterhouse's "2.0 Boys."

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Beastie Boys take Paris

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Diddy releases his "Last Train To Paris" album

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Pharrell on "The Game Has Changed"

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Tyler, The Creator on "Goblin"

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Canibus on "Lyrical Noir"

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Kreayshawn visits popular Paris boutique, Colette

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U-God on "225 Rounds"

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Jay-Z and Kanye West release "N***as In Paris"

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14. Crooked I on Yelawolf's "Hard White" remix

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Mac Miller performs at La Cigale

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Kanye West debuts his first fashion collection in Paris

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Stalley sells out La Bellevilloise

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Pitbull spoofs The Throne with "Latinos in Paris"

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Shyne and Diddy reunite in Paris

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Kid Cudi shows off some new gear in Paris

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Big Sean on "Mercy"

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Kanye West on "Cold"

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Waka Flocka hits Paris for a SPIN cover story

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A$AP Rocky shoots his "Goldie" video in Paris

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Big Sean on "Life Should Go On"

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Young Jeezy releases his "European Takeover" vlog

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Tyga releases a vlog detailing his Careless World tour stop in Paris

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