Without name dropping and geo-repping, there would be no rap music. From mentioning one's own city several times, to talking about exotic vacations, rappers love to flex their social studies muscles, even if they can't point to the places on a map. Thanks to Tahir Hemphill and a little inspiration from Pablo Picasso, they won't need to because it's all mapped out for them with a pretty white light.
Hemphill used his Hip Hop Word Count lyrics database to plot the coordinates of the places that rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, and Nas have mentioned in various songs from their catalogues. He then used the data to program a robotic arm holding a light pen to connect the dots. The results are these awesome drawings that show the "lyrical journeys" of your favorite MCs, a collection that Hemphill has dubbed "Maximum Distance. Minimum Displacement."
To check out more of the series and to read a bit about the songs used for each drawing, head to Hemphill's Staple Crops website.
RELATED: But You Don't Hear Me Though: 13 Commonly Misheard Rap Lyrics
RELATED: Shout-Outs to Defunct NYC Clubs in Rap Lyrics
[via TheVerge]
