The Top 10 Hip Hop Videos Ever Filmed In Queens — Plus a Special Bonus Track

Wikimedia commons photo by Mikamote

Editor’s Note: Explicit content.

By Eagle Staff

News of the State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park receiving a $16.4 million FEMA cash infusion prompted Queens Economic Development Corporation spokesperson Rob MacKay — the borough’s biggest cheerleader — to recall famous films and notable concerts set near the Tent of Tomorrow.

Inspired by that recollection, the Eagle decided to take a walk down memory lane to highlight some of the most iconic hip hop videos filmed in the borough, including a few near the site of the World’s Fair.

1. // Let’s take it back to the 1990s when A Tribe Called Quest took everyone on “A World Tour”

2.// Back when Amazon was just a glimmer in Jeff Bezos’ eye, Nasty Nas with the chip-toothed smile consistently featured the Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City in almost all his earlier videos. Check out “Nas is Like.”

3. // The Queens rap duo Mobb Deep also featured the Queensbridge Houses — the largest public housing development in North America — in their videos.

4. // J. Cole is a native of Fayetteville, NC, but he came to Jamaica, NY to attend St. John’s University, there he graduated summa cum laude and rode on an MTA bus for “False Prophets.”

5.// Long before Nicki Minaj had a Barbz fan club she was killing freestyles throughout Southside Jamaica.

6. // Few hip hop groups could contend with The Lost Boyz, who dished out heavy hits like “Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimas & Benz”

7. // Can’t make a Queens music list without mentioning Jamaica’s 50 Cent.

8. // And you can’t mention 50 Cent without bringing up his arch nemesis Ja Rule. These Queens rappers went at it in their rhymes for years — well, at least 50 did.

9. // Rest in Peace to Chinx, whose career was just getting started when he was murdered in Queens.

10. // And another RIP to Craig Mack, who put some iconic flava in our ear.

11. // But Queens features more than just all-time hip hop stars. Here’s an example of the borough’s diversity.