Songs are cool and all, but they are 20 times better when you have a connection to them.
I'm not talking about that dumb shit people call "good music", I'm talking about a correlation that is bigger than yourself. Until I moved to Chicago I didn't really appreciate Kanye or Chance as much as I do now. Just imagine, these rappers walked these streets.
When they mention a place in Chicago I know what they are rapping about because I've been there, or have walked past it on my way to class! Below are some songs that make Chicagoans go wild!
1. "All Night" by Chance The Rapper
"Long discussions, oh you my cousin? No you wasn't, you just wanna ride, You just wanna talk about politics, Chicago shit and rocket ships".
2. "All Falls" Down by Kanye
"We gon' set this party off right
Oh when it all, it all falls down
Chi-Town, Chi-Town
We gon' show 'em how we get down
I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down"
3. "My Kind of Town" by Frank Sinatra
An oldie but a goodie! Although this is a little before my time, and probably most people my age wouldn't know this song, the older generation knows what I'm talking about!
"And each time I leave, Chicago is
Tuggin' my sleeve, Chicago is
The Wrigley building, Chicago is
The union stockyard, Chicago is
One town that won't let you down
It's my kind of town"
4. "Homecoming" by Kanye
"And guess what I heard that? When I was back home Every interview I'm representing you, making you proud Reach for the stars, so if you fall, you land on a cloud Jump in the crowd, spark your lighters, wave em' around If you don't know by now, I'm talking bout Chi-Town".
5. "Back to Chicago" by Styx
"I'm makin' my way back to Chicago
I'm makin' my way come rain or shine
I'm gonna find true love waiting for me
I'm gonna make it all work out for good this time".
6. "We Ride" by R. Kelly
"Yo yo yo yo ay yo from my town to Chi-Town
R. Kelly got some thugs to make you lock down
Voice cry hot sounds tied down cop twister".
7. "Don't Tell' Em" by Jeremih
"Know you say you down wit it
Won’t tell em how you hit the ground wit it
GIRL YOU KNOW I'M FROM CHICAGO, I act a fool, bobby brown wit it"
8. "She Was Hot" by The Rolling Stones
"Into the tall bamboo, back to the human zoo
I wish you all the best, I hope we meet again
In a cold Chicago night"
9. "No Problem" by Chance
"IF ONE MORE LABEL TRY TO STOP ME IT'S GON BE SOME DREADHEAD N*GG*S IN YA LOBBY, HU HUH"!
As soon as this comes on, you have to drop whatever it is you're doing and just sing along. I listen to this song in Naples with my friends from home, and it wasn't the same because THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!!
10. "In the Ghetto" by Elvis
"As the snow flies
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin'
A poor little baby child is born
In the ghetto "
This song is a little different. It is not one you sing along to, but rather a controversial one. "In the Ghetto" is to Chicago as "Fortunate Son" is to the Vietnam War. (If you haven't heard Fortunate Son, you have some history to catch up on).
11. "Trouble" by J. Cole
"Met a bad bitch from Chicago, my hat wasn't cocked, yo
Kept it straight, shit, cause y'all know
And if not, you'll learn how them n*gg*s in the Chi go"
12. "Deja Vu" by Beyoncé, JAY-Z
"Blow, wind so Chicago of him
Is he the best ever, that's the argu-a-ment
I don't make the list, don't be mad at me"
One of my favorite lyrics of all times!!
13. "All That Jazz" by Liza Minnelli
"Start the car, I know a whoopee spot
Where the gin is cold but the piano's hot
It's just a noisy hall, where there's a nightly brawl, And all - a-that - Ja-yazzz"
This was the musical that made me fall in love with Chicago (before I even visited)! Oh, I am so serious, I couldn't decide between going to school Chicago or going to school in Boston. Then I watched Chicago, and I made my decision based on a musical!