Nobody outside New York knew shit about Queens or Staten Island. And it’s still free to cross, because don’t even think about it!ĭuring the 20th century, Brooklyn had a way of stepping up and insisting on representing the rest of us. But the most famous bridge in the world is called the Brooklyn Bridge, as if they own that shit. Sure, they go to Manhattan far more often than Manhattanites go to Brooklyn. For them, it’s just a nice view, as if Manhattan did it all for them. Manhattan’s skyline towers over Brooklyn, but Brooklynites are unmoved. Brooklyn is also right there, just across the East River from lower Manhattan and, frankly, they’re pretty unimpressed by it. They’re all from this or that little neighborhood.īrooklynites are quick to let you know they’re from Brooklyn. But that vast space dissipates its identity. Queens is centrally located, has nearly two million people, and is by far the biggest borough by square mileage, nearly five times the size of Manhattan and twice Brooklyn. And as the only patch of New York City on the North American mainland, it’s poorly positioned to take center stage. The Bronx by itself would be the United States’ 6th largest city, after Philadelphia and before Phoenix, but it’s barely half the size of Brooklyn. It has less than 5% of the city’s population and is the only borough without a subway. The other boroughs simply could not compete with its muscle and magnitude. An independent city until 1898, millions of people were packed into a dense thicket of poor, working, and middle class neighborhoods. Its power stemmed from its moxie and its enormity. It dominated the city in ways that the other outer boroughs, and in some ways even shiny little Manhattan itself, never could. Growing up in the Bronx during the 1970 – 80s, Brooklyn was formidable. Brooklyn still had a strut that the other boroughs could not match. But when I was a kid, it just didn’t seem to matter. And of course we (that’s the proverbial “we,” not me in anyway) literally invented rap, later to be called hip hop, the world’s dominant musical and fashion force for at least a quarter-century now. We have a big zoo, if you’re into that kinda thing. The Yankees are the most successful sports franchise in world history. The Bronx doesn’t have a lot to hang its hat on, but the things we have are big. As a Bronx native, much to my chagrin, Brooklyn usually wins. But generally, it’s really not much of a contest. For example, hip hop was practically born from tussles between the Bronx and Queens. However, between the boroughs themselves there can be a bit of a rivalry, and Manhattan’s not really part of that, because Manhattan is just its own thing, leaving the other four that jostle and jockey for New York street cred. By and large, they’re very confident in their identity. Maybe that sounds like people from the outer boroughs have a chip on their shoulders. For the rest of us, it’s a job, it’s that place you have to take the subway to. Manhattan below 125th Street (in the old days below 110th) is a playground for the wealthy, a postcard for tourists to visit. The natives with roots and connections, and the immigrants who are life-and-death dedicated to making them, not the tourists who come for a weekend or a dozen years before trundling back to America. And as far as we’re concerned, we’re the real New Yorkers. Like me, you’re from one of the outer boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, or Staten Island. But if you’re actually from New York, then you’re very likely not from Manhattan. Manhattan always has been and always will be New York City’s geographic and economic center. “Change is pain.” -South African poet Mzwakhe Mbuli The table of contents with links to previous chapters is here. Millie says: ‘Changes’ is a beautiful and soulful album that is brimming with passion, creating a swaying jazz sensation.Stuck has been a weekly serial appearing at 3QD every Monday since November. “It makes me think of my mother and the changes in my life since she passed away.” “I think about the lyrics very closely when I sing ‘Changes’ and get emotional,” says Bradley. The album is named for his popular cover of the Black Sabbath track, previously only available as a Record Store Day 45. Dubbed “The Screaming Eagle of Soul,” the singer will release his third album 'Changes' on Apon Daptone Records imprint Dunham Records. Soul singer Charles Bradley’s star has been on the rise since the release of his widely praised 2011 debut album 'No Time For Dreaming', and his ascent has continued long after the release of his triumphant second album, 2013’s 'Victim of Love'.
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