Within the 5 a long time since DJ Kool Herc willed hip-hop into existence again in 1973, giving again to the neighborhood has been one of many issues that has remained intact as a major focus of the tradition. Doing good for the hood is one thing that’s engrained inside hip-hop’s material. A extremely regarded type of this recognition is when rappers are offered with a key to town.

The centuries-long custom not solely signifies that the recipient of a key to town has offered an incredible profit to a sure neighborhood as a complete. It additionally serves as a direct implication {that a} rapper is universally beloved by the locations they name house.

Main cities all around the nation have bestowed keys to town upon a few of hip-hop’s main figures by the years. Artists like Nicki Minaj beamed with satisfaction when her hometown of Queens acknowledged her accomplishments each inside and outdoors of the vocal sales space with a key in 2017. When Drake was given Toronto’s key to town in 2016, he described the distinction offered to him by his house metropolis as “one of many best moments” of his life. That very same month in 2016, the metropolis of Compton blessed Kendrick Lamar with the time-honored award touting the hometown MC as a “phenomenal artist whose work has served as a catalyst to lift a brand new stage of consciousness for this era.”

With all that in thoughts, XXL highlights the numerous situations during which rappers and different hip-hop notables have been offered with a key to town. Take a look at those that’ve obtained the distinction beneath.

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