Side Note

*All of this is public information that can easily be found online. These are statistics that I have received for this blog.

Aye y'all, start leaving some comments. Let this be a peaceful forum where you can say what you think. I wanna see which hoods you guys think are the most dangerous. Let me know what you guys do in your area and which areas you feel are the worst around you. Oh yea, and I just put this poll up too, so have at it...

Update

Okay, the 2007 rankings are in: Most Dangerous Cities One thing to remember is this is not an exact science. These are calculated by criminal statistics in relation to the population in a given city. So, essentially a city will rank highly if there is a high rate of crime and a small population. But some cities are just ghetto as fuck, and they rank highly despite their high population. But this is all still up to debate...


1. St. Louis, MO
2. Detroit, MI
3. Flint, MI
4. Compton, CA
5. Camden, NJ
6. Birmingham, AL
7. Cleveland, OH
8. Oakland, CA
9. Youngstown, OH
10. Gary, IN

Where the Hood At?

Aight, it's time to start that age old debate. What city is the worst in the U.S.? Which areas keep it hood and have their own patented styles. I would love to hear feedback from others about what they do in their areas. Anyone can feel free to post comments.

This can even spill over to worst in the World... but since I've only left the U.S. one time (Tijuana...and I got arrested; but that's another story) I really have no say about hoods around the World. The U.S. is my specialty. After traveling around some with the And 1 Mixtape tour I've been able to see a lot of ghettos in the U.S. Though I haven't seen all, here are some of my thoughts.

New York. You've gotta start the debate with NY. Queensbridge Projects - biggest housing projects in the U.S. You've got notorious killers like Pappy Mason coming from this area. And you've gotta take it out to the West Coast and talk about notoriously ghetto areas such as Watts and Compton. We've also got crime rankings listing the most dangerous cities. Camden New Jersey, St. Louis and Detroit are frequently tops on this list. This can also be a blog to let people know about some of the smaller, lesser known areas that keep it hood and represent their own style.

New York City

Like I said, you've gotta start the conversation with New York City. It's the biggest and has the most hoods of any city. In NYC gang related incidents went up 47.3% from 2005-2006. You can find Latin Kings in NYC and North Jersey. And the Bloods have a strong presence in Newark. There are MS-13s even out in Long Island now. And New York has always had a strong Mafia presence with the amount of Italian immigrants coming into Ellis Island back in the day. There is also a strong Latino/Puerto Rican Mafia gang structure alive in the city. Despite New York not making the most dangerous list, I would still have to say that in certain parts, you can find the most hardened gangsters in the U.S. But, there are many hoods out there.

You start out with Harlem. It doesn't get better than summertime at the Rucker. As the United States moved from an agrarian to an industrial society many impoverished minorities had to move from rural areas to urban centers to find work. Harlem became a home for many people searching for work. With an incredible amount of unemployment and a rapidly growing population, it became a crime filled area.

Harlem is located in the borough of Manhattan. Since the Harlem Renaissance it has been considered the birthplace of African-American culture in the U.S. West Harlem is west of St. Nicholas Ave. and north of 123d St. In Central Harlem you've got Marcus Garvey Park and Sugar Hill. And East Harlem is Spanish Harlem (south of 116th). The crime rate has gone down in Harlem as of late but back in the 80s and early 90s the crime in Harlem would probably have earned it the title of most dangerous. There were different Cuban, Puerto Rican and African American gangs competing for control over crack on the streets. Everything was out of control.

Brooklyn- Crooklyn definitely keeps it very hood. There are Bloods and Crips out in New York now. They can be found in all the boroughs. If you're talking about Brooklyn you've gotta get into Bedford-Stuyvesant, "the livest one." Bed-Stuy is bordered by East New York, Brownsville, Canarsie and Crown Heights. As Harlem became very overcrowded, many African-Americans moved into Bed-Stuy. Home of Biggie and Jay, Bed-Stuy has been a center for many African-American movies as well as artists. "Do the Right Thing" was shot there. But the crime in Bed-Stuy has gone down a little bit as of late. Bed-Stuy has been territory for a lot of gang violence too.

Queens - Queens has probably been the borough reppin' the hardest as of late. There is a strong gang and violence presence there. And Queens has been getting crazy spins on the radio. Fifty, Nas and Mobb Deep come to mind. But what about Pappy Mason and the Son of Sam. What you know about the Supreme Team? These are real gangsters. Not the fags you see dancing on MTV. You hear rappers mention Prince and Supreme in some of their raps. The Supreme Team worked like a company, selling 25,000 vials of crack a week in Jamaica Queens. Many in the area have tried to emulate their operation. They were revered as stars. Many accounts say they were pulling in easily over 200,000 bills a day. Run by Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and Gerald "Prince" Miller. For some more in depth info about Prince and Preme check out the Gorilla Convict Blog http://gorillaconvict.com/blog. It is one of the best blogs out there about the streets I have ever read. I would have to say Queens is now the hardest borough in New Jack City.

South Bronx, South South Bronx - The birthplace of rap. The Bronx is definitely a very interesting place with a rich history. In some ways it is a sad history because the Bronx has been home to strong racial tensions over the years. This is not saying that the same things haven't happened in other boroughs but the Bronx has seen too much violence due to racial issues. A Bronx Tale, a gangster story with Robert DeNiro portrays the Bronx back in the day. A mafia area with high racial tensions. The Bronx is definitely a crime-filled area. The Bronx is the northernmost borough and touches the New York City mainland.

Los Angeles

Inglewood Bloods. Hoover Crips. These titles have become fairly commonly thrown around in songs and movies portraying gangstas and crime. But one thing you guys might not know about L.A. is the crazy ass neo-nazi gangs that exist. The Aryan Brotherhood has a strong contingent out there in Cali. You could truly write an entire novel about the gang structure that exists out in L.A. and surrounding areas. And the Mexican gangs are very alive in Los Angeles. They are some of the strongest. Some of the Mexican gangs have a Mafia type structure to them and many are very ruthless. You've got bloody gang battles all over the place: Eight Trey Crips and the Rollin' 60s Crips = upwards of 400 deaths. For some neighborhoods that's some crazy bloodshed. "Gangbangin' is real" says rapper the Game. The Game comes from the Cedar Block Blood Gang from the West Side of Compton. According to many he's a legit dude in the streets. Someone not to mess with in Compton. He's been speaking out on 50's snitching as of late. For those who have never heard 50's ghetto qu'ran he was accused of snitching in this song and some others. Again check out Gorilla Convict Blog for some more information on this.

Compton- I'm sure everyone has heard of Compton. From N.W.A to the Game this is one of the most advertised ghettos in the World. Compton has a homicide rate of about eight times higher than the national average and most of this is coming from gang violence. Many people think that Compton has become safer as of late, but even in 2006 Compton was ranked very dangerous in the rankings of most dangerous places to live. Compton is located southeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is technically a suburb but because of the widespread poverty, most think of Compton as part of the inner-city.

Watts- History like the Watts riots in the 60's are what Watts is known by to many people today. Violent actions are what have defined Watts and still do to this day. Many people think of Watts as completely African-American but that is just not the case. According to the census Watts is only 37% African-American. And the crime here has gone down as of late due in large part to the famous cease fire from some of Watts' most notorious gangs: the Grape Street Watts Crips, the Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods, and the PJ Watts Crips.

But like I said, there are neo-Nazi all white gangs scattered throughout Los Angeles and the surrounding areas through much of California. These gangs originated in the California prison system in order to protect the white inmates from the Black and Hispanic gangs. This area is also highly concentrated with Surrenos and some Nortenos who are both very dangerous hispanic gangs. Not to mention, a huge contingent of Asian gangs that are growing rapidly in the L.A. area. I heard a report recently that many L.A. Asian gangs are the fastest growing. Because it can be very dangerous to be in L.A. when you are not familiar with gang territories some parts of L.A. may have to be considered the most dangerous in the world. I once heard an OG from the south telling of his troubles in L.A. He said that it was common for him in Atlanta and some other hoods down south to call anyone younger than him "youngblood." This caused him some problems in South Central for obvious reasons.

Chicago

Chicago also has a historically gangster past (seems to be the theme with all major American cities). From the days of Al Capone and his Cicero takeover to all the corrupt politics that have followed, Chicago has been for decades a very criminal minded place. The land of Vice Lords and GDs. The Vice Lords started up in Lawndale on Chicago's West side. This is a ruthless street gang with many different factions. There are also Spanish Vice Lords now. A lot of Chicago violence comes from the rivalry between Vice Lords and GDs, or Gangster Disciples.

The Gangster Disciples were formed in Chicago's South Side and are part of the Folk Nation. A large amalgamation of street gangs containing some other smaller gangs. The GDs are the largest of the Folk Nation. They hang around the Engelwood area in the South side of Chicago. Engelwood would have to be considered the most heavy gang banging area in Chicago. There have been about 700 murders in this area in the last 10 years, which is very high for an area of about 40,000 inhabitants. The Latin Kings also have a very strong presence in Chicago and many other cities throughout the U.S. The Latin Kings began as a group to promote the advancement of Puerto Ricans. The group expanded rapidly. The Latin Kings even have a very strong presence in the Catalonia region of Spain.

Chicago is "a city of neighborhoods" and there is a lot of debate between Chicagoans as to which part of Chicago is the worst. In my opinion, I would have to give it to Engelwood. Hands down. The "wild hunnits" keep it hood to. I mean, you can find real hoods all throughout Chicago but I would really have to give it to Engelwood. One overlooked area in Chicago is the West side. You always hear talk of the South side as stereotypically being the worst, and it is bad, but the west side might be just as bad, if not worse. There are plenty of vacant lots and hood areas in the west side. If you're light-skinned don't find yourself in the wild hunnits or roseland. And if you aren't Mexican don't find yourself on some parts of the West side.

Detroit

Detroit has a lot of the same gang structure as Chicago. But they have a different style in Detroit. And Detroit adds a crazy ass white trash population to the mix. Detroit's murder rate is 5.16 times the national average. There are many run down and abandoned buildings in Detroit. Outsourcing has really hurt Detroit more than many other cities because much of the city's working class works in the auto industry which has been outsourced heavily. Because of this, there seems to be a general hopelessness in Detroit. This is one of the major cities that I have not had the opportunity to visit too frequently, but from my few visits I really might give most dangerous to Detroit. There are parts where it seems like everyone you see is a junkie, looking to rob. And some parts of the city are just filled with abandoned houses which is pretty creepy. Especially when there are crackheads and crooks hanging around.

Like most major U.S. cities, the crack boom hit Detroit very hard. You may not know about true gangsters like the Chambers brothers who brought crack to Detroit. They owned a convenience store on the east side right by St. Clair. They started out selling cigarettes, chips, and home-grown marijuana. Then, when the Chambers brothers found out how to make crack cocaine they started pushing it from the convenience store. It blew up so quickly, that they started buying whole blocks in the city. The lines were so long in single family houses that they needed apartment complexes to move the crack from. In my opinion, Detroit has recovered the least out of most major cities since the 80s crack boom.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia has always been notorious for corruption ever since the political machines of the early 20th century. And the Philly Mafia has always had strong control over the city. In many parts of the city it is very obvious where the Mafia has left their mark. There is also a strong street gang presence in the city. The gangs out in Philly remind me a lot of what you might see in New York. Many feel that as of late, Philly has been growing more and more dangerous. There have even recently been city wide demands to stop the killing in Philadelphia. So far in 2007 there have been a bunch and in 2006 there were 406 murders. It's no joke out there on the streets of Philly. People are dying every day.

When I was out in Philadelphia a couple years back they had to implement the Operation Safe Schools program. This was a response to two after school shootings in Philadelphia. I mean, shit is crazy out in their school systems. As far as I've heard the Bloods and Crips and other large gangs are not present in Philadelphia. Some of them are but for the most part, the gangs to be found are well established gangs that started way back in the 70s. But most of these gangs are very localized. A lot of these gangs attract very young members because many of them are fairly unorganized.

Oakland

Cocland- One of the very first cities to get hit by the 80s crack boom, Oakland has truly never looked back. The murder rate in Oakland saw a major increase from 2005 to 2006 and they also see a large number of fights at their crazy ass "sideshows." For those who don't know, this is when you see a bunch of wild ass OakTown people at an intersection doing all types of crazy shit with their cars. Doin donuts, dancin, all types of crazy shit... and most of them are drugged out. Out of the hoods I've been to, I might have to give the award for craziest people to Oakland. It's like the people out there stay fucked up 24/7 and they do some of the craziest stunts you will see.

The land of Felix Mitchell. This is another true G most of you guys don't know about. If you are not from the Oakland area, chances are you haven't heard of him. He was an East Oakland cat who gained monopolistic control of crack in Oakland. It is estimated that his crew was pulling in a million a month back in the 80s. Mitchell loved giving back to the community in Oakland too though, and there are reports of him taking Oakland children on field trips. He was like a superstar in Oakland, people would watch him drive by, hoping to catch a glimpse of him on the road. After he died his funeral had a procession through Oakland in which he was carried by a horse and carriage and thousands of residents lined the streets to pay homage. It was as if he was a king.

One thing to note about Oakland, that is similar to cities like Camden New Jersey, is that it is basically one big ghetto. Most cities obviously have nicer areas and rougher areas. However, Oakland has virtually no nice area. This is because Oakland is basically the ghetto of San Fransisco. San Fransisco has hardly any rough areas. Oakland's population is 416,000, so by large city standards it's not really too huge. However, because it is basically one big ghetto, it sees a lot crime. Oakland does not have the same South Central California gang structure as much of California. Most of the gangs in Oakland were formed as selling gangs during the crack boom, and a lot of them have stayed together. This is not to say that there are none of the traditional gangs to be found in Oakland, because they can obviously be found there. They are just not as prevalent in Oakland.

New Orleans

I've only been to New Orleans once so I really don't know the extent of what goes on there, but I do know that New Orleans has many times been the "per-capita" murder capital of the nation. What this means is that New Orleans had the highest murder rate per 100,000 people. This is a way to adjust for cities with smaller populations than the major cities. Before Katrina, New Orleans was on pace to be far and away the most deadly city in the U.S. The F.B.I has described the gangs in New Orleans as "small, loosely organized, and hard to track."

Time Magazine did an article about how bad the bloodshed in New Orleans was before Katrina. They cited two gangs "the Dooney Boys and 3 n G" as ruthless. They said they were "tearing up the streets of New Orleans." The article talks about how everyone in New Orleans follows the G code and never snitches. There has been 30 year long struggles between police in New Orleans and witnesses who won't talk. This is because New Orleans' gangsters have had a long history of killing snitches who testify in court. This has created a city of people scared into silence. They gave a figure that said 93% of the cases in New Orleans do not result in jail time. Which is pretty insane.

Also, as New Orleans is rebuilding, there have been reports that more organized gangs have been coming into the community. There have been arrests of MS-13 members as well as Latin Kings now in New Orleans. Time Magazine also noted that many of the gang members from New Orleans who were forced to evacuated fled to Houston. There were 30 New Orleans evacuees arrested in Houston for various crimes. And DEA agents believe many of these New Orleans residents set up strong ties with some junkies and dealers from Houston.

Houston

I have also not been to Houston too many times in my days. But it has ranked as tops in homicides a couple years, so there is definitely a lot of dangerous shit going on in Houston. Houston started getting major recognition on a mainstream scale around 2005 when chopped and screwed Texas music started hitting MTV. But Houston has been a very dangerous city for quite some time. There is history of rivalry between North and South Houston. And there have been major gang movements in Houston as of late. That's all I really know about Houston for now, hopefully I'll get the chance to visit sometime soon.

Atlanta

Atlanta is considered to be the most heavily forested urban area in the U.S. What does this mean? The criminals and gangs and mafia have hiding places for their illegal contraband and dead bodies. In 2004 Atlanta had 151 homicides but the number has gone down since then. In my travels through Atlanta I saw some very rough areas. The ghettos of Atlanta have a very different look. Many have a small town feel because the city is fairly spread out and many areas are wooded. The gang structure there is different than many other cities. I am not as familiar with the gang structure in Atlanta however I'm sure there is some sort of Mafia presence. Many of the famous strip clubs in Atlanta have mob ties. There is also a strong Mexican mafia/gang presence in the city from what I've heard.

But also, from my trips, I noticed something kind of funny about the city. Atlanta seems to have the highest amount of fake ass thugs per capita when compared to any other city. It seems as though every middle class kid and teenager in Atlanta wants to dance around and pretend to be hard. It could be that it was just coincidence from what I saw when I was there, but for the most part it looked like there were a lot of fakers runnin' around in Atlanta.

St. Louis

St. Louis is ranked the Most Dangerous city in the U.S. for 2007. However, I have recently found out that this data is heavily skewed because St. Louis is an independent city and the surrounding suburbs are not counted in this factor. Much of St. Louis county and St. Charles county are not included in this crime ranking. This makes it so the only parts of St. Louis that are counted are rougher areas such as downtown and East St. Louis. The rape rate per 100,000 residents in East St. Louis was 342.4 compared to 17.6 in New York. This is insanely high. I mean, its like rapes are happening daily in East St. Louis. And the murder rate per 100,000 is 63.4 which is also insanely high. The assault rate is 6,489. These are figures that are just unheard of.

So, I am not saying that St. Louis is not rough because those figures obviously speak for themselves. But I am just not sure if St. Louis is the Most Dangerous. Also, St. Louis has a strong gang presence. Strangely enough the gang structure in St. Louis, especially East St. Louis, reminds me of the structure in Oakland. Many of the gangs were set up back in the olden days and are based around drug trafficking in localized neighborhoods. I definitely do think that due to the high crime rates and murder rates the gangs of St. Louis do bring about a strong claim for the title of Most Dangerous. It is always a tough call.

Miami

Movies like Scarface and Cocaine Cowboys have immortalized Miami gangsters. Most of them reached their peak in the 80's during the Cocaine and Crack boom. Gangs in Miami were obviously incredibly violent in these times because of the competition for unbelievable amounts of money. When I go to Miami I see a true diversity of people and many ruthless ethnic gangs. The disparity in wealth in the city rivals that of Los Angeles. Ranging from the insanely wealthy to very poor illegals. This is an obvious mix that breeds criminals. Miami as a city has such strong Latin American ties and the Port of Miami has long been a prime location for criminal activity. Because it is a port city, Miami has seen many illegal weapons and substances cross the borders over the years. This has fueled gangs tension and a lot of the gang violence in Miami seems to racially driven. All in all I would have to say Miami has gotten safer over the years since the days of the Cocaine Dons.