I haven't been to Chicago in five or six years - I certainly wasn't there in the Kanye West or Lupe Fiasco era, but when Common was - and still is - king. This was before "Corners," which is a brilliant reflection of his streets, and universal streets, to us all. At that time, I was able to better understand, how from the same area code, Common and Malik Yusef could make the brilliant "My City" while Crucial Conflict's "Hey" are in the same vain. Different attitudes, different life perspectives, different plans of action, but just as the choices made on the streets, neither is more justified than the next. Whichever side of Chicago delivers the Hip Hop that I'm listening to at the time, I can feel the wind, see the Cadillacs and I almost always get hungry for some of that city's incredible cuisine - though "The Food" was misleading in its title, about that.

As I write this, I have little doubt that Grand Theft Auto is educating many outsiders on what New York City is like. Although there’s far more traffic, ugly cars and much worse radio in the real thing, I’m okay with this lesson. For me, I really looked at the individual movements to understand not only the Big Apple, but its five distinct pieces that make it so tempting.

I cannot fathom a group more Brooklyn than Black Moon. Buckshot, Evil Dee and 5FT embody the Timberland-stomping, spittin’ on the sidewalks, but highly-educated and spiritual essence of the BK. Less than 10 miles away, Reasonable Doubt is more visual than Clockers in its hustling-driven explanation of ways to get money in the biggest borough. These are the kids getting money in their borough and spending it in Manhattan clubs. Then there's M.O.P., Non-Phixion and El-P all representing other attitudes and styles, reflective of their various neighborhoods. Where Cosby Show only took me so far, Brooklyn came alive under the needles, from verses that made me touch the Brownstones and taste the beef patties.

Without going into each of the five boroughs of New York - and Long Island, acts ranging from G-Unit to The Diplomats to Raekwon and Ghost and EPMD complement each other so well, and all seem to carry a connection to the places they represent. Whether it's flashy jewels and a bigger than life ego, or Italian-influenced vernaculars and a more spacious approach to rhymes and beats, these artists embody their pieces of real estate. Moreover, they taught me worlds about their worlds, before I ever got to teach down.

I don't really watch videos anymore, besides my bouts of YouTube nostalgia. In the last few years of my Rap City and Sucka Free Sunday consumption, I too grew tired of seeing the redundant shots of men standing on corners, showcasing women and cars, again and again. There's King and there's Rides magazine, which I prefer over video-after-video of this monotony. But what I really miss, and what I'm forever trying to find in the lyrics, is that authenticity of place. Rap music can be some of the illest travel-writing ever, and I'm not just talking about Ice Cube's "My Summer Vacation" or Nas' "Get Down."

Hip Hop probably taught most of us about Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, about Magic City, about The Tunnel or even Saint-Tropez. We have this thing, which most of us use for entertainment and mental escapism, but we can ask more of our artists as well as give their work some lasting integrity if we credit them properly, and listen to what they're saying about places, people and times.