“Five boroughs of death, you don’t understand. I got New York City in the palm of my hand. Now I could make a tight fist and let it crumble ridiculous or I could smack the world with a New York Nemesis. I got Staten Island on my pinky, Queens on my thumb dude, the Bronx on my middle finger screaming fuck you, rock ice in Manhattan so they the ring finger, you know I had to keep Brooklyn on my trigger finger” (Touch It (Remix) 4:06-4:27). As illustrated by Papoose, a Brooklyn rapper who came to light after being featured on Busta Rhymes’ track “Touch It” which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy. As New Yorkers we know that each borough has its own character and essence. Living in in the city we also know that each has this stereotype that faces influence from the media and the thoughts of others.
I remember first hearing this verse with friends and going crazy about the fact that he literally just used a hand to give New York City life. I remember thinking that Staten Island should be the thumb (being that it is an island), only to quickly change my mind because my Queens could not be the pinky. There was a general agreement about how each borough was described. Putting Staten Island on the pinky is comparing it to something small while Queens being on the thumb, the only opposable digit separates it from the other boroughs. The phrase associated with the middle finger describes the attitude that can be summed up as the Bronx. Manhattan is the place where you want to display and impress. Of course Brooklyn is reserved for the finger that operates the trigger. From this twenty one second verse you get the “feel” for the reputation of each borough. These visions of the boroughs painted here and described on other media platforms give people a connotation of New York that isn’t necessarily true. Describing Brooklyn and the Bronx as areas full of violence and Manhattan as a place only for the rich doesn’t give an accurate scoop of New York City. I wonder how much people hold on to these ideas of the boroughs as its circulated throughout the world? I wonder if they know that each borough has a little essence of the other that intertwines in creating this city.
I confess I do have pride in my borough and am guilty of making a sly comment about going to the Bronx and never being found again. But I do know that each borough is unique and makes New York the city it is. There is no concrete way to personify each borough and even the city as a whole. This is a place where changes occur at all moments. When it comes to New York City, I feel that it is something you can never truly understand unless you have it in the palm of your hand.
What do you think of the connotations that people associate with the five boroughs? Have you ever been in a situation where you tell someone what borough you’re from and you get a reaction based on its reputation?
