Yes, yes y’all, you know we talkin it all, see how we bringin the street corner to Carnegie Hall.

–Busta Rhymes

How many songs have you heard that have New York, L.A., or London, or Paris in the lyrics? They are as innumerable as taxis in the Big Apple. For those who have not set foot in New York City, movies, music, television, and the movies might form the backdrop of your first impressions. Across the world, the urban landscape plays a key role in the development and spread of popular culture. But now, thanks to one New York artist, popular culture — music to be specific — is returning to its origins and paying tribute to the urban landscape.

Cause I want to be on 106 and Park pushing a Benz.

–Kanye West

Artist Jay Shells created a unique art exhibition on the streets of New York City that features street signs with famous rap lyrics, such as, “Sometimes I rhyme slow, sometimes I rhyme quick. I was on 125 and St. Nick,” (from the title, “Sometimes I rhyme slow,” by Smooth B) set up at the corner of West 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, in Harlem. Check out the project video below:

TheCityFix thanks Erica Schlaikjer and Aaron Minnick for passing along the inspiration for this story.