St Louis rap: a would-be thriving scene struggles amid pervasive violence

The city’s insular scene is full of aspiring talent, but a string of murders involving high-profile stars has led to rappers relocating for their own safetySt Louis’s rap scene has become one of the most interesting in the US over the last decade. In 2000, Nelly’s Country Grammar laid the groundwork, and he was followed by top sellers Chingy and J-Kwon. By 2004 the local hip-hop landscape was so hot that the New Yorker extolled it in a feature profile, comparing it to Motown in