GOTTA LOVE NEW YORK!

Mary J. Blige

Mary is the quintessential New Yorker. Born and raised in the Bronx, Mary represents NYC wherever she goes -- from the accent to the walk to her swagger. She is still just Mary!

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Rock

Chris Rock was born in South Carolina but raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He is a New York legend, having been a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" and based his sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris" in Brooklyn. 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer Lopez

Puerto Rican and from the Bronx, this New Yorker named her first album after a NYC subway -- "On the 6". From actress to singer, Lopez will always be Jenny from the block.

 

 

 

 

 

Lenny Kravitz

The legendary rocker was born in NYC and spent much of his youth on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. By his teens he moved to Los Angeles, California, but you can't pull the New York grit out of Kravitz. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosario Dawson

Rosario Dawson was born in NYC and rasied in the notorious Lower East Side of Manhattan. She has appeared in New York City-based movies like "Kids", "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" and Spike Lee's "25th Hour". 

 

 

 

 

 

Sanaa Lathan

"Love & Basketball" actor, Sanaa Lathan, was born and raised in the Empire City. She attended Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics but would eventually migrate to California. Lathan graduated from the University of California with a degree in English. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosie Perez

Rosie was reppin' Brooklyn before it was popular! The Oscar nominee was raised in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn, New York. She had her big break in the New York classic "Do The Right Thing" and is known for other flicks such as "King of the Jungle", "White Men Can't Jump" and "Lackawanna Blues". 

 

 

 

 

Vin Diesel

Actor and producer, Vin Diesel, was born in Gotham. The "Fast & Furious" star first appeared on stage at the age of seven at Theater for the New City in New York's Greenwich Village.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga was born and raised in Manhattan. She got her start with all things art, stomping through the streets of the Lower East Side and Greenwich Village. Just a year ago, Gaga was an up-and-coming artist performing in NYC clubs; now she is a superstar. 

 

 

 

 

 

Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy is from the Bushwick area of Brooklyn and got his start at comedy clubs all over New York City. He is a legendary cast member from "Saturday Night Live" and one of the most successful actors of all time with films like "Coming To America" and "The Nutty Professor".

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Tyson

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the former heavyweight champion of the world lived all over NYC -- Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville and even Catskill, New York. Tyson has often credited the streets of New York for making him a fighter

 

 

 

 

 

Mariah Carey

Someone's got to represent Long Island! Mariah Carey was born in Long Island and moved several times throughout NYC. She eventually graduated from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York. Not long after high school she got a record deal and the rest is pop culture history... 

 

 

 

 

 

Spike Lee

Spike Lee is a proud Brooklyn native and the majority of his films have taken place in the Big Apple. If you want to take a vintage look at NYC, just go through some Spike Lee films.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alicia Keys

Keys was born and raised in an area of New York City known as Hell's Kitchen. She graduated from Manhattan's Professional Performing Arts School at 16 and soon after landed a record deal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jay-Z

There are so many hip-hop artists from New York, but you can almost call Jay-Z "Mr. New York". He has created a New York anthem with "Empire State of Mind" and from the Marcy Houses projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn to the Tribeca area of Manhattan --Jay-Z is living proof NYC is the concrete jungle where dreams are made of.

 

 

 

 

Nicki Minaj

The up-and-coming rapper was born in Queens, New York. She attended LaGuardia High School in Manhattan and is now one of the most talked about rappers of the year. 

 

 

 

 

Tatyana Ali

The star of BET's web series, "Buppies," was born in Brooklyn and attended school in New York until high school. She eventually moved to Los Angeles, but you can still see a lil' NYC strut in Ms. Ali.

 

 

 

 

 

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro has been on the cover of VIBE and loved by the hip-hop community. Born and raised in NYC, De Niro is a film icon for movies like "Taxi Driver" and "New York, New York."

 

 

 

 

 

Diddy

Diddy was born in Harlem and helped usher a wave of New York celebs in the '90s -- Mary J, Lil' Kim and The Notorious B.I.G. just to name a few. Diddy once said, “Words cannot express how proud I am to be carrying the Olympic Torch for my home, New York, New York - the greatest city in the world.” 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex Rodriguez

Born in the Washington Heights area of New York City, Rodriguez traveled from Miami to the Dominican Republic but eventually came back to NYC. One of the most popular players from the New York Yankees, in 2009 he helped the Yankees win their 27th World Series Championship.