When the New York Knicks won the NBA Championship, all New Yorkers and Knicks fans rejoiced! Then came the question of which New York song represented this team and the city, since we have SO many homegrown songs that it’s virtually impossible to name just one. Growing up in the Bronx during the 1970s, I experienced the New York Yankees winning the World Series in 1977 and then again in 1978. They were the team to beat and represented everything about New York at that time. After Frank Sinatra recorded and released “New York, New York” in 1980, not only did we New Yorkers adopt it, but the song was also played at the stadium after every Yankee game. So, in our heads, that became the official song of the city for years.

After being title-less for 53 years, New Yorkers had something to celebrate, and then the arguments ensued as to which song would represent the Knicks, since the Yankees had already claimed Sinatra’s rendition of “New York, New York.” With this latest NBA championship, there have been discussions, arguments, and questions among New Yorkers about which New York song would become THE theme song for the current champs. Now, as a Bronx dweller and Hip-Hop fan and participant, I’ve compiled a number of songs that may realistically resonate with “real” New Yorkers who have suffered through the years that the Knicks had come close to bringing a title home, but left us disappointed (Which is why this win is SO satisfying! I witnessed the first Black president in the United States, the first Muslim mayor in New York City and the Knicks wining an NBA championship!) over the years.

Now, as a thorough Hip-Hop fan, of course, you WILL see a number of songs/videos by popular New York rappers, and with good reason! You may want to fight me on several of them, but you WILL agree with most of them! Now, several songs may not be New York-centric, but they represent the city in more ways than just the location, and most New Yorkers WILL understand why. So, here we go!

Songs That Could Qualify as New York Anthems

Which song would you pick for a New York anthem? Instead of writing why these were chosen, I’ve decided to just show the videos, and you can decide which ones would make the list! In no particular order:

JAY-Z- Empire State Of Mind featuring Alicia Keys