Hip-hop may have been born in the Bronx, but it was raised, bred and initiated in Brooklyn. New York's most notorious borough has an undeniable musical swagger, which is why the 3rd Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival drew its most passionate crowd of supporters this year. Veteran Wu Tang emcee Ghostface headlined the event, but the rest of the names on the bill were impressive up and comers who proved their talent and versatility on stage at Brooklyn's Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park.

Fans gathered on the grass on the waterfront and enjoyed balmy weather and a cloudless sky all day. Artists reflecting every facet of developing hip-hop took to the stage, receiving due props for their tributes to original music. Sean Price, Tanya Morgan and Consequence were just a few of the acts that performed that day, each displaying their own definition of the genre's culture.

Emily King, a budding R&B/soul singer from New York took to the stage in the late afternoon; gaining more attention with each song she sang. As she belted out the chorus of "Colorblind", a song about shedding the constraints of race in relationships, she channeled the blues legends of years ago when the quality of urban music was never questioned, just honored as
a cultural staple.

King describes the hip-hop scene in Brooklyn as distinct, to say the least. "I grew up in Manhattan and when I go to Brooklyn I feel like I'm in another country. It's just different culturally. I just love the vibe."

Brooklyn definitely has an influence on the rest of the country when it comes to setting trends, according to the members of Tanya Morgan, who all agree that Big Daddy Kane, as well as the Notorious B.I.G. set the bar for so many rappers to come. "Kane is like one of the dudes I can still watch and be like wow," says Donwill, one of the group's members. "You can see it in the attitude, the way he dressed... it all started with him."

But despite the borough's definite pioneers who paved the way, the question remains as to where BK sits amongst today's picky hip-hop fans, many of whom claim the music is dead. "Well, Fabolous has the number one album in the [U.S.] right now," scoffs DJ Double-0, one half of the Kidz in the Hall crew. "There you go ― that's all you need right now. Brooklyn has been the birthplace of a lot of great people, period."

It's safe to say that the impending success of these artists is largely attributed to the fact that they honour the ones who started it all, and they honour a place where new musical waves were, and still are celebrated today.

As the sun dipped behind the picturesque backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge, the crowd thickened in anticipation for the biggest act of the festival. Ghostface came out and did his thing, inspiring the crowd of all colours, ages and paths to chant "Wu-Tang! Wu-Tang!" Even Fat Joe made an appearance and repped New York hard, which stirred the audience into a state of patriotic frenzy. It wasn't 1998 but the classy yet mischievous emcees took the masses back to a moment when there was no doubt in whose rhymes hit hardest.
New faces and veterans in the game were tossed around at the festival, which was no problem for fans, but one thing was crystal clear -- Brooklyn is definitely still in the house.