People are often shaped by the place in which they grow up in. That is why rappers have a different style according to where they came from. Most rappers grew up in poor neighborhoods in the rough parts of town. They’ve witnessed drug deals, gangs, innocent deaths, and the struggle to stay alive. These rappers often talk about these experiences in their songs and let people know how growing up in the hood has made them tough and gave them street smarts. Just about all rappers are proud of where they came from, no matter how bad the location was. To them it was home. A good example of this would be Lil Wayne. He came from New Orleans and he makes it clear that it’s a rough place and no one should visit his town if they’re not from there. Nonetheless, he is still proudly representing the area in his music and his interviews. Growing up in the hood he was involved with smoking and drinking and violence and sex at a very early age. He accidently shot himself when he was young because he was rapping with a gun in his hand, and he says that his friend did the same thing. When he talks about these events he laughs about it and acts as if it is no big deal, but to anyone who didn’t grow up with that situation it would seem terrible. This happens with other artists with similar stories. The customs and happenings of the hood often become a part of their culture. Even as they grow successful, and are able to move away they still take a huge piece of that with them. Lil Wayne is still all about drugs, money, sex, and violence, so the hood has shaped him and most other rappers into what they are and will always be.