World's Fair

In the era of the soloist, a genuine rap crew is the rarest of jewels. Most groups these days have less in common with a unified artistic collective like the Wu-Tang Clan than with purely opportunistic individuals. At their worst, you have a central hip-hop star padding the ranks with his lesser pals. At their best, you get World's Fair.


The Queens-birthed troupe of Remy Banks, Jeff Donna, Lansky Jones, Nasty Nigel, Prince SAMO, Maachew Bentley, and Cody B. Ware signify both the diaspora and its most logical conclusion, a confluence of cultures that could only be found here not just in the greatest of cities, but in its greatest borough. With friendships and alliances forged in public school classrooms and on mass transit, the group boasts seemingly disparate heritages including Dominican, Filipino, Jamaican, Jewish, Haitian, and Puerto Rican, all magically aligned by a long-standing and shared love of hip-hop. This representation is further reflected in the neighborhoods they originate from, storied locales such as Corona, Forest Hills, Flushing, Jamaica, and Rego Park.