South Jamaica, Queens
South Jamaica, known colloquially as Southside, South Suicide Queens & Southside Jamaica Queens, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, located south of downtown Jamaica, the Long Island Rail Road tracks Jamaica Avenue and Liberty Avenue. The western border is the Van Wyck Expressway, and it continues in the east towards the neighboring community of St. Albans and to Merrick Boulevard. South Jamaica is largely African-American, with increasing numbers of Mexican and West Indian immigrants moving into the community in recent decades. Also, a small population of Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Guyanese, Haitians, and Trinidadians live in this area. The area is largely a working-class community consisting primarily of suburban one and two-family houses and a number of smaller apartment buildings, along with some public housing projects.
The AirTrain JFK route starts at the Jamaica station and continues towards JFK International Airport on its elevated route over the Van Wyck Expressway.
The Baisley Park Houses and South Jamaica Houses housing projects are located in this community. South Jamaica has one of the highest crime rates in the borough of Queens, behind the Far Rockaway area.
[edit] Notable residents
- D Gift, actor and musician
- L'vel Maraj, vocalist
- G-Unit, rap group
- Pharoahe Monch, rapper and member of Organized Konfusion
- Lamar Odom, NBA Basketball Player for the Dallas Mavericks.
- Bob Beamon, Olympic Athlete and world record holder in the long jump for 23 years.[1]
- Rafer Alston, NBA Basketball Player.[2]
- 50 Cent, rapper and actor, leader of the rap group G-Unit
- Nic Vic, rapper
- Ja Rule, rapper
- Yummy Bingham, singer
- Bang 'Em Smurf, rapper and hype man
- Domination, rapper
- Mathematics, music prouder and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate
- Lloyd Banks, rapper
- Nyce, rapper
- O.C., rapper and member of D.I.T.C.
- Frenchie, rapper
- Nicki Minaj, musician who moved to Atlanta & Los Angeles
- Ali Vegas, rapper and member of The Drama Kingz
- Fredro Starr, rapper and member of Onyx
- Sticky Fingaz, rapper, actor and member of Onyx
- X-1 (1979 - 2007), rapper and Onyx affiliate
- Waka Flocka Flame, rapper who later moved to the Atlanta metropolitan area
- Kenneth McGriff, drug lord and leader of the Supreme Team who operated from the Baisley Park Projects
- Tony Yayo, rapper
- Grafh, rapper and founder of Blackhand Entertainment and member of Hip Hop for Respect
- Supreme Team, drug trafficking gang
- Canibus, rapper and member of Mau Maus, The HRSMN & T.H.E.M. who moved to various towns
- Silverback Guerillaz, rap duo
- Lost Boyz, rap group
- Aasim, rapper
- Terrance J, rapper
- Mr. Cheeks, rapper, founder and member of Lost Boyz
- Freaky Tah (1971 - 1999), rapper and member of Lost Boyz
- Onyx, rap group
- Sha Money XL, Music producer
- Wynter Gordon, singer
- 40 Illuminati, rapper
- K Jula, musician who later moved to Orlando
- Black Child, rapper and member The Murderers
- Caddillac Tah, rapper
- Milford Graves, free-jazz drummer
- Nuttin' But Stringz, duo
- Merc Montana, rapper
[edit] References
- ^ Williams, Lena. "TRACK AND FIELD; Soothing an Old Ache", The New York Times, January 1, 2000. Accessed November 7, 2007. "Neither the outpouring of affection from an adoring public nor the love he finally found after four failed marriages could make up for the neglect and physical abuse he suffered as a child growing up in South Jamaica, Queens."
- ^ Litsky, Frank. " BASKETBALL: N.I.T.; Minnesota Will Meet Penn State for the Title", The New York Times, March 25, 1998. Accessed October 18, 2007. "Rafer Alston, the junior point guard from South Jamaica, Queens, explained it this way..."
[edit] External links
