City The Great

Brooklyn, NY hip-hop artist City The Great, aka Ronald Dixon was raised in a single parent home. At the tender age of 9, this passionate young hip-hop rising star penned his first song titled "F@#k School". City’s passion for the hip-hop game was driven by the lack of stability he experienced early on in life, constantly being shuffled from location to location.

After the death of his father at the age of 11 and a near brush with death himself, City experienced anguish once again as his mother fell ill. Watching her go in and out of the hospital while having to care for his younger sibling was definitely a lot of pressure for a young man. City used the fear, hurt and rage that he endured as passion and it fueled his pen. He found himself writing vigorously every day. As a teenager, City began to take his craft more seriously. He began by hosting various hip-hop battle ciphers and won time and again, whether in the school cafeteria, or on the corner block. City released his first CD titled "The Journal". He was referred to as "Ill Dramatic" by his peers due to his Nas-like lyrical picture-painting ability.

His grind granted him direct access to the nuances of the music industry, and City realized that route was not for him. City decided instead to pursue the Indie Music path. He released various mixtapes online, constantly participated in showcases, contests and shows as well as took interviews to promote his music and brand.

 

As a result, various business sorts globally took notice of City after connecting with Certified Hitz Music Group's Founder DJ Bad Tha Problem and Philadelphia underground Producer Mizzy Beatz to release their mixtape "Reloaded". This release went viral with 50,000 downloads in a matter of hours. The next project with DJ Bad Tha Problem entitled "Carry The Casket" topped his last record with 109,981 downloads the first week and continued to stand firm at 3rd place for top 100 mixtapes of the month,even beating out Meek Millz Dream Chasers 3 mixtape.

City's continued overseas buzz allowed him to link up with promoter Jinxy Music and a historical partnership was forged. The pair linked up with Charlie Brown of LESFLO Entertainment and began recording there with young upcoming producer Pluto who was also interning with Grammy award winning producer Buck3000 at the time. Eventually, through these relationships and exposure, his buzz caught the attention of hip-hop alumni Special Ed. Impressed by City's talent, Ed made City his focus to sign as his first artist (besides himself) on his label SEMI Records.

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In 2021, City and his CNE team established a partnership with the legendary Kool Rock Ski (Disco 3/ The Fat Boys). City and the team participated and performed at Kool Rock’s event, the 1st Annual Classic Hip-Hop and R&B Cookout. Kool Rock passed the torch to City and fellow CNE artists, It’s Only Write and Pengame Classic. From there the deal was sealed to orchestrate the event every year along with events and projects in between. The following summer, City hit the stage again at the 2nd Annual Classic Hip-Hop and R&B Cookout, performing several songs including “Realigned” featuring Kool Rock Ski.

 

In 2023, City released “NY Sounds Like”.  It has gained massive popularity and radio airplay with its anthem-based theme, heavy-hitting beat and bar work. He also performed live on stage with Kool Rock Ski and Playboy Mikey D on Summer Stage in Coney Island. This marked a new milestone as City The Great was the first independent artist to perform on Summer Stage. His new album The Syllabus will be released in 2024! As City continues to create music and elevate, he maintains his goal of reaching the masses through his storytelling and bringing the true elements of hip-hop back into the forefront.