The Knicks are champions once again for the first time in 53 years, and the excitement sweeping across New York City shows no signs of slowing down. But despite what many outsiders might assume, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ Diamond-certified 2009 anthem “Empire State of Mind” isn’t necessarily the soundtrack dominating the city’s celebrations.
That became clear thanks to a Threads post that caught plenty of attention over the weekend—even if some people are still surprised to hear that anyone actually uses Threads. Apparently, they do, including Tamela Julia Gordon, better known on the platform as @shewritestolive.
“I promise, New Yorkers aren’t trying to rain on anyone’s parade with ‘Empire State of Mind,’ but it is NOT our anthem,” the viral post reads. “Please play one of these instead.”
The post then highlights several songs that many locals feel better represent the city, including New York by Ja Rule—a track previously embraced by Zohran Mamdani—along with N.Y. State of Mind by Nas and New York State of Mind by Billy Joel, which recently appeared in a new Nike commercial directed by Josh Safdie. The selections have sparked fresh debate over which song truly deserves the title of New York City’s unofficial anthem.
The debate quickly took on a life of its own, with users on Threads—the X-style platform launched by Meta in 2023—offering up their own suggestions for the ultimate New York anthem.
There was no shortage of contenders. Among the tracks receiving support were Shook Ones, Pt. II by Mobb Deep, We Gonna Make It by Jadakiss, NUEVAYoL by Bad Bunny, New York Shit by Busta Rhymes, New York (Ya Out There) by Rakim, Check the Rhime by A Tribe Called Quest, An Open Letter to NYC by Beastie Boys, and New York Groove by Ace Frehley.
Another Jay-Z-related favorite that surfaced was Welcome to New York City by Cam’ron, featuring Jay-Z and Juelz Santana. On the flip side, Welcome to New York by Taylor Swift was mentioned for the opposite reason, with at least one user joking that it should stay out of the rotation entirely. Of course, plenty of fans also stepped in to defend Empire State of Mind, arguing that it remains the city’s definitive anthem.
With the Knicks capturing their third NBA title and stars like Jalen Brunson cementing their place in franchise history, it’s not hard to imagine that somewhere in New York, an artist is currently crafting the next great city anthem—without realizing it could end up defining the sound of New York in the late 2020s.
