Gallery: The Locales That Rappers Name-Check, Visualized by a Robot

  • Image may contain Sphere Lighting and Light
    Tahir Hemphill
    01

    jayz-bw

    Tahir Hemphill's Maximum Distance. Minimum Displacement is a visualization of rapper's travels through their lyrics. This is the well-traveled lyric universe of Jay Z.
  • Image may contain Light Outdoors and Nature
    Tahir Hemphill
    02

    kendrick-rgb

    Kendrick Lamar's lyrics always come back to Compton.
  • Image may contain Light Flare Nature Outdoors and Lighting
    Tahir Hemphill
    03

    drake-bw

    The light drawings were made using a robotic arm and long exposure photography. Here are Drake's travels.
  • Image may contain Lighting and Light
    Tahir Hemphill
    04

    camron-bw

    Cam'ron's visualization has "swag" says Hemphill. It looks like the rapper sounds.
  • Image may contain Lighting Logo Symbol and Trademark
    Tahir Hemphill
    05

    missy-bw

    Here you can see a well-traveled triangle between New York City, Miami and Los Angeles.
  • Image may contain Light
    Tahir Hemphill
    06

    nas-rgb

    Even though Nas doesn't have the most songs in the database, he charted the most locations.
  • Image may contain Lighting and Light
    Tahir Hemphill
    07

    tupac-rgb

    Tupac, with plenty of California references.
  • Image may contain Hoop
    08

    wayne-bw

    Lil Wayne.
Read More
The Audacity Is the Broligarchy Takedown You Were Waiting For
AMC’s new black comedy about a manchild tech titan spinning out of control is a skewering Silicon Valley’s billionaire class deserves.
Miles Klee
A Lot of Shops Won't Fix Electric Bikes. Here's Why
Bike shop mechanics have lost fingers and their shirts while repairing ebikes of dubious origins. Make sure yours is repairable and third-party certified.
Stephanie Pearson
It’s a Tablet! It’s a Laptop! After Testing the Best 2-in-1s, Here’s What I Recommend
Whether you want a detachable tablet or a laptop screen that spins, these 2-in-1 devices manage to balance being both a tablet and a laptop.
Luke Larsen
There’s a Secret Ingredient to Making Luxury Ice at Home
Nice ice is big business, but you can get perfectly clear cubes at home without freezing your assets.
Jeremy White
The Screenmaxxers Who Spend Every Waking Hour on Their Phones
As debates over social media addiction rage, people with extreme screen times tell WIRED they have no plans to cut back.
Miles Klee
Mammotion’s Spino E1 Pool Cleaner Isn’t Bad for the Price—It's Just Not That Good
This compact pool robot keeps its price down, but its performance doesn’t match that of more capable cleaners.
Christopher Null
The Best Coffee Mug Warmers Are Smart. But They Don’t Need an App
The first rule of coffee is that it must stay hot. After weeks or even years of testing, these are the three coffee warmers that will best keep it that way.
Matthew Korfhage
Crimson Desert Is a Cat Dad Simulator
Step into the shoes of the strongest, goodest boy in a game that is beautiful, baffling, and impossible to put down.
This At-Home Hair Color Printer Raised My Blood Pressure
This hair dye printer promises hundreds of shades. It couldn't even manage two.
Louryn Strampe
I Tested the MacBook Neo and the MacBook Air. Here's Which One You Should Buy
After conducting long-term testing on both the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air, I have a good idea who should buy which laptop.
Luke Larsen
The Best Electric Cargo Bikes for Carrying This and That Everywhere
You don't need a car to tote around kids and cup holders. I rode cargo ebikes for miles to find the best one for your buck.
Adrienne So
Your Push Notifications Aren’t Safe From the FBI
Plus: Iran’s internet blackout hits the 1,000-hour mark, cryptocurrency scams result in a record amount of money stolen from Americans, and more.
Matt Burgess