Talk to fixedpip or trespasser from here and they like Hackney so much they have little badges to prove it. It is a pretty cool place with some pretty dodgy areas - just like the majority of London although the proportion of dodginess varies.
I have lived in Brixton for five years and love it - lots of bars, clubs and gigs and with a proper feeling of community, much of it Afro Carribean. You should come and check it out.