NPR’s Tavis Smiley and They Made America author Sir Harold Evans discuss the book on which the television series was based. Russell Simmons is featured in They Made America along with other "inventors and innovators".
November 24, 2004
MP3 Cell Phones
The whole concept of MP3 cell phones really seems like a fruitful direction for mobile music.
November 24, 2004
Pimp My Ride News
I’m not sure if this Fool.com report on Autozone is simply using "Pimp Your Own Ride" as a metaphor or if there has been a visible effect on car parts and accessories sales due to the popularity of the MTV series hosted by Xzibit. But it’s certainly an interesting place to start when considering hip hop’s entry into the automotive sector.
An idiosyncratic take on the popular show reminds us that one of the coolest things about Pimp My Ride is seeing poor and working class folks getting hooked up with rides that are otherwise out of their reach. Total fairy tale action and so much more kindhearted than concepts like the "weakest link" or punchlines like "you’re fired."
In related PMR news, West Coast Customs, who’ve become famous as the setting and crew for the television show that started it all, will be appearing at the, sometimes controversial, Modified Madness show at Penn State in May. The new venue sounds like a good fit for such a popular and dynamic auto show.
November 24, 2004
Sony to Release Chappelle Special on DVD
Last week it was reported that Dave Chappelle’s Showtime Special would be released in June by Sony. Chappelle’s high status and wide following within the ranks of hip hop fans is undeniable. Hopefully this release will be a bright spot for Sony, an influential company with streaks of brilliance, whose S&P credit rating was recently lowered for the first time in a decade.
November 24, 2004
SIRIUS Reaches 800k Subscribers
SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced yesterday that it passed the 800k subscriber mark with a million possible before the New Year. Although this does seem more attributable to Howard Stern than to Eminem, one wonders at the possibilities of truly uncensored hip hop radio, especially considering the strength of car culture among hip hop fans.
November 24, 2004
Lil Jon at the Yahoo! Buzz Index
Over at the Yahoo! Buzz Index, Tuesday’s featured search story is Lil’ Jon and the East Side Boyz whose release Crunk Juice inspired a mad number of searches. The entry includes the “five most crunked-out metros” with the San Francisco Bay area at no. 2. Because I haven’t been keeping up with the crunk diaspora, I can’t evaluate that ranking. But I do wonder if they are lumping “hyphy” and crunk together.
