You know Steve Stoute the music executive and urban marketing guru. But in this BusinessWeek.com piece (via NahRight), Stoute explains the Hip-Hop community so precisely that it will end up in many an academic journal and book footnotes, besides, of course, new marketing books and manuals:
… he’s helping executives understand a phenomenon that he refers to as the "tanning of America." It’s a generation of black, Latino, and white consumers who have the same "mental complexion," he says, based on "shared experiences and values." Rap and hip-hop, starting in the late 1980s when white suburban kids began snapping up music by mostly inner-city artists, provided the first glimpse into this shift. "Rap was a litmus test for where the culture was headed," he says.
So simple, so pragmatic. No wonder he is a brand all by himself.
-Slav
Slav Kandyba writes Hip-Hop Files.
I’m familiar with the “browning of America” theory, and its definitively true in hip-hop.
Hip-hop, race, and class have all melded into a singular cultural mosaic, from which anyone can draw their definition of cool.
If your going to credit Hip-Hop for the ‘browning of America” you got to credit Jenny Jones, Jerry Springer, and Maury Polvich for moving the trailer park and ghetto closer together – forever!
Really Steve Stout is just stating the obvious…Niggas come in all colors and flavas.
EMORAPSUX, not quite sure where you’re coming from with that last phrase nor the Povich, Jones and Springer references. Frankly, your comment reads like the hundreds of ignorant comments I peruse once in while for shits and giggles at others sites. They’re like brain farts. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but learn to make your arguments a little bit more sophisticated next time you post. Thank you in advance.
Now, now. We take all levels of sophistication here at ProHipHop.
“Really Steve Stout is just stating the obvious…Niggas come in all colors and flavas.”
This seems to be a statement of the unity amidst diversity, of young people sharing the same “mental complexion”.
You fellows aren’t so far apart after all!
Steve Stoute is a thief. He has Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jameel Spencer to thank for all of this. They acquired stolen business plans and then attempted to “launder” them through Stoute as well as other marketing companies. Their schemes will fail miserably, to the tune of a multibillion dollar verdict against all of them.
One man’s thief is another man’s breadwinner. Steve’s feeding a lot of people and along the way redefining what Hip-Hop is. Can’t knock the hustle, potna.
Clyde, I guess I took exception to the N-word being used by Emorapsux above. Frankly, I’ve purged the word out of my vocab save for very few circumstances, and that’s because it really doesn’t have any business coming out from a person of non-color.
That’s my logic … and I’m thinking of stickin with it.
Slav, no problem. I don’t use the n-word but because it’s such a part of so many rap songs and individual’s language I just don’t feel I can ban it outright.
But it’s a very good point to make and I understand how having strong feelings about that issue set you off. I like that you give a damn!
On a separate note: I recognize these allegations from The Originator who appeared here in a different form previously and I look forward to following the court case when that all comes together. I’d prefer not to get anymore general claims such as the above and will be deleting them if they start appearing all over the blog.
Thank you, people. Now let’s keep it real out there!
Court case? What court case? Somebody fill me in on what is going on please
Sorry about that reference. There is currently no news on that topic.
You can hit me up for an explanation:
clyde(at)prohiphop(dot)com
I don’t see what the big deal is? It’s just another brother selling out to whitey instead of growing his own company to hire more blacks. And I am confused about this guy I hear he is really rich but I don’t remeber seeing his net worth anyone know what it is.