ProHipHop: Hip Hop Marketing & Business News

XXL 10th Anniversary Covers: Pretend Controversy & XXL's Chief Advertorialist Elliott Wilson

XXL Front Cover Featuring Lil Wayne & Birdman

XXL pretends to court controversy by giving their 10th Anniversary cover to Lil Wayne and Birdman, winners of the BET Viewers Choice award.  So not only does it hook the fans, it gets the homophobes talking.

XXL Back Cover Featuring Advertorialist Elliott Wilson

On the back cover, XXL Advertorialist-in-Chief Elliott Wilson shows us how it looks when one jettisons the divide between advertising and editorial.

Journalistic standards?  Yo, this is hip hop!

Correction, this is XXL!

Oooh, ripped from Nah Right cause it's just G's up in heah!

Update:
I've gotten some strong criticism from an individual I respect regarding my above statements.  Since my own personal feelings about various figures at XXL cloud my judgement, I am in the process of contacting bloggers with journalistic backgrounds  from outside the world of hip hop to share their opinions on whether the back cover image above is or is not an example of crossing the advertising/editorial divide.

Normally I would come back with a post of my own discussing why I feel that this crossing has so obviously occurred but I want to reach some of the people who shut down when I say such things, in particular, hip hop bloggers with journalistic aspirations.  Reaching out in this manner also opens the possibility that I am wrong and I have no trouble admitting that as long as you give me time to get over my default mode of being incapable of error!

I should also note, I did edit the above post to remove a totally inappropriate line and to soften the claim regarding the crossing of said divide.  Beyond that, I think it's a fine snarky post from which I've already derived a great deal of pleasure!

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
ProHipHop's Stance on XXL's Adverpictorial Back Cover
Industry Pros Term Elliott Wilson's Back Cover Ad "Offensive" & an "Egregious Violation" of Ethics

Chris Elliott's Mac vs. PC Commercial

Chris Elliott's Mac vs. PC Commercial

I'm so glad CBS posted this video clip of a Chris Elliot film shown on David Letterman without ads.  I probably wouldn't have posted it otherwise.

However, besides the relevant music industry theme regarding filesharing and snitching, it follows up on my Rat Patrol post as a trip down memory lane.

I worked with Chris Elliott one summer many years ago in an outdoor drama called The Lost Colony.  I'm pretty sure it was 1979 but it could have been '80 or '82.

We weren't close friends but he was a very funny, nice young man who everybody liked.  I was lucky enough to work with him as a movement coach for his role in our cast production of Equus.  He was very serious about his acting and a fine actor in that role.  I'm sorry I didn't keep up with him after that but it's been great to see him on Letterman and all sorts of other places.

I don't know if he's done any serious acting since but I would be interested to see it if he did.

Ok, time for granddad to stop name dropping and take a little break.  I've got more Rat Patrol to watch!

Off Topic: The Rat Patrol on DVD

The Rat Patrol: The Complete First Season (1966)

The first season of the television show The Rat Patrol premiered in 1966 when I was seven years old.  I only recently discovered that it had finally been reissued on DVD and I just watched the first shows last night.

It was great and clued me in to why I shouldn't be giving younger folks in their 20s and/or 30s a hard time about their Star Wars obsessions.  I had a huge smile on my face through that whole first episode and was quite willing to forgive the obvious holes in the logic of the narrative cause The Rat Patrol's got serious flow!

The Rat Patrol is one of the few tv shows from my youth that I've been waiting to see again.  It also sticks out in my memory because during second grade there was this tripped out kid who one day in the middle of class shouted something like, "Watch out, Tulley!" and slid out of his desk making machine gun noises.  I swear that was the last time we ever saw that kid in class.

Now I'm waiting for a nonbootlegged version of Judd for the Defense to come out and show up on Netflix and I'll be done pining for old tv shows.

Top 10 Singles: T.I. Exits, Fabolous Enters

T.I.'s Big Things Poppin' (Do It) exits the top 10 on the Hot 100 singles chart as Fabulous' Make Me Better feat. Ne-Yo floats up from no. 11 to no. 10.

Top 10 Singles on the Hot 100:

1. Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah
2. Rihanna - Umbrella
3. Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry
4. Shop Boyz - Party Like a Rockstar
5. Timbaland - The Way I Are feat. Keri Hilson
6. T-Pain - Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin') feat. Yung Joc
7. Hurricane Chris - A Bay Bay
8. T-Pain - Bartender feat. Akon
9. Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder
10. Fabolous - Make Me Better feat. Ne-Yo

Soulja Boys' Crank That (Soulja Boy) is this week's top debut at no. 47.

Bloggers Writing About Kanye/Donda West - Any Visits From 65.88.88.173 or tatiana & haley?

I'm taking a new position on possible marketing spam at ProHipHop and seeing if it can lead to some joint action to start identifying and eliminating the scum that infest our conversations.

If I'm making a mistake here, then I'm happy to work that out now while I have a few spare moments to draw on my obsessive workaholic nature [since I'm evading other responsibilities].

So I get two comments regarding the post Donda West's Raising Kanye Better Sell [Or It's All Kanye Will Rap About].  They're posted a minute apart with the same basic attitude, similar low case girl's names, same IP address.

tatiana, haley
65.88.88.173

Sure, it could be two little girls in Queens who love all things Kanye and are using the same computer.  But that's exactly what marketers using such a technique would want you to believe.

As Andrew Dubber says on page 12 of 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:
If, for instance, you read that bands are making it big on MySpace, the first thing that should pop into your head is the question ‘who stands to gain if I think that’s true?’.

So I'm going to start treating such instances as spam but a bit differently than I have in the past.  I will ban the IP address but keep the comments and identify them as possible spam in the followup post including the IP address.

But here's where we can get together and put some of this nonsense in check.  If music bloggers, at the very least, start tracking these appearances, there's a good chance we can start exposing some of these people who are paid to post links.  Perhaps we'll then have to embarass the artists to get results but that ain't hard!

There are lots of ways that this could be organized.  For the moment, if you're interested, check your comments for "tatiana" and "haley" posting closely together from IP address 65.88.88.173, or for any comments from that IP address, and hit me up in my comments section if you find something.

If you do, please clearly identify yourself or drop me a direct line.  If you don't, go ahead and comment but anonymous posters will be deleted for this post.

Sure, this approach has many inherent limitations and if we make something happen, we also need to make those limitations clear but I think this could end up being both productive and fun if we work together.

Thoughts?  Questions?
clyde(at)prohiphop(dot)com

PR?
hiphoppress(at)netweed(dot)com

Hey, tatiana and haley, if I'm wrong, hit me up!  I don't have a problem with music fans showing love.  But hit me up at my email, ya dig?

BlogBiz: Blogging as a Web 2.0 Entry Point

Over at Fast Company where I'm now writing about the business of blogging:
Blogging as a Web 2.0 Entry Point or You Still Have Time to Catch the Cluetrain!

Plus, special thanks to Chris Thilk at Movie Marketing Madness for being the first blogger of which I'm aware to comment on my new focus on the business of blogging.

Finally, you know you've got a blogging addiction when you spend the morning posting about blogging rather than applying for jobs and selling ads, both of which I should be prioritizing.

Off Topic: Let's Get Armored Vehicles For Iraq! Doh!

Hey, I hear they might have roadside bombs!

The people that have been running this war are murderers of Americans plain and simple.

Pentagon Orders Sturdy MRAP Vehicles to Combat Iraq's Roadside Bombs:
"Commanders first started requesting MRAPs in February 2005."

2005?  Check this headline from 2004:
Soldiers in Iraq still buying their own body armor

The sad thing is, the Bush administration can't even do evil deeds well.  What a pathetic lot we got stuck with.  I'm glad I finally started voting again so I can say I voted against Bush without hesitation.

NME [& Many More] Swallow Diddy Exaggeration Re: 10,000 Applicants

Great, NME passes on a hyperbolic remark from Diddy on one of his personal assistant videos [third one in post] and starts what will no doubt become an enduring online legend:

P. Diddy has been flooded with applications to be his new personal assistant after the rapper advertised the role on MySpace.  Over 10,000 offers have come in over the last four days after the singer invited applicants to post three-minute videos of themselves on YouTube.

When I first saw that video I checked the personal assistant YouTube submission group and it only had about 40-something videos posted.  Here are the current stats according to YouTube:
Videos: 409   |  Members: 590   |  Discussions: 159

Furthermore, Diddy uses the phrase "inquired about the job" which does give him an out to claim that they got over 9,000 emails and or/phone calls at Bad Boy.  Or whatever it takes to keep the exaggeration alive.

But I can't hold that against Diddy.  That's almost to be expected from the hypemaster.  But NME?  I thought you guys were vaguely legitimate.  And get rid of those flashing tower ads and abusive "free" iPod offers while you're at it.  Geez.

Via Earwax Records' newsletter.

My bad:
Lots of people swallowed.

And in the No Surprises Here category:
EurWeb reminds us of their quality work.

T.I. Vs. T.I.P. - Second Week On Top

T.I. Vs. T.I.P. enters a second week at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Top 10 Albums on the Billboard 200:

1. T.I. - T.I. vs. T.I.P.
2. Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
3. Miley Cyrus - Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus
4. Interpol - Our Love To Admire
5. Kelly Clarkson - My December
6. Bon Jovi - Lost Highway
7. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
8. Fergie - The Dutchess
9. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
10. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

[News provided by the creators of vidrap.com.]

Before Claiming First, Consider Using Google

No, I'm not talking about First! bloggers, I'm talking about people who claim to be the first to do something significant, like writing the first hip hop novel:

Daniel Sonnentag's recently published novel, "Slayer Player," might be in a category of its own. Sonnentag christens his book a "hip hop novel."

"Nothing has ever been done like this -- there's never been a hip hop book," he says. "To legitimize a genre, it has to be put into another genre. For me, it's trying to legitimize rap through a novel."

Both Daniel and the "journalist" (bloggers win again) should have googled hip hop novel and made it past the "Urban Fiction" that's trying to claim hip hop status by writing about poor, violent, black people and move on to novels that actually deal with hip hop themes, like Michael T. Owens' A Dream Come True, among others.

50 Cent Reads Polls, Disses George W. Bush

Nice.  50 Cent has previously expressed his love of Gangsta George:
50 thinks the president is "incredible ... a gangsta." "I wanna meet George Bush, just shake his hand and tell him how much of me I see in him," 50 told GQ.

I never thought that meeting was likely because 50 would have to get past George's security while George would have to get past 50's and that would take an excessive amount of prior negotiating.

But now 50 Cent has seen the light [and the opinion polls] and clarifies for New York Magazine:
George Bush has a talent: He has less compassion than the average human. By all means, I don’t aspire to be like George Bush.

Now that's marketing savvy.

And he didn't have to stoop to reading books to do it.

ProHipHop Lite: I'm Not Writing Cause I'm Writing

As I mentioned in my previous post, ProHipHop is in Lite mode as I wrap up this job search round and complete some writing projects.

One of the projects is leading to an announcement in the next two weeks.  Hardcore followers of hip hop marketing will find it of great interest.  And that's all I can say!

The other is a bit off-topic.  I'm currently working on a book proposal to take my dissertation, focused on Power Relations in the Dance Classroom, as a starting point in writing a non-academic book for the general marketplace currently titled, Life in the Dance Asylum.

I'm mainly mentioning that now because I've decided to participate in Project Publish and there's time for you to consider the possibilities as well.

Project Publish is an opportunity in Web 2.0 contest form to have one's book proposal considered for publication by Touchstone Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.  Contestants will post book proposals at Media Predict, the public will vote on which one is most likely to be a hit and the winner of the final tally will get their book published.

I'm actually not hoping to win but am participating because there is the distinct possibility that one could connect with a literary agent in a context rather different from the norm.  It also offers the opportunity to write a more entertaining book proposal to reach the voters.  Beyond that, I should have written this proposal long ago and if it gets me closer, all to the good.

Submission info and so forth is on the Project Publish website.

If you post a relevant to ProHipHop book proposal, let me know in the comments and we'll send some love your way!

Update:
What the heck, I think I might work on a SXSW Interactive panel proposal while I'm at it.

Update 2:
Whoa, check out the panels from this year. That's a rad conference!

ProHipHop Lite & the Mirror World of Academic Job Searches

Although I have a long history of saying I'm not going to post for a few days and then suddenly bursting out with multiple posts, I feel confident that ProHipHop will be in Lite mode for the next week or two.

I am still in the midst of a job search.  I censored myself last night for the second time since that began, did not post a pic of Remy Ma's current mixtape cover and felt really bad about that.  So that's going to affect things for the next few weeks while I see if I can get some interviews for last minute fall academic library job openings.

Since I periodically refer to this job search without much context, let me just say that the academic job search timetable is unlike anything you will encounter outside of professional sports!  By that I mean it's all organized around the season, fall semester in academia and whenever the season or training camp begins for a particular sport.  In both sports and academia there's a lot of long term manuevering over the year that heightens at the last minute as unfilled opportunities get filled.

Right now there are numerous openings that will start in mid to late August.  Typically these are positions that appeared to be filled but the applicant had multiple offers and took a different one.  Since I didn't start my search till late Spring, that's a lot of what I'm working with at present.

However, if that doesn't work out, in September I'll start seeing ads for both Spring and Fall of 2008.  That's right, come September of 2007 I'll start applying for jobs that begin almost a full year later!

This actually works if you're in academia, either as a student or employee, but is exceptionally strange to manage if you're not in academia.  Add in hip hop blogging at a time when hip hop is up for quite a bit of criticism and the disjuncture can be a bit difficult to navigate at times.

So I need to lighten up at ProHipHop and focus on this final round of the current year and also on some writing opportunities that I'll discuss in a follow up post cause one is something that is open to almost anybody.

Send your boy good thoughts.  I'm only applying for jobs that I really want that are also a good fit so it's a short list at the moment.  But it's nice to know I won't be second guessing my decisions if I get a job offer this go round.

Contests: World Rap Championships, VH1's The Score, Versatile's America's Original, VIBE Verses Rap Battle

World Rap Championships 2007 Trailer

Sohh.com is a sponsor of Jump Off TV's World Rap Championships 2007 and the qualifying rounds have already begun.

VH1 is holding a contest to create The Score, i.e. the theme song for VH1's Hip Hop Honors 2007.  The press release has more about the show.

Versatile Records is holding the America's Original contest in which artists in seven genres will be given recording contracts plus a music video.  See the contest site for more info.

VIBE Verses Rap Battle is in its final stages but will soon be announcing details of a second round.

News Groper Debuts Featuring Funny Colored People

As various minor figures in the world of blogging can tell you, I don't have a sense of humor.  So when I saw that, despite a long list of white celebrities, News Groper is featuring certain celebrities of color on their homepage on launch day, I didn't laugh.

News Groper's overall concept is brilliant so that leaves execution.  Though I'm sure that they'll be making fun of everybody, or will say they are, just seeing Barack Obama, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [president of Iran] and Flavor Flav as the featured "bloggers" makes me wonder what's up.

Via TechCrunch.

Update:
Ok, it looks like they're rotating images at the top of the page, just rather slowly.  Rather than an attack on people of color, it could almost better be described as an attack on Obama, who's now sandwiched between the President of Iran and Fred Thompson.  Talk about guilt by association.  That's even worse than Flavor Flav!

Update 2:
Yeah, it looks like the juxtaposition thing will work itself out over time.  Which is good.  Now they really only have to be funny.

Winners, Losers, Winners: Al Gore & Jonathan Abrams

Many have considered Al Gore, former Vice President, and Jonathan Abrams, Friendster founder, to be losers who were once winners.  But Al Gore's already made it back and is much richer and happier than before.  Jonathan Abrams also appears to be back on a successful trajectory.  These articles are from last month.  Guess what?  They're still relevant!

Fast Company's Ellen McGirt has a nice piece on Al Gore's rebranding success titled Al Gore's $100 Million Makeover:

One problem he had in politics, he says, was identifying an issue too early--"'predawn' is the term I use"--to be able to act on it. But "in the business world, particularly at a time when things are moving so swiftly, if you can see it early, you can make a business opportunity out of it." He pauses. "For whatever reason, the business world rewards a long-term perspective more than the political world does."

I already knew Gore was doing well but Max Chafkin's Inc. article, How to Kill a Great Idea!, clued me into Jonathan Abrams comeback, though it focuses on Friendster's death by expertise:

By the rules of Silicon Valley, Friendster--a bold idea backed by experienced investor and the best managers money could buy--was destined for greatness. Instead, it failed spectacularly. "I did what you're always told to do as a young entrepreneur," Abrams says. "I brought on experienced investors to help Friendster fulfill its potential. But the all-star team was the curse of death."

Unless he's trying to generate some artificial dramatic tension, Chafkin's closing remarks seem a bit clueless as to why Abrams can't describe his new project, Socializr, three years out (that's a fake and, possibly, foolish exercise for this kind of thing) or why Abrams would start a nightclub where he appears to rule (what's not to like?).  Sounds like a lot more fun than dealing with VCs and watching your reputation tank.

Update:
I'm probably being a bit hard on Mr. Chafkin, though I do believe the nightclub is a nobrainer and that making public statements about Web 2.0 projects three years in the future is a questionable endeavor.

But that doesn't mean that there is no longer value in thinking three years out, as long as you remember that at any point in the past ten years, almost anybody's three year vision didn't hold up.

We've finally moved into a period where our feedback mechanisms, from blogs to popular opinion to the stock market, are now fast enough that one can see that reality is complex and nonlinear without having to read Chaos or Linked or The Tipping Point.  That calls for a different approach to planning and, if you buy into Abrams claims about the death of Friendster, he's in a more appropriate mode than any of his former board members cause he's living in the present in a manner that puts him on the breaking edge.  And that's real in a time when traditional biz dev is being outflanked by open platforms with widgets.

Blogging at Fast Company on the Business of Blogging

I think I've finally found the focus I need to keep blogging at Fast Company.  Basically, I like being there but I realized that I was getting burned out writing about marketing and just stopped posting for awhile.

Marketing's fascinating but, on the whole, hip hop marketing's a lot more fun to follow than, say, the marketing of High School Musical.

So I'll be writing about the business of blogging from here on out at Fast Company.  This topic has obsessed me for many years and I've considered writing about it in the past.  But, the truth is, much of what I would have blogged about up until the last year or so would have focused on blogging as a cottage industry and I just didn't want to tell folks who weren't already clued in how to become better competitors.

Now the bigger picture and my own interests have developed to the point that I can write about the business from cottage industry to corporate communication without focusing on ProBlogger style tips and topics like why ProHipHop does so well with search engines.

I'll be using current events related to blogging and business as illustrations for practical discussions that will draw on what I've learned and ultimately reveal things I currently hold a bit too close.  I'll also be exploring such themes as blogging as an introduction to Media 2.0, who's really making money with blogging and blogging as a tool for brand building.

Here we go:
John Mackey & Blogging as a Web 2.0 Entry Point

That first one ain't so special but I already feel myself entering the zone.