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Hip-Hop News Plus Tupac Shakur Info |
GREEDY GENIU$ Chicago $ecret Sneaker Bombing
I assume Greedy Geniu$ is promoting their sneakers but can people on the ground identify the brand or is this supposed to just be a fun video promotion?
Check these Stars & Straps street team videos for an example of doing both at the same time.
EXPLOITING CHAOS - Ashton vs Kanye High Five Battle
A bit of public fun to support the launch of Exploiting Chaos: 150 Ways to Spark Innovation During Times of Change by Jeremy Gutsche. There's also a Twitter component asking folks who they'd highfive.
Note: I briefly posted at Trend Hunter until I realized they were taking and republishing people's photographs in a manner that felt to me like a ripoff. But, unlike Kanye West's early blog, I think they were linking out and that's cool but the content issues are why I haven't mentioned the book before and why I won't be involved with or supportive of the site in the future.
Pac Div - Church League Champions Online Game
Pac Div supports the release of their mixtape, Church League Champions with an online basketball game in which you can play as a member of the band.
Unconvinced? Check out the trailer for the mixtape.
Parkour Generations: Audio 2 DJ
From YouTube:
"Renowned traceur Stephane Vigroux demonstrates the portability of the new Audio 2 DJ interface by free-running through London. A film by Julie Angel."
Official Sites:
Audio 2 DJ
Native Instruments
Over at Hip Hop Press:
Native Instruments Announces AUDIO 2 DJ
Diddy Blog #42: THE TRAIN IS COMING!!!!!
Given the hypeman title of this Diddy vlog, I would have expected a bit more hubris but it's actually a fairly human request for suggestions for marketing Diddy's upcoming album, Last Train To Paris, delivered in a rare thoughtful tone. Not to say that Diddy isn't full of thoughts, he just doesn't usually show this side of himself in pubic.
Plus, I dig the meta quality of this promo video that features marketing by requesting help with marketing.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Pushbacks: Diddy's Last Train to Paris, Lil Wayne's Rebirth
Trailer: Making His Band, Diddy's Newest Reality Show
Diddy Bop Reveals Monstrous Last Train To Paris Publicity Campaign
Ahead Leveraging Web & Mobile Presence
Diddy: Last Train To Paris Free iPhone App
Rhymefest First Aid Comics Store Commercial
Comic-Con opens today in San Diego and the rest of ProHipHop's coverage for the day will focus on hip hop, comics, graphic novels, vinyl toys and related art, much of it unrelated to Comic-Con, as far as I know,
I just happened to encounter this Rhymefest commercial for First Aid Comics in Chicago and it's a great place to start!
Operation Ignore Charles Hamilton
I'll be honest, I stopped following Jay Smooth back during the Obama campaign, I think. I don't remember the details though phrases like "left nitpicking" come to mind. However, he drops a rather brilliant video publicly humiliating Charles Hamilton by showing insight and understanding in a manner that reminded me that Charles Hamilton existed and that is likely to have a great deal of viral success, thus ensuring that others remember Charles Hamilton's existence, at least for the moment.
Honestly, I forgot about Hamilton cause I stopped following his blog and haven't seen mention of any singles made into music videos in a while. Maybe I'll be hearing about him more as I gradually start following more blogs again but, for me, 2009 is about ignoring annoying people as much as possible except when word gets out that they've done something productive.
Of course, I doubt Charles Hamilton will appreciate Jay Smooth's attention or analysis but this video is an awesome reminder that hip hop is full of damaged individuals who've achieved success without doing much healing in the process other than the healing that occurs through public acclamation and being able to pay one's bills.
In a lot of cases that seems to work well enough but clearly many of these guys need support. Jay Smooth feels the answer, at least in Charles Hamilton's case, is ignoring whatever they do and say beyond their music and I realize that I'm doing a version of that with most artists except that I add business deals to the mix and generally don't respond critically to the music itself. I just cover the related products from videos to albums to endorsements.
Of course, when they hit a certain level of fame, one can't ignore all their public statements because they have a material effect in the world. But Charles Hamilton? No problem, Jay. I'll just continue as per usual!
Via DJ Semtex.
Update:
Wow, I'm getting up to speed on the Charles "Dilla" Hamilton controversy and I'm realizing Jay Smooth did him a solid with this video. It might make a couple of people not give Hamilton as hard a beatdown though I think he'll definitely be getting beat down. What a sad fool.
Welcome to Dollar Van Demos
"From the Borough of Brooklyn comes Dollar Van Demos: a showcase of talented musicians, rappers and comedians performing inside a dollar van with real passengers."
"Dollar vans provide a much-needed transportation for neighborhoods under-served by mass transit. Typically operated by West Indian drivers, the ride is cheap, adventurous and now immensely entertaining with the addition of performers singing their hearts out."
Do you think this would work on one of those college party buses?
PUMA City Unveiled for Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009
From promo materials:
"PUMA City, a mobile retail and event space created from 24 steel shipping containers, makes its global debut at the start of Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 in Alicante, Spain."
From the press release:
"PUMA City consists of three levels of steel shipping containers stacked on top of one another and then slightly shifted to create natural outdoor spaces with large overhangs and wide open terraces, which will be utilized for entertaining and in-port race viewing. A unique PUMA retail space on the ground floor offers a selection of the PUMA Sailing, Motorsport, Urban Mobility and PUMA Archives apparel, footwear and accessories collections."
"As the official supplier of Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009, the retail space on the second floor features the entire Volvo Ocean Race collection, which will be the only location where those products can be purchased in the race village. The upper container is a long, open area containing a bar, lounge and event space spilling out onto an oversized wooden deck. This area will be used for concerts, parties and other events where all race goers are welcome..."
"This design conception of PUMA City began in July 2007. Construction began in China in January 2008 and was completed in just eight months. The internationally acclaimed architecture office of LOT-EK designed the building as a modular system that ships as a conventional cargo container. A unique system of covering panels were designed to fully seal all of the actual structures during travel, protecting each unit from the elements while crossing the open ocean. Once the structure reached land these panels were removed and connected together forming the open interior spaces."
"Puma City is the first building of its kind to fully take advantage of the global shipping network already in place and at 11,000 square feet, it is the first container building of its size to be truly mobile. It is also designed to respond to all of the architectural challenges; meeting international building code, withstanding dramatic climate changes, rapid on-site assembly, and handling day-to-day operations."
Technically I'm posting this for the sneaker marketing angle but, really, I'm posting this cause I dig shipping container architecture, in this case, the work of LOT-EK. Plus, real writing in a press release is hard to do but the above descriptive text is quite well done.
[Photo: PRNewsFoto/PUMA, Sally Collison/PUMA OCEAN RACING]
Deadmau5 USB Drive
Deadmau5 and Aderra teamed up to offer a Deadmau5 USB drive based on the dj's signature mouse mask. The drive was distributed after a performance with a live recording of the evening's show and additional content and promo matter.
I'd tell you something more about this USB/Cassette Mixtape Combo but the Billionaire Boys Club Ghost Blogger ripped the graphic without attribution.
Crooks & Castles and Mojo Labs have a USB Bullet Drive in the works.
G-Bo The Pro and DJ Rei Double R released a USB Digital Box Set earlier this summer.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
NerdWithSwag: Cassette USB Hub, Sakiya Sandifer Interview
Universal Music Group to Release Music on USB Sticks
Marley's Exodus Released as Limited Edition USB Stick
Future Stars f/The Olly Girls - The Mohawk Song
Building your name with a gimmick, or something that's actually a part of your lifestyle but reads like a gimmick, is always a problematic path. But aren't they all!
Future Stars took the organic gimmick route earlier this summer by writing a song about their favorite hairstyle, creating a spontaneous feeling event and tying it all together in a music video.
Future Stars' J-Nez & Future w/Happy Client
If the gimmick, in this case Mohawks and free Mohawk haircuts, is authentic and folks get the right message along the lines of "fun but quirky band that's hip but not too cool for everyday people", then it can be a good move.
Judging from the footage and the pics, Future Stars has the right touch of sincerity and goofy populism to pull it off, though it doesn't seem to have swept the nation like they may have hoped.
MySpace: The Mohawk Song
Google is launching a new web browser called Google Chrome today and there's a positioning document, in this case a geekcentric Google Chrome webcomic by Scott McCloud that is also drawing some attention due, in part, to its premature release.
It's a fun way for the geekily inclined to get some background on the new browser, see how common browser problems are addressed and talk yourself into checking out Google Chrome even if you're so sick of new web tools you could scream!
And the comic is a nice example of a marketing device that can be successfully "leaked" because people want the information/content.
Google Blogoscoped has more on the leak and the browser.
Official Site:
Google Chrome (BETA) for Windows
I heard from Gerald Watson of AM Radio that did some work for Scion:
"We recently developed a project where we transformed a chic 4-floor townhouse into a lifestyle gallery/residence by fusing original art and multi media elements - LOCATION."
The main events at Location: Baltimore occurred back in the spring but it remains a cool and relevant example of creating a branded environment for such events.
An extensive collection of photos can currently be found at flickr.
Look, it's Words Beats & Life! I'm supposed to do something on them. For a long time now.
Peep the blog for pics of the space in action during such events as The Gift, in which attendees were gifted.
Cassettes Won't Listen, aka Jason Drake, has supposedly set up a website at BeatKanye.com to wage a web campaign for his video, Paper Float, and beat Kanye West in the MTV Video Music Awards.
He's got a great concept:
"I decided that I wanted to beat Kanye because it's so much more fun to watch Kanye lose an award than it is to watch him win one...I'm tired of seeing him win and hear him talk about how he's the best there ever was, how he's changed the game, how he's the second coming of Christ, how his lighting show will beat your lighting show."
Sadly, BeatKanye.com simply redirects to the Paper Float video at Overdrive.
The writer might have misunderstood or maybe a site is on the way. Who knows?
But it was a let down to go to a domain expecting a website built on a catchy idea and not even getting a YouTube video of Kanye spazzing out. Know what I mean?
It's just sad to see an artist fail to fully implement a great concept.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
In An Absolut [Vodka] World: Be KANYE [West] Continues
Be KANYE: "Viral Video" Ad for Absolut Vodka
AC - New Soul [Directed by Steven Tapia]
AC was best known around ProHipHop offices for his recent Attack of the Blogs project but he's building in lots of ways and this video of New Soul directed by Steven Tapia and featuring Mac products should definitely increase the visibility of both.
I actually don't know if this is or isn't a web commercial. You have to wonder if there's a hookup with Apple or how Apple will respond if there's not but, however that plays out, Steven Tapia's got a nice touch!
Ryan Leslie - Diamond Girl (The Movie)
For another example of the coolness of the MacBook Air emerging from a delivery envelope to set the scene, watch the opening of Ryan Leslie's new short, Diamond Girl (The Movie).
For some, this image must already be an incredible cliche. It will be for all of us, soon enough.
But, for now, I remain seduced.
[AC video via Fat Lace.]
Artist Sites:
At MySpace: AC
Official Website: Steven Tapia
At YouTube: RyanLeslieTV
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