Wu-Tang Clan & Eventful Hold 8 Diagrams Tour Competition

8 Diagrams Tour Competition

The Wu-Tang Clan is using Eventful to add tour sites to their 8 Diagrams tour which is already in progress.  You have till February 1st to get 1500 people to demand Wu-Tang in your town and they say they'll come.

When Eventful first came out with its Demand program I thought it was a cool idea but didn't think much about it.  However, if Eventful wasn't exploring a lot of other ideas, they could probably build a nice company around this feature alone.

By refocusing the fan/artist relationship on something fans can have, a performance in their town if there's sufficient demand, rather than something most of them cannot have, real personal interaction with the artist, Eventful provides a meaningful basis for expressions of mass love.

With that in place, they then have the potential to become, at the very least, a crucial point of contact between fans and artists as a focal point or an always needed element of whatever larger campaign occurs.  MySpace has done that in a different way and now they have the joy of being indispensable to most musicians' short-term and long-term marketing.

Press Release:
Wu-Tang Clan Returns and Uses Eventful Demand to Give Fans the Power to Route Their Tour

Blue Scholars Raising Northwest Hip Hop Awareness

The Stranger takes a look at the Seattle hip hop scene with a nod to Vancouver, BC and Portland.  The group of articles is inspired by an event organized by the Blue Scholars happening next week:

"The Program" as it's called, is a five night showcase that will bring together leading Northwest Hip Hop artists, DJs, visual artists, local labels and community activist groups, in a celebration of the local Hip Hop culture.

The Program
What We Learn When Northwest Hiphop Comes Together in One Room

All Together Now
Hiphop Entrepreneurs Blend Art and Commerce

Northwest Passage
The Other Two Factors in the Seattle/Vancouver/Portland Equation

Here Comes the Neighborhood
Despite What You've Heard, Hiphop Is Saving America

Via Blogs Is Watching.

Official Site:
Blue Scholars

Jam Master Jay & the J.A.M. Awards: Celebration & Stress

The NY Daily News has photos from last Thursday's J.A.M. Awards held to honor the memory of Jam Master Jay.

Glenn Gamboa reviewed the event and Steve Knopper interviewed DMC for Newsday.

Stress continues between primary characters from the last days of Jam Master Jay who have strong feelings but don't seem to have done a lot for the ongoing investigation.

Showbuzz coverage leads with a plug for the JMJ Foundation For Music which the event was intended to benefit and which is missing out on the benefits of an active, up-to-date website.

HoustonSoReal to AustinSurreal: Matt Sonzala Joins SXSW

Matt Sonzala is moving to Austin for a job with SXSW.  This is great news for hip hop at SXSW which has already been showing strong growth, in part, with Matt's help.

Buried at the end of the post:
The hip-hop portion of SXSW is gonna be bigger and better than ever next year. I'ma get all the good ones in one place at one time and we gone ride on the enemy. I'm working to bring some serious international flavors that you need in your life and a lot of our favorite DJs and such will be there as well. Seriously SXSW 2008 is gonna be ridiculous. Get your passes now.

Seriously, get your passes now!

Official Site:
SXSW

Coming Soon:
AustinSurreal

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Hip Hop Showcase at SXSW
SXSW Pics, Interview & a Vibe.com Feature

Eyedea & Abilities: Appetite for Distraction Tour

Eyedea & Abilities Announce Tour

Here's a rather odd little promo video from the indie sector, in this case, Eyedea & Abilities announcing their upcoming tour.

See Rhymesayers Events or E&A Fan Community for tour info.

When Your Scene Sucks, Turn It Into a Virtue

James Montgomery on the difference between SXSW and CMJ:

Unlike South By Southwest — the Marathon's bratty, down-South brother (which, in the minds of many, has surpassed the elder as the premier fest in the States) — CMJ is a musical festival for people who actually like music festivals and all the headaches and heartbreaks that come along with them. There is no Sixth Street (the Austin thoroughfare that hosts the majority of SXSW's action) to speak of, no label-sponsored cocktail hours at swank Texas hotels, no delicious Bar-be-que to demolish. SXSW is easy, sort of like an industry-wide booze cruise with bands playing on the pool deck. CMJ is complicated, a sometimes-miserable mess, with bands playing in apartments in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

That reminds me of my father and the many miles he had to walk to school with no shoes or one shoe and some socks and how that made him truly appreciate his education unlike me who got to ride the bus.

Never mind.  I just can't match the ridiculousness of that statement.

SXSW Interactive Panels, Black Tech Bloggers

SXSW Interactive has posted their preliminary list of conference panels for their March '08 gathering in Austin.

My proposal on From B2B Blog to Media/Event Empire didn't make it but it was one of those flashes of inspiration that I ended up not pursung effectively for a couple of reasons so I kind of expected this outcome.

However Lynne d Johnson made it on the schedule with a panel titled "Where Are The Black Tech Bloggers?"

On the one hand, if I think of the standard model tech blog, I can't think of any black tech bloggers.  But if I think about black bloggers interested in technology and gadgets, I suddenly have all sorts of examples:
The Megatron Don
Crate Kings
kanYe West

It's true that these aren't tech blogs in the niche sense and Crate Kings may or may not be a black blog per se but they are great examples of blogs that reveal the place of technology, whether in the form of gadgets, communication devices, studio gear or software, in the daily lives of the bloggers, all of whom are involved with studio production and some of whom have an eye for gadget porn.

I'm not sure if I'll make it to the conference but these are some of the panels that caught my eye:
Behind the Scenes at the Onion News Network
(Sean Mills)
Beyond the Blogosphere: How Online Talent is Being Developed Offline
(Dianne McGunigle)
High-Tech Craft: Why Sewing and Knitting Still Matter
(Natalie Zee Drieu)
Pimp My Non Profit – Real Non-Profits Kicking Ass with Online Technology
(Ed Schipul)
Quit Your Day Job and Vlog
(Tim Shey)
Social Network Coups: The Users are Revolting!
(Annalee Newitz)
Totally Wired Teens: How Teens are Using Your Applications
(Anastasia Goodstein)

Official Site:
SXSW Interactive 2008

Atomic Dogg Rallies Pitbull Lovers & Hip Hop Fans

The Los Angeles Super Bully Show

The Atomic Dogg Magazine is rallying pitbull lovers and hip hop fans at the October 20th Los Angeles Super Bully Show in El Monte, California.

Official Site:
Atomic Dogg Magazine @ MySpace

The Roots at Monterey, Cypress Hill at Global Fusion 6

Two upcoming groups of concerts have a focus on social and/or ecological change.

The Roots and a wide variety of acts will be appearing at the Monterey Music Summit, October 20th and 21st:
Performers are invited to participate not for their talent and popularity alone, but also for their willingness to speak openly on current political matters, and for their commitment to positive social change.

Global Fusion 6 is a series of concerts in Hollywood presented by Immigrant Magazine, ExitSigns.com and Global Artists Network:
a fusion of performers from around the world celebrating the diversity of cultural artistic expressions while promoting the mutual ecological duties of consuming less and preserving more.

The October 18th Global Fusion 6.1 show will include Cypress Hill, The Shapeshifters, Tigarah and 2Mex.

Official Sites
Monterey Music Summit
Globl Fusion Tickets at ExitSigns

Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival Rescheduled for July

Though it was recently reported that the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival had lost its annual spot, Wes Jackson updates us with the news that the Festival is still on, just rescheduled for July.

Yay!

Official Press Release:
Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival Organizers Clear up Confusion on Venue

Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival Loses Venue [Not]

I haven't seen anything about this on The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival website or on the swift chancellor report but The Brooklyn Paper says that the Festival is losing its current park location.  A production of Macbeth has been given that slot next year.

They include Wes Jackson's view:
Festival organizers believe the move was racially motivated.  "Hip hop brings a lot more brown people to this neighborhood, and people who live here are not comfortable with it," said Wes Jackson, whose Room Service Production founded the festival in 2005.  "[People have told me that residents say], 'The festival should be in Commodore Barry Park between the projects and the BQE, not next to my $2.5-million condo.'"

That's a serious blow to a project that hip hop bloggers in the area rave about.  Hip hop shows have enough problems without having venues stolen from an event like The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival that from all reports was well run and was also very cool.

Update:
Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival Rescheduled for July

Schedule: Music Industry Conferences And Seminars

Crate Kings has a nice schedule of upcoming music industry events.

SXSW Interactive Panel Picker & B2B Panel Proposal

The SXSW Interactive festival happening in March has posted the 2008 SXSW Interactive Panel Picker featuring panels proposed by folks like yours truly.  You can simply browse the hundreds of suggested panels or create an account and make comments as well as rank the panels for possible inclusion at SXSW.

Here's my proposal for a panel titled From B2B Blog to Media/Event Empire:
This session will introduce the possiblities for expanding one's blog/brand by considering the insights of successful B2B bloggers. The focus on practical realities will include how such projects are leveraging low cost blogging platforms and small teams to challenge old school B2B media companies both on and offline.

If the panel makes it I hope to convince some folks that have successfully built their B2B blogs into media companies with multiple web properties and offline events to come down and give me a chance to ask them some serious questions.  It should be a cool event.

Related Coverage:
Vote to add Africa 2.0 panel to SXSW festival schedule

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
SXSW Interactive Festival Panel Podcasts

The Move to Video and Live Events: The Mixtape Show, Ill Doctrine, Internets Celebrities, Hip-Hop Chess Federation

Video's where the action is right now and that includes hip hop vlogging.  Recent announcements from hip hop bloggers and podcasters indicate that both the content creators and mainstream media are digging in.

Dex Digital's audio podcast the Mixtape Show is going video and is asking for submissions for a video podcast launching in July:
If you’ve been waiting for a progressive outlet for your progressive content/product/movement, this is that time to get on board with us. Shows will be featured as free downloads in iTunes, the Mixtape Show site, and also made available on YouTube and other hip-hop related networks.

Jay Smooth, long known for hiphopmusic.com which is soon to be a group blog, is now vlogging at Ill Doctrine and he's got the goods.  The project involves some kind of partnership with XXL and with the Podtech Network.

The creators of the Ghetto Big Mac now have their own home at Internets Celebrities.

There have been many hip hop film and video makers posting their work on YouTube and other outlets but this seems to be the first wave of hip hop podcasters and bloggers making a visible commitment to video, though the Internets Celebrities may have been first in this crowd.

I think it was Julien Smith that got me thinking about the shift to video back in March and the more recent sale of Wallstrip to CBS that got me fixated.

Short video is an ideal form for Web publishing.  It's self-contained and already microchunked and monetizable.  It appeals to multiple senses and short attention spans.  Smart, creative people can do it relatively quickly and cheaply.

These attributes of short video make it ideal for hip hop which is already off to a good start with music videos, quick interviews and cell phone clips.

What hip hop is missing out on are live events at a time when they're growing in importance in marketing and in B2b realms.  While it's hard to miss rock's ability to thrive in live venues, hip hop has been plagued with both the image and reality of violence at concerts as well as the ongoing shutdowns of small, local venues.

When folks like Young Buck are making like Charles Manson with a fork at major awards events, it's hard not to say that hip hop brought its problems on itself.

But rap acts that fall in the indie rock demographic, including Brother Ali and El-P, have solid bases of support in rock oriented clubs around the country while bigger acts can rake it in with international tours.  Community events open up other possibilities.

One of the more interesting events of late has been the gatherings of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation and this will be a project to watch.  Adisa Banjoko's dream of connecting hip hop and chess has attracted serious attention with the first two events and there will be some fun announcements coming soon from this organization which has many ties to ProHipHop.

Live events remain a potential growth area for hip hop possibly beyond that of other musical genres.

It would be overdoing it to say that online video and offline events are opposites since they can intertwine and complement each other so readily.  Each represents opportunities that are extremely rich, focused and monetizable with the possiblity of excessive value for both creators and viewer/participants whose roles may well blur in the process.  And each are arguably the ideal, self-contained vehicle for their respective domains.

Next Thing Now:
Interesting related developments I'm following include moblogging, B2B blogs spinning off events, online streaming video of live events and the changing role of movie theaters.  It would also be productive to follow developments in forms of lifestreaming such as Twitter and people that videotape everything they do.  Let me know if you hear of any services that facilitate editing and microchunking excessive amounts of live footage.

Update:
I left out two key areas of interest in live events, the consolidation and development of live venues by companies like Live Nation and the ongoing success of music festivals such as Bonnaroo, that bought its festival site and is doing quite well [via coolfer].

Though Live Nation is widely reviled as an extension of Clear Channel, such efforts raise the likelihood of hip hop finding suitable performance venues.  And while Bonnaroo typically books only a handful of hip hop acts at best, related successes in hip hop [minus the camping] include the Rock The Bells festival, Hot 97's Summer Jam, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt anniversary concert at Madison Square Gardens and even HSAN's Financial Summits, as well as many other successful events that occur year round from car shows to promotional parties.

Still, there's more money to be made with live events.

Live Nation TV is an excellent example of tying together all the threads mentioned in this post.

Lady Sovereign Joins Perez Hilton for Going.com

Perez Hilton & Lady Sov for Going.com

Gossip star Perez Hilton and Lady Sovereign are performing at Going.com's rebranding party tonight in Boston.  It's free via registration at Going.com, an "events-based social networking site" formerly known as HeyLetsGo.

Hammer to Participate in TechCrunch20 Conference

MC Hammer will be a member of the Panel of Experts at this coming fall's TechCrunch20 Conference:
The Panel of Experts will assist us in selecting the twenty startups to launch at the conference and will participate at the conference in discussing and judging startups after their presentations.

I'm not sure what to think of Hammer in this role, especially given that he's joining some huge tech stars but hip hop figure's usually liven up tech events and he's said to be an "advisor to stealth Internet start-up Dance Jam."

Official Site:
TechCrunch20 Conference

Brockway Biggs for Pimp Juice, RHYTHMICRU in Taiwan

Pimp Juice Desktop Image

Ottawa, Ontario's Brockway Biggs, first known as Pimp T, has remixed his award winning single Shake Ya Caboose as part of a promotion for Nelly's Pimp Juice.  The single is available for free download at letitloose.com along with singles by Baby Huey and Thinline Ent.

Biggs was interviewed by Paul Castle of CBC NB's Shift about the deal and related career developments.

Direct link to Shake Ya Caboose (Nevski Remix) MP3.

Flyer for RHYTHMICRU at Grooveyard Taiwan

In related hip hop news from Ontario, Toronto's RHYTHMICRU recently got back from a tour in Taiwan and an appearance at Grooveyard Taiwan.

Queen Latifah to Keynote at Ways Women Lead

Queen Latifah will be a keynote speaker at the Ways Women Lead conference held by the Simmons School of Managment on May 5th in Boston.

Promo for Brother Ali Undisputed Truth Tour

Promo Video for Brother Ali "The Undisputed Truth" Tour

Looking Back at the SXSW 2007 Hip Hop Festival

There are a lot of hip hop festivals but most of the ones with which I'm familiar are either single day events or are much more about hip hop culture as a whole.  So after finally trying to get a sense of who all was there, I realized that SXSW has become a major hip hop festival without even trying.

I've posted an edited version of the official SXSW 2007 schedule with hip hop showcases plus showcases where hip hop appeared.  In most instances I removed acts that weren't labeled hip-hop/rap from specific showcases but I also left a few up that seemed to fit for one reason or another.

When you do that, you get the 2007 SXSW Hip Hop Festival.  It looks pretty damn cool.

I should point out that hip hop at SXSW has been building each year, as Vibe's Alyssa Rashbaum noted last year.  Also noted was the absence of significant violence:

[Chamillionaire] said. "There are so many hip hop artists starting to emerge from out of Texas that it would be crazy to do an event as big as SXSW and not include any hip hop. There were hip hop stages at last year's SXSW and I'm sure the fact that there were not any fights and there was a good turnout helped it grow this year."

Given this year's similar lack of violent drama and the festival's yearly growth, expect an even bigger hip hop presence in the years to come. Who knows, maybe Jay-Z can give next year's keynote speech.

Actually, Jay-Z would totally ruin the scene at SXSW.  Part of what makes the music festival work is that it's scheduled during UT-Austin's spring break so the annoying kids are all gone and the cools kids flood the area.  Part of what makes the hip hop portions of the festival work, is the absence of rap stars, gangsta nonsense and beefsh*t artists.

Let's hope hip hop can keep building in a positive way at SXSW as the festival begins to attract a broader range of artists.

Related Coverage:
Looking Back at SXSW: More Hip Hop, Bigger Names

Looking Back at SXSW: More Hip Hop, Bigger Names

The Pack @ SXSW

Last week, MTV News operatives debriefed after SXSW and seemed a bit puzzled by all the hip hop there this year.  Some of the writers are correct in discussing many acts in terms of their relationship to rap's indie rock demographic but part of the growth is clearly in Texas showcases of acts that are not so indie rock oriented.

SXSW still has a list of hip hop acts at this year's festival.  In going through the daily schedule, it looks to me like there was at least 50% more hip hop this year than in 2002 and 2003, the years I attended.  But what sticks out to me, in addition to the stronger regional presence, is that there were a lot more famous acts this year like Ghostface and Rakim sponsored by Scion.

What follows is a random sample of hip hop coverage at SXSW.

From IMMEEM's South By Southwest 2007 blog:
Scion Austin 2007
Mickey Avalon
Greatest Day of SXSW2007

From Fader:
Swizz Beats

I created a SXSW category at VidRap that includes live clips from UGK, Brother Ali & Slug, El-P, The Pack, RJD2 and Redman.

If you covered hip hop at SXSW, please do drop a link in the comments.

Related Coverage:
Looking Back at the SXSW 2007 Hip Hop Festival

Hip Hop, Chess & Life Strategies Event's Success Sets the Stage for Much More Ahead

Casual from Hieroglyphics Clashes with 8 Year Old "Zen Master"

While my good friend Adisa Banjoko is busy pushing the historical aspects of the first Hip Hop, Chess & Life Strategies Exhibition and Tournament in his latest press release, I'm much more interested in the fact that yesterday's event went off very well.

I talked to Adisa last night and have been in touch with him previously about the development of the event.  Though organized rather quickly, the Tournament sounds like it became a true community space in which all levels of participants were welcomed.  So one area might have DJ Qbert with his chess clock and another would have the equivalent of Chess 101 happening while straightforward challenges crowned the day.

DJ QBert Faces a Challenger

Part of why the event's success interests me is due to the fact that I've seen some really awful hip hop "business" gatherings descend into chaos and, ever since, I've been thinking through what it would take to make such gatherings work.  In this case, the community nature of the event prevailed.

Adisa felt that was partly due to emphasizing chess, welcoming all levels and, perhaps most importantly, not having an open mic or similar venue that would have put folks into best rapper mode.  What emerged was a very positive gathering that revealed the possibilities.  Now we'll see what Adisa and Leo Libiran, who is working with Adisa on getting things going online, can do with their Hip-Hop Chess Federation.

More photos at Holla at a Scholar!

Coverage by KCBS Radio.

(Photos Courtesy Shaminder Dulai)

Adisa Banjoko Organizes Hip Hop, Chess and Life Strategy

Adisa Banjoko Speaks at Brown University on Hip Hop & Islam

Adisa Banjoko has organized a Hip Hop, Chess and Life Strategy exhibition and tournament for Feb. 23rd at San Jose's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

There are more guests expected but here's who's down so far:
DJ QBert, Yogafrog, Award winning director Kevin Epps “Straight Outta Hunters Point”, The Jacka, Jay the Butcher, DJ Kevvy Kev, Balance, T-K.A.S.H., Ise Lyfe, Scape Martinez,  Izz Thizz, Starski, Davey D, Casual, Saafir, journalist J.R., French Hip-Hop producer DJ Kool Side, battle MC Okwerdz, Hip Hop Congress President Shamako Noble and some surprise guests. DJ Backside will be on hand to spin beats for the event. Some of the of martial artists attending include Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Sergio Silva of Open Door Jiu Jitsu, 10th Planet  Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt Denny Prokopos, Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Gumby from www.onthemat.com and many others.

Davey D decided to kick things off with a possibly foolhardy challenge to the Heiroglyphic lads:
"My ultimate goal is to topple the entire Hiero squad." Davey D wants to actualize his dream of "putting the whole damn Hiero Imperium family in checkmate and rule the world."

Best of luck to Davey D and to all the competitors in what should be an excellent event.

In related news:
On Feb. 19th Adisa will be speaking at Williams College in Massachusetts on The Mic and the Crescent: A Historical Look at Hip Hop and Islam.

Commercial For Young Jeezy Concert

Commercial for Young Jeezy at Hammerjacks - April 28th, '06

BlackElectorate.com Presents Bowling For Business

Cedric Muhammed's concept of the bowling alley as business networking space is a fun one, especially if you can bowl.  It's happening October 29th in Washington, DC as part of a larger weekend of business networking events.

BlackElectorate.com "Business and Building" Bowling Party
"To me, bowling is like golf with more background noise," Cedric says with a sense of humor. "The bowling alley can be to the Hip-Hop generation and community -its entrepreneurs, professionals, college students, and activists - what the golf course is to corporate executives. We have to use settings like this not to just enjoy ourselves, which we most certainly will, but also to build with one another, network, talk business and politics, and collaborate."

Official Site:
BlackElectorate.com

Mario Barth Markets To Celebs, Tattoos Jim Jones At AOL Style Studio

Jim Jones and Mario Barth at AOL Style Studio

Major tattoo artist Mario Barth held court at AOL Music's Style Studio as part of the MTV VMA festivities.

Barth covered a lot of celebrity related marketing bases with his participation in this upscale invitation-only event including tattooing Jim Jones and introducing the Elite Diamond Club Card:

The cards, which have nearly two carats of diamonds encrusted on them, allow the bearer to be flown by private jet or first class, to Barth's location within 48 hours for a private ink session free of charge.

Jim Jones and Mario Barth at AOL Style Studio

Since Barth is said to have a year and a half waiting list, the Club Cards are an excellent way to give celebrities special treatment and to expand his own rep while marketing his multiple tattoo studios where you can get a Starlight Tattoo even if you can't afford Mario Barth himself.

In addition, Barth used the opportunity to get celebrities to sign a "custom-made leather embroidered chair that Barth will auction off for CureSearch, Childhood Cancer Foundation", thus working some positive energy into his marketing while giving him a future event to publicize.

There's also supposed to be coverage of Barth at AOL Music but I couldn't find it.  I'm not how useful that would be for Mario Barth and I'm not really sure what all this does for AOL Music but Barth obviously knows how to work an event.

More pics at the Starlight Tattoo gallery.

Starlight Tattoo also has a gang tattoo removal program in which community service is traded for tattoo removal treatments.

Official site: Starlight Tattoo

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
MTV VMAs Week: Party & Concert Sponsors, Artist & Record Promotions, Image Management & The Disappointment Of Multiple Platforms
MTV VMAs: OK Go Video, List of Winners

Events: Global Mixx DJ Retreat, Skillz of the Trade, Big Tigger/Alphas

The 2006 Global Mixx DJ Retreat Announces Event Line-Up:

Confirmed DJ Coalitions attending include: Violator All-Star DJs, Shadyville DJ Coalition, Bum Squad DJ Coalition, The Aphilliates, The Heavyhitters, The Murda Mamis International, The Soul Selectors, The Superfriends and The Turntable Assassins.

Participating labels include: Virgin Records, Jive, Disturbing Tha Peace, Def Jam, Atlantic Records, Freeman Entertainment, Grand Hustle, Bad Boy Records, and Capitol Records. Throughout the retreat, attendees can expect to see performances and appearances by Method Man, LL Cool J, Bossman, Daz Dillinger, Too Short, Dre, Shawna, Bobby Valentino, Shareefa, Lupe Fiasco, DJ Spenderella, Biz Markie, Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music artist roster and many others. Additional sponsors for this year’s retreat are Kool, Tequila Patron, Demo Mix, Digi Waxx, and the Mixtape Kings.

SKILLZ OF THE TRADE PRODUCER SEMINAR & WORKSHOP:

Skillz of the Trade is a hip hop production seminar that educates would be producers on the nuances of being a well polished producer within the genre of hip hop. Attendees are educated within a "hands-on"
environment by actual producers who have worked with Wu-Tang, Roc-a-fella Records, Def Jam, Jive, Motown and Grammy award winning mastering engineer Don Grossinger. . .

Panel Discussions: Learn how to promote yourself, How to promote
your music, How to create your company, How to distribute your product
yourself, How to stay relevant, How to generate revenue.

BIG TIGGER CELEBRATES WITH THE ALPHAS AND GREY GOOSE THIS SATURDAY:

Who: Hosted by Big Tigger
FLOW Entertainment Group
Trendsetters, Inc.
Bottomline Productions
Ill Productions

This event is sponsored by:

Trendsetters, Inc.
Bottomline Productions
FLOW Entertainment Group
Grey Goose Vodka
Hpnotiq
SocialStep.com
Rolling Out Magazine

AllHipHop.com's 3rd Annual AllHipHop Week w/BBQ!

I can't believe I missed announcements of earlier AllHipHop Weeks cause AllHipHop Week 2006 is a great concept.

AllHipHop Week 2006 will unite thousands of celebrities, music executives, entertainers, national media and loyal Hip-Hop enthusiasts to celebrate the growing influence of the Hip-Hop industry in American culture.

Sponsors and Partners:
Pepsi and Verizon, and in association with VIBE Magazine and HOT 97-WQHT-FM, New York; reigning over New York City August 5 through 11.

In these fast paced times, they have every right to claim tradition by their third year:
Following tradition, the 3rd Annual AllHipHop Week kicks off with an annual favorite, the classic AllHipHop BBQ, which is sponsored by G-Unit.

A G-Unit sponsored barbecue?  It's not like I'd go but that's hard to argue with.  And I do love barbecue.

This year the BBQ is combined with a massive Gaming Tournament offering cash prizes up to $10,000!  Expect AllHipHop's signature events including the Breeding Ground™, giving top artists an opportunity to showcase their skills to an audience of major Hip-Hop media, executives and A&Rs; and the Social Lounge™, a Hip-Hop meeting of the minds as various artists, executives, politicians and intellectuals from the Hip-Hop community have a roundtable discussion about current events and issues.  This year's AllHipHop Week offers events for all lovers of the culture including the "Urban Visualizations Art Show: Hip-Hop As Life, a Salute to Gordon Parks," AllHipHop's Battle Royale emcee battle, and the urban chic "House of AllHipHop" Celebrity Fashion Show.  The week culminates with a grand finale performance, in association with media partners VIBE Magazine and Hot 97-WQHT-FM, New York.

From barbecue to Gordon Parks.  Cot damn!

On A Barbecue Related Note:
I realize they may just be grilling stuff but now they've got me thinking about beef brisket [no pun intended].  I know a place in NC run by transplanted Texans where you can get legitimate beef brisket, though they shut down their operation that was just three blocks from my present abode.

Beef brisket rules.  Go ask Balance if you ain't heard!

But mostly it's a pork thing around here.  Not that I mind.  Sorry Adisa!

And you know we got the hush puppies that can't be beat.  My brother in Connecticut says they don't even know what they are up there!  Talk about impoverished.

In any case, these guys just worked me over with this announcement.  Now that's good marketing!

By the way, I probably shouldn't say this about Mr. Banjoko, but he's jealous of both me and Balance cause we've had beef brisket and he hasn't.  Why else would he look so pissed in all his photos?  The man's barbecue deficient!

What's The Point?:
So I'm trying to make a point here about engaging your target audience.

In my case, the barbecue theme caused me to riff because I have a deep relationship to barbecue.  But, obviously, this is a serious multilayered promotional event that I expect to be reading about on a blog or two from New York before long.  Cause it can't just be about making folks like me envious of missing the party, whether you categorize that envy as part of the plan, an added bonus or an unexpected result.

Lauryn Hill at the W in New Orleans

Earlier this month Lauryn Hill appeared in New Orleans to help celebrate the re-opening of the W Hotel.

The visit by Lauryn Hill didn't get the best review by the person who uploaded the mobile video at YouTube, but Clear Soul enjoyed playing with her and bothsidesnow84 said:
An hour and a half later from the scheduled performance, we finally got to watch her perform. Besides the fact that she was three feet away from me, her performance was hands down the best performanced I've ever witnessed. AMAZING!

I think I originally heard about the video through hiphopmusic.com.
 

Interscope's Kevin Black Featured at Uplifting Minds II

According to a press release, Kevin Black, a Vice President of Rap and R&B at Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records, will host a seminar on marketing and promotions at the Uplifting Minds II conference in Los Angeles in late June.

Find out about Kevin Black's "Four F Theory" for success, check out other seminars, participate in the talent competition that Black will help judge and get your goodie bag!

Official site: Uplifting Minds II

SXSW Pics, Interview & a Vibe.com Feature

Since HoustonSoReal is still in recovery from SXSW, we'll have to settle for his pictures, while we get ready for the Texas Independent Music Showcase & Industry Conference coming up in April in Austin.

However, HoustonSoReal author Matt Sonzala is interviewed by the Houston Chronicle on Houston rap and the SXSW festival

Vibe.com has an extensive feature by Alyssa Rashbaum on hip hop at the Austin based music festival.  The piece includes interviews with K-os, Big Tuck, Chamillionaire and Immortal Technique.

Big Tuck describes how the Dirty South Rydaz moved 350,000 copies of one album:
We were grinding pretty much. With our own money we hit every city and surrounding areas. Dallas to Houston, Houston to Louisiana, Louisiana to Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas. We were just driving. We brought a whole bunch of our CDs and we would give stores like 10 CDs on consignment. We'd try to sell the CDs and if we didn't sell ‘em we'd give them to the person with the tightest car. A lot of people always gather around the dude who has the tightest car.

We also just spent a bunch of money giving out CDs and people just got familiar with our name. We were drilling our name into their faces. Then they started selling and stores couldn't keep ‘em in.

In an aside, Immortal Technique reminds us of the power of real estate:
Oh yeah, and I'm buying another farm in Latin America. f*ck a platinum chain! I own land and I answer to no one.

New ProHipHop Category: Competitions

I've been putting competitions, contests and related events in the Events category.  All such future posts will now be found in the Competitions category.

Honestly, Typepad isn't designed well for massive numbers of posts.  If anyone knows of a blogging solution that will take a category and break it up into multiple pages, please drop a comment.

Fort Minor Remix Contest

Another remix contest is happening at the Creative Commons project ccMixter following the recently closed Copyright Criminals contest. This time, instead of remixing voiceovers of folks like DJ Spooky, QBert and Public Enemy, you get to work with a Fort Minor track in the Fort Minor Remix Contest. You've got till May 6th to cement your spot in history.

Link via Hypebot.

Hip Hop Showcase at SXSW

HoustonSoReal looks really involved with hip hop at SXSW in Austin, TX this year.  I'm not sure what that involvement entails [other than lots of work] but I'm glad to see that hip hop is finally being promoted separately.  That always seemed like a missing link for hip hop at SXSW in the overwhelming environment of indie rock.

Billboard Music & Money Symposium

Last Thursday the Billboard Music & Money Symposium was held in New York:
This one-day event brings together the best minds from the music, legal, financial and Wall Street communities for an in-depth examination of the music industry's financial realities. Who is - and will be - spending money, and where it is going?

Digital Music News offered a series of reports from the Symposium. By the way, these links may or may not last. Digital Music News would be so much better if each entry had a permalink that remained stable from the get go.

From Symposium sessions:

Sillerman Questions Record Business, Sees Rockiness Ahead

Universal Music CEO Remains Bullish on Future Prospects

Kicking the Tires on the MVNO: Does It Make Sense?

Mobile Music Formats Jumpstart ARPU Engine

Resnikoff's Parting Shot: The Bad Effects of Spin - some of this is said to be from the Symposium.

DJ/MC Contests: Copyright Criminals, Chino XL, Cuervoton

The Copyright Criminals Remix Contest is an initiative from the alternative copyright organization Creative Commons that gives you till March 14th to do something innovative using interview footage with DJ Spooky, Chuck D, George Clinton and De La Soul.

Rules and stuff: Copyright Criminals Remix Contest

You've got a lot longer to participate in Chino XL's mc contest using an instrumental track from his upcoming release, Poison Pen.  Further info is on the cd due March 21st.

If you're a reggaeton or Latino hip hop artist, check out the Cuervoton contest for unsigned artists.  I'd give you more details but the site offers various roadblocks to figuring it all out.  But that won't stop you if you're ready to be discovered!

Chuck D to Launch Chuck D Mobile

Chuck D, one of hip hop's most special figures, is launching Chuck D Mobile with a special announcement at the upcoming Billboard MECCA 2006 on April 4th in Las Vegas where he will also take part in the "Q&A keynote series".  As the press release describes it:
During this one-on-one fireside chat, Chuck D will discuss his vision of where wireless fits into the broader digital content landscape and what the wireless industry can do to entrench itself deeper into the entertainment industry mindset.

More important than his personal appearance is the news that:
Chuck will announce the launch of Chuck D Mobile, a global mobile distribution company, at Billboard MECCA 2006. He currently is also overseeing his hip hop web portal, www.rapstation.com, working on a second book, a pair of albums, and recently opened his own SlamJamz Record label, which will release a dozen albums this year.

Not everyone knows that Chuck D was early on the Internet and now has a solid web presence and base for business at Public Enemy, Rapstation and SLAMjamz.  I'm not fully up on his history with mobile but last fall's release of New Whirl Odor by Public Enemy showed that he's deeply into mobile now.

I think it would be great fun to hear him speak at MECCA.  I attended their conference in San Francisco last year where I decided that hard core coverage of corporate activity was not going to be a major focus of ProHipHop anytime soon, unless I bring on another writer!  It's just too boring and I have a high tolerance for what many would consider boring business news details.  But the interesting thing was that the only music genre discussed at MECCA with any regularity was hip hop and the only genre specific speakers at the conference were all connected to hip hop.  So Chuck D will fit right in.

Maybe they'll even play some hip hop before his event rather than the relentless diet of rock at last year's conference.  That's right, it was hip hop on the panels, rock on the speakers.

Billboard MECCA 2006 is a one day event that precedes and is part of CTIA WIRELESS 2006, a major wireless industry gathering.  I think last year was the first year for MECCA, which I attended in San Francisco, and I think it was a really smart move on Billboard's part to make that happen.

The Wu-Tang Clan Rediscover Each Other

Wu-Tang kicks off its tour in New Haven with what sounds like a show that revealed how long they've all been functioning as independent entities. 

As discussed in The Wu-Tang Manual, the early structure of Wu-Tang as envisioned by RZA involved them each finding separate label homes as solo artists in addition to a group deal in order to create an overwhelming network from within the industry.  Ultimately that initial development, allied with the more profitable realities of solo and duet performance, led them down separate paths.

A piece on the tour in the Village Voice reminds us that the early Wu-Tang deal with Loud Records:
was revolutionary in that it allowed for the different Clan members to sign solo deals with whatever label they chose rather than Loud itself. Rappers were able to receive royalties both from group projects and their own solo projects, and before long, all nine had contracts with almost as many labels. "Now it's the norm," says longtime Wu-Tang DJ and producer Mathematics, on the phone from a midtown studio. "Everybody come in with a crew and they want to go solo, or they come in solo with a crew, and they want a Wu-Tang deal. They don't really call it that no more."

Tom Breihan's account in the Voice reveal that there were also some concerns from some Wu-Tang members regarding the relatively small venues and some issues with the initial management of the tour.  However, smaller venues may be a good thing for a gathering of individuals remembering what it is to be a group.

Murs Organizes Paid Dues Indie Rap Festival

I think the Paid Dues indie rap festival that Murs is organizing with Guerilla Union suggests some interesting possibilities for building underground hip hop. The event will take place March 11th in San Bernardino, California with such acts as Aesop Rock, Living Legends, El-P, Chingo Bling and Felt, the combo of Murs, Slug and Ant.

Murs said he was inspired by being on the Vans Warped Tour a few years back:
"I thought it would be great to do something similar for our fans -- something outdoors during the day and at a great price, making it a refreshing change for our die-hard fans who are used to seeing us in the dark dank nightclubs. . . At the same time, it's a great and inexpensive introduction to live hip-hop for the young fans."

Since the acts slated for Paid Dues mostly fit the indie rock/hip hop crossover demographic, that's captured my attention in the past, offering them in an indie rock stamped setting is a logical way to build. Although it may just be a one-off, the