NerdWithSwag: Cassette USB Hub, Sakiya Sandifer Interview

I don't think I've mentioned NerdWithSwag at ProHipHop before though it's a blog my dear readers should know about.

Recent posts include a look at a Cassette Tape USB Hub which is the kind of combination of outmoded and current tech that I totally dig.

Well worth reading is an interview with Sakiya Sandifer who collaborated with Kanye West on Thank You And You're Welcome.  The book turns out to be based on an earlier book by Sandifer who is a very interesting and insightful interviewee.

Check it out!

2008 Black Weblog Awards Nominees, SOHH.com is a Blog?

The 2008 Black Weblog Awards have announced the nominees for 2008 and the contenders for Best Hip-Hop Blog are:

Boo Goo Doo Boom

Nah Right

SOHH.com

Congrats to whoever the winner is but this is hard to care about from the hip hop blogging perspective.  If the same people are going to make the list and the newbie isn't even legitimately listed, why should people care?

Note: I think the Black Weblog Awards are potentially much more important than people realize but allowing SOHH.com into the mix rather than requiring people to pick individual blogs on the site pretty much undermines that category.

Over at Hip Hop Press:
THE BLACK WEBLOG AWARDS ANNOUNCE THE 2008 FINALISTS

Kanye West's Blog & KanyeUniverseCity Make the NY Times

I was starting to gather links to show how, after an initial slow period of response, Kanye West's blog has recently seen a huge uptake among bloggers and it looks like journalists are buying in as well.  But seeing he's made the Times symbolically trumps the links I was gathering.

Though it isn't technically a puff piece, Kanye West couldn't have paid Virginia Heffernan for higher praise in the NY Times for his web operations :

"After being shown to disadvantage one too many times on YouTube, Kanye West vowed to be his own online hype man. The result is KanyeUniverseCity.com — the blog, the business and the best template for Web design, social media and bravura self-promotion."

Oddly, Heffernan tries to claim that the "press" raised the ghost blogger issue that was introduced and brought full circle all in blogs.  The "press" just covered it after the fact:

"West, who is known for a passionate and all-cap prose style, has bridled at the suggestion, recently floated in the press, that he uses a ghost-blogger to compose his impersonal entries."

But, of course, Mr. West gets the pass from Ms. Heffernan and gets only praise for his jacked content and a closing bit about his magical healing powers that is just too preciously ridiculous for words.

Love those high journalistic standards, y'all!

Nevertheless, let me make it clear that I think the whole celebrity blogging thing is generally a smart move and that Kanye's efforts have been highly successful.  Kanye's taking control of his media presence and will only see increasing benefits, mixed with occasional embarrassments, now that U.S. media from bloggers to journalists view his site as the go to spot for Kanye West quotes.

On that note, if you have ever tried to get information about a major artist off their record label's website, more often than not you've been disappointed.  Between Wikipedia, artists' blogs and MySpace, labels have again dealt themselves out of the game.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Kanye West Ghost Blogger Controversy Timeline
Kanye West's Blog Team Are Jackers
Bad Blog Look: Kanye West Plays God

paidContent.org Acquired by Guardian Media Group

Congratulations to Rafat Ali, founder of paidContent.org, and to all the folks associated with ContentNext Media which has been acquired by the Guardian Media Group.

Rafat Ali discusses the acquisition and the future of ContentNext.

Marshall Kirkpatrick shares his enthusiastic perspective at ReadWriteWeb.

Brian Stelter adds some interesting details.

Another historical moment in the land that problogging built!

Gawker Sells Idolator to Buzznet's Growing Empire

Putting those Interscope investment dollars to work, social media company Buzznet has acquired music blog Idolator.

Buzznet recently completed the acquisiton of Stereogum, followed by the launch of Videogum, along with the purchase of music app maker Qloud.

Gawker also got shed of Gridskipper and Wonkette.

I know such changes can be nerve wracking for writers and editors.  Best of luck everybody!

Official Site:
Buzznet

Battle of the Top Hip Hop/Urban Blog Lists

Wooohah recently launched the Blog Performance Indicator that ranks Hip Hop and Urban blogs.

GreasyGuide.com was dissastisfied and countered with Top Urban Blogs.

What's fun about this, besides the decent ranking for ProHipHop, is that it's not only a battle of methodologies, which is cool in a research geek way, but also a battle of linkbait posts, which is cool in a web geek way.

Best of luck everybody!

PRODIGY'S BLOGGING FOR VIBE!

AND THEY'RE KEEPING THE ALL CAPS!!!

I think Prodigy's serious about this blogging thing:

"ANYBODY THAT GOT SOMETHING AGAINST KEEPING A BLOG, YOU SHOULD STAY FARRRRRR AWAY FROM THE FOOL AND NEVER TRUST EM’...AND WHOEVER TELLS YOU THEY DON’T DO THE BLOG THING, THEN THAT’S THEIR CHOICE...BUT IT’S THE CHOICE OF A DINOSAUR WHO HAS LITTLE TO NO PLACE WITH THE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGICAL FUTURE."

And I do look forward to his TEACHINGS:

"BE MORE OPEN WITH MY FANS AND THE WORLD ABOUT THE THINGS THAT I’VE BEEN RESEARCHING AND STUDYING FOR YEARS:  THE ILLUMINATI, THE SECRET GOVERNMENT, BOHEMIAN GROVE SOCIETY, SECRET SOCIETIES, THE ORIGIN OF CULTURES AND RACES, THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION, AND ESPECIALLY THE ORIGIN OF THE ROYAL FAMILY, THE FEDERAL RESERVE AND WORLD BANKING SYSTEM."

Agenda Inc's "New" Luxury Coverage

I got into Agenda Inc. back in the early days of ProHipHop when it was a broad trend watching consultancy.

But they mostly cut and pasted other people's content into their blog, though they did link out, and I eventually started following all the relevant sources on which they drew so I moved on.

That meant I missed their shift to a focus on the luxury market till quite recently and have been meaning to inform ProHipHop readers who have an interest in such things.

And I'm happy to report that they're actually blogging now.

A good look all around.

Rawkus Networks Expanding w/UPROXX Blog Networks

Looks like the lads in charge at Rawkus aren't limiting their ambitions to the Rawkus Network.

From the UPROXX Blog Networks home page:

"Uproxx is a collection of networks on specific pop culture topics such as hip hop, indie rock, sports, and gossip. To create these networks Uproxx pulls content from a hand selected group of top blogs and tastemakers in each category. Unlike an all-technology based information service, Uproxx works closely with the blogs on its networks and creates business partnerships and contibutes editorial and technical support."

"The overall goal is to aggregate information and community into portals and make advertising and content partnerships with our top providers. By servicing the tastemakers and bloggers we provide better information for our network communities."

So far everything except the Rawkus Network is under construction but you can see what's ahead on the Verticals page.

Biz Blogger Served by Corporate Takeover & Wooohah!

Nice one-two knockout from Corporate Takeover and Wooohah! in their response to a post by a Fast Company blogger regarding Ludacris' restaurant plans.

[Note: Check the comments for Lynne d Johnson's take on what she considers unfair attacks on our part.  I see what she's saying and I've softened some bits and want to note that my real interest here is in seeing new hip hop bloggers emerge with critiques of hip hop business coverage rather than in attacking Saabira Chaudhuri.]

Corporate Takover brings the pain as he points out what I've been saying for years now, business writers who haven't been paying attention don't take hip hop artists very seriously as businessmen.

That's why you usually see hip hop business news on the entertainment page.

Wooohah's Scott Yeti brings it in the comments section at the Fast Company post with his take.

It's nice not to be the only one doing that kind of thing except that's also why these newcomers are two of the factors making me reassess my whole game.

Corporate Takeover is clearly going to be more directly hooked into the power structure than I would ever want to be.  That's a $trong place to be and something that hip hop business has needed.  I'm far too critical to play that role but I think it can be played in a positive useful way that can lead to much more money off blogging than I'll ever get off blogging alone.

Wooohah! is playing it from another angle with a bit more of a celebrity focus and especially nice coverage of the film and television industries.  To get real traffic on a hip hop blog, you've got to have the celebrity candy in some form, but the film news is what caught my eye and that's why I invited Mr. Yeti to follow in Hypebot's footsteps with his own Film/TV category.

Sadly I've been informed by Scott that he won't be able to continue his Wooohah! contributions and I've shifted his posts to the Film/DVD and TV/Video categories.  But that's not the last you'll hear of Wooohah! here at ProHipHop.

Um, Where Did Just Blaze's Blog Go?

Ok, all you smarty pants bloggers that always know more than me, what happened to Just Blaze's blog?

That's a lot of dead links.

At least I retain the text of my masterwork:
Studio Meltdown: Just Blaze Hallucinates, Saigon Dies

Kim Osorio's Blog, Def Jam's Next President & the Reinscription of NY Media Hegemony

Kim Osorio shares the unedited version of her BET blog post regarding her thoughts on who might be Def Jam's next President and humorously eliminates most celebrity candidates.

This could be a great blog if she stays with it.

Checking it out also reminds me of my recognition that, even as bloggers undermine previous publishing hierarchies, the interconnection of NY blogs and websites in hip hop is reinscribing New York's hip hop media hegemony online.

It's certainly not a neat and easy process and it won't be as total as New York's post-WWII/pre-21st Century media reign but it's working surprisingly well as NY celebrity bloggers complete the love loop focusing primarily on NY bloggers and websites.

The Smoking Section Holds Sticker Posting Contest

The Smoking Section Sticker

Gotty's holding an Annoying Sticker Placement Contest and it's your chance to see how your street spamming stickering skills hold up against the competition.

Whether or not you plan to show the world what you got, you can get free Smoking Section stickers by mailing in a SASE.  That's right, a SASE!

24) Ghostface Killah at SOHH Blogs & Brooklyn Bodega

I want to make sure I mentioned Ghostface's guest appearance at Guest Star: SOHH Blogs as well as the Big Doe Takeover of Brooklyn Bodega even though it just ended.

I greatly appreciate the fact that the press release included the following clarification:

"The exclusive blog is a collaborative effort between Brooklyn Bodega, Def Jam, and SOHH.com. The staff at Brooklyn Bodega worked with Ghostface to piece together his commentary as he traveled across the country on the Hip-Hop Live Tour with Rakim."

So Ghostface didn't blog solo but it seems like a fair team project focused on blog-based marketing.

24 Hours: Blogathon, Comic Day, Build Something Cool

Here are some interesting precedents for 24 Hours of Hip Hop Blogging.

24 Hour Blogathon
24 Hour Comic Day
Build something cool in 24 hours

On Endurance Blogging as Transformational Art

After a bit of thought, I've decided not to enact 24 Hours of Brand Destruction at ProHipHop against XXL and associates.

That's not to say that I intend to start being nice to folks at XXL just to be nice but I don't need to go out of my way to attack an idea that seems innovative to others.

However, I am seriously considering joining Elliott Wilson in his 24 hour blogging marathon except that, if I do, I'll actually blog for as much of the 24 hours as possible.

If I do take up this challenge, one not directed at me by Mr. Wilson, I want to get some real benefits.  Therefore, instead of using the opportunity to indulge myself by telling certain untold tales or pointing out various weaknesses in XXL's online strategy, I'm going to use the opportunity to let my obsession with certain negative individuals go and to move on to new challenges.

Long term I will continue to cover the kinds of things I've been covering and to critique the things that need critiquing.  So I'm sure I'll be raising the topic of the debased nature of the XXL enterprise in the future.  But why endlessly repeat the obvious about toxic writers and editors?

So I'm seriously considering a 24 hour blogging marathon at ProHipHop to close out the year and to prepare for what is looking like a very interesting 2008.

But rather than a blog battle, I've decided to focus on the project as a form of endurance art such as the One Year Performances by Tehching Hsieh and work by other artists included in, for example, Exit Art's Endurance show.  My closest work to date would be the three 12 Hour Projects I organized in the early 80s at SUNY-Purchase and in North Carolina about which I will blog if I join the marathon.

Official announcement coming soon.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
24 Hours: Blogathon, Comic Day, Build Something Cool
Not a Rumor: Elliott Wilson to Blog 24 Times in 24 Hours!!!

Not a Rumor: Elliott Wilson to Blog 24 Times in 24 Hours!!!

What can I say?  When you're the greatest hip hop blogger alive you do stuff like this!

Yes, it's true, not a rumor.  Elliott Wilson, man of power at XXL, will create 24 blog posts in 24 hours!!

No quantity of exclamation points are too many!!!

I remember when Bol did like 12 in one day and his minions gathered round in praise.  Clearly the game is about to change.

Look, should I go childish on these kids who would be men with straight teeth and show 'em how it's done?

I can't compete on audio drops or exclusive videos or cocaine access or any of the other stuff that comes with Elliott's position but I bet I can write more of a higher quality [without talking about what a bad ass I am every post that isn't an audio drop] than can the esteemed but always under-praised Elliott Wilson.

This one's on you dear readers.  It's such a stupid waste of time that I have to know that you're there, for me or against me, if I'm to take on this challenge and blog competitively for 24 hours without the use of the cocaine benefits of my opponent.

Upside:
At least I'd get caught up with my workload!

Update:
Since certain bloggers associated with XXL have a history of posting false documents including fake comments under other people's names, let me say for the record that I, Clyde Smith, will not be posting any comments on XXl's site or on Byron Crawford's site.  Any claims to the contrary will be lies.

Sorry to have to point that out but given who I'm dealing with I feel such a statement is necessary.

And if you haven't figured it out yet, it's on!

Update 2:
My apologies for mispelling Mr. Wilson's name previously assuming that the current contact page at XXL is correct.  Not a subliminal nor a reference to Hashim's simple yet effective disses all of which will be reconsidered during the 24 Hours of Brand Destruction set to ensue.

That's right, it's time to tell some untold tales.

You've heard the lies.  Now hear the truth!

Update 3:
My bad times two on mispelling Elliott's name previously.  It's right there on his blog and I'd know that if I ever checked for it when Eskay didn't link to it.

And my apologies for suggesting that Elliott might use cocaine to his competitive advantage.  Not only does he parry that weak maneuver on my part but he brings the Wu to his defense.

Nice move, Mr. Checkers!

PS:
Imma do a hundred and one, just to school the children.

What's my secret?  Power naps!

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Elliott Wilson: The Great Lion Brushes Off the Flies
Industry Pros Term Elliott Wilson's Back Cover Ad "Offensive" & an "Egregious Violation" of Ethics
XXL 10th Anniversary Covers: Pretend Controversy & XXL's Chief Advertorialist Elliott Wilson

Upon Further Consideration:
On the Transformative Possibilities of Endurance Blogging

Bloggers: In Vibe.com & Radar, A Business Minute, Beats & Rhymes Radio, Sneaker Art Battle

Che Sing The Cool's Small Eyez is getting some love from Vibe.

Eskay is named one of Radar's New Radicals.

J. Jesus Garcia launched A Business Minute.

Del from Vibes & Stuff helped launch Beats and Rhymes Radio, an online streaming channel from Exclaim!

Ian threatens to participate in Converse's Sneaker Art Battle in NY this weekend.

The Birth of For Promotional Use Only

For Promotional Use Only commemorates the passing of 1xtralarge.

Look, he's got a way groovy ProHipHop sidebar widget!

Seth Godin Thank$ His Reader$

It's not that I don't find Seth Godin's thanks sincere but the fact that he doesn't run ads or charge for subscriptions doesn't mean he's not monetizing his blog.  If Seth wants to focus on the attention aspect then one could say he's monetizing that attention.

Books, speaking gigs, consulting, involvement with web startups.  Those are the elements of a much better game than CPMs, clickthroughs and preroll ads which are the elements of a really sucky game I know far too well.

Blogs: Beats & Food Stamps, Wooohah, Get A Bar!, Around the Horn, Mare 139, Frank151

Here are some blogs and a resource for finding blogs that have caught my eye of late.

Beats and Food Stamps recently launched adding another strong voice to the hip hop blogosphere.  Straight up, I was one of the folks who encouraged him to start blogging but you can't blame me if he starts wilding out!

Wooohah is making some nice moves with a specially good eye for movie and tv releases but quite a bit of hip hop business news more generally. I'm going to have to keep an eye on this operation.

Get A Bar! is LA-based with a West Coast focus.

You'll probably only hear more about these blogs at ProHipHop if they cover topics of relevance to what I'm doing and, generally speaking, there are way more interesting hip hop blogs out there than I'll ever mention.

One of the best resources I've found for discovering new and old high quality blogs is Rafi Kam's Around the Horn that can be followed in the sidebar of Oh Word.

A lot of the blogs I find there aren't so appropriate for ProHipHop but, for hip hop fans and folks just looking for interesting art and other stuff, blogs like Mare 139 and Frank151 are always worth checking out.

Kanye West Beats Pharrell to Most-Searched Celebrity Blogger Status

LYCOS announces that Kanye West is this week's Most-Searched Celebrity Blogger.

Not sure what tipped the scales on that one but I have to say that kanYe West: Blog is clearly outpacing Billionaire Boys Club Blog though they're doing very similar things.

Each are a mix of stuff in Kanye West's or Pharrell's world from celeb & event pics to luxury merch to outstanding design examples to music videos (sometimes their's but mostly not) to videos of other fun stuff.  Kanye West's blog has a higher volume of posts and that leads to a broader range of coverage but both are nice examples of celebrities developing their own online outposts to take back some of that attention from us media upstarts.

So Where's the LA Equivalent of Nah Right or Real Talk NY?

Of all the urban centers one would think that Los Angeles would have somebody rivaling high volume New York oriented blogs like Nah Right or Real Talk NY.

Tell me it's a gap in my knowledge or tell me it's a gap in the blogosphere.

If it's the latter:
Tell me I should move to North Hollywood and kick this ProHipHop game into another dimension.

That would be hilarious for far too many reasons and so probably a really great idea!

Plies: Shawty Platinum Ringtone, Bidlong Prison Blog

Plies' Shawty featuring T-Pain ringtone goes platinum and he announces a new blog, Bidlong, to be focused on prison issues.

Plies' blog currently features a new version of the 100 Years video and an explanation of his use of the term "cracka" in 100 Years.

Plies mentions that he drops the N-word more than the term cracka and was surprised no one objected.  For the record, I didn't post the video at VidRap for that very reason though I'll reconsider given what he claims to be pursuing.

Let's hope Bidlong goes somewhere serious beyond the realm of marketing though if he's marketing prison reform that's all to the good.

Update:
Ethan Brown has a supportive take on the "cracka" issue.

Since apparently people have gotten worked up about it let me say that it doesn't bother me unless it's directed at me.  I know a lot of progressive white people that refer to Southern white racists as crackers so we're not tripping on it though it does bother me when used to refer to an economic class of Southern whites.

BT Digital Music Awards 07: Best Music Blog Top 100

Blunted announces that the blog made the Best Music Blog Top 100 as part of the BT Digital Music Awards 07 Peoples Choice Awards.

In case you don't recognize some of the blogs on the list, that may be because it's a UK thing.  Note there are some American blogs like Real Talk NY (actually that's the only one I recognized from the States) but go there for the wide range of UK blogs like Leeds Hip Hop Scene.

This is a timely discovery for me as I've been feeling the need to develop more international coverage from local sources.

If you've got other world hip hop site suggestions, particularly blogs written in English other than Flight 808 which I already follow and recommend, please drop them in the comments or hit me up with an email at:
clyde(at)prohiphop(dot)com

Got world hip hop pr?  Send it to:
hiphoppress(at)netweed(dot)com

And congrats to the winners!

Blogs: Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Donny Goines

Kanye West's kanYe West: Blog and Pharrell Williams' Billionaire Boys Club blog have a lot in common including fashion show attendance and a keen interest in French design.

Up-and-comer Donny Goines shares his advice for other up-and-comers at Hustle Harder.

Bloggers on Lil Mama, Donny Goines, Saigon & Mobb Deep, Hip Hop Programming

GRANDGOOD sez:
Lil Mama Deserves To Be A Popstar

Donny Goines shouts out to bloggers and other web supporters on DOTCOM Freestlye.

Playahata.com feels that the Saigon/Mobb Deep fight is bad for business.

the swift chancellor reports notes the discrepancies in programming between benefits and regular seasons at certain NY venues.

Boycott Hip Hop: Save the Industry, Free the Jena 6

It's feeling kind of hardcore all of a sudden.  Two leading hip hop bloggers call for boycotts of hip hop music on the same day for totally different but quite reasonable reasons.

Jay Smooth says we must not buy Kanye West's Graduation or 50 Cent's Curtis in order to break the music industry's crack-like dependence on hit sales.

Rizoh says:
Bottom line: I won’t buy another rap CD until I see more rappers take an active stand on the Jena 6 issue.

I'm down on all counts but I'm particularly interested in aiding the Jena 6 since I feel like even individual support can be felt quite strongly at this moment.  Besides, the realities of the marketplace will sort things out for the music industry soon enough.

Hip Hop Blogs: Mr. Dibbs Sheals, Q-Tip & Common Join Forces, Russell Simmons Gets Respect

Mr. Dibbs & Willie Maggot Go Shealing

Last month GRANDGOOD posted this tripped out video from Scratchapuncture of Mr. Dibbs "shealing", aka shopping without money, another important element of hip hop.

Q-Tip and Common are planning on working together.

The Swift Chancellor discusses his respect for Russell Simmons.

The Rap Up, The Smoking Section & Fat Lace Join[ed] Rawkus

In addition to the Rawkus Blog Fam, Rawkus has partnered with two blogs that I read regularly and there are more on the way.  I'll get back to you with the bigger picture but I just wanted to point out their new associates who actually switched a few weeks back:
The Rap Up and The Smoking Section

Almost forgot, Fat Lace Magazine is also on board, though that news is what reminded me to do this post in the first place!

Hip Hop Ruckus & the Fake Exclusive

For some reason, I've held back from saying anything about the use at Hip Hop Ruckus of the term "exclusive" for all sorts of things they link to elsewhere, maybe because I've run into some cool things there first.

But it was really just a matter of time before something like this post caught me on the wrong day:
Exclusive Video
Yo we may not be the most well known hip hop site out there but on the real, we do get the exclusive stuff for ya. Hey, heard about that new movie that Fox is trying to do on the life of Biggie? Well, Searchlight (which is affiliated with Fox) is doing casting calls for the part of Biggie. I got the exclusive videos of the cats from across the country who are tried out for the part. Here they are.

This statement is followed by four links to videos at foxsearchlight.com.  If anybody's got an exclusive here it's Fox Searchlight, not Hip Hop Ruckus, and HHR does this kind of thing all the time.  They've even posted YouTube videos and proclaimed them exclusive.

It's kind of sad because there are definitely things I see first at Hip Hop Ruckus and they have a strong style so why don't they just present what they actually do rather than claiming these bogus exclusives?

Hip Hop Bloggers: Battle For Cash, KRS-One, Twitter

Wes at the swift chancellor report is working on a book currently titled Battle For Cash: Hip-Hop and The Art Of War.  Go give him some feedback!

GRANDGOOD spreads the word that KRS-One has signed to Duck Down Records.

If you totally need to Twitter away some time, follow Jay Smooth and Q Tip.

The Underground World of MP3 Bloggers!!!

Ahsmi Rawlins [psst, that's Eskay from Nah Right!] is featured in the Boston Globe spilling his guts about the MP3 blogging scene:

Rawlins gets leaked material like the 50 Cent/Timberlake song online. He wouldn't reveal where he found it, but noted it's not file-sharing websites, which remove copyrighted material if a record label asks. "The sites where I'm getting these leaks," says Rawlins, "the general public and record labels can't even get into. Nothing is pulled off of them."

Sounds like the kind of thing you say and then wish you could take back.

It's tough being in the limelight.

Special thanks to Jason Fell of FOLIO for the link.

The Return of chartreuse [BETA no longer]

chartreuse is back in action. Something seems a bit amiss but I'm sure he'll find his stride again. Check him out if you're trying to figure out this Media 2.0 thingie.

Complex Media Network Weds Complex.com to Indie Bloggers

Interesting news regarding the recently visible Complex Media Network.

COMPLEX MEDIA PARTNERS WITH FOUR BLOG-ORIENTED WEB SITES TO CREATE NEW ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR YOUNG MEN:
Complex Media LLC, the publishing and new media division of Marc Ecko Enterprises, has entered into a partnership with four blog-oriented Web sites as part of a new online initiative designed to reach the multiple interests of young men.  Web sites Nicekicks.com, Bastardly.com, Slamhype.com and Nahright.com will join Complex.com, the official site for Complex magazine, to create the Complex Media Network, a community of sites dedicated to emerging trends and ideas for young men age 18-34.

That's right, Nah Right is in bed with the folks at Complex Magazine.  Hmmm, that's getting to be a crowded bed!

So far, everybody's zipping their lips but I'll be following up on this one.  Assuming these bloggers actually do have editorial control, as the rest of the press release clarifies, then I would assume Eskay will keep linking to XXL's web content, at least as long as he works there.

This is a great example of how the open web has changed the media game and a good look for Complex.  The offline tradition of ignoring the existence of all competitors holds one back online so they're doing the right thing with their approach.

This is also an excellent example of where things are going with companies that specialized in one media, whether magazines, records or whatever physical products were emphasized, now becoming much wider ranging media companies with an online emphasis that often still has a clear niche.  I'll have more soon on this topic as well.

More on the marketing tip from the press release:
The partner sites will continue to run with their existing editors, but advertising will be sold through Complex Media, allowing marketers to buy into a community that penetrates every element of this lifestyle.  Brands will have the ability to participate in online sweepstakes, exclusive banner take-overs, micro sites, video ads and more.  Also, similar to what is currently done with Complex magazine, the company will create custom units for specific brands that wish to reach this target online.

Closing Quibble:
The coolness factor of this announcement is somewhat undermined by use of the phrase "BLOG-ORIENTED WEB SITES".  I could see the reasoning for calling a site like SlamXHype [at slamxhype.com not slamhype.com] a blog-oriented web site but, bottom line, blogs would be stronger, especially since all the home pages are blogs and blog-oriented web site is mad clunky.

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.

Blogs: Compression Kills, Hashim Retires, Black Celeb Blogs Rule, Kimora's Ad, Pasmore Interviews, Fat Beats Studio, Free Music Biz, Health Care Industry

Compression Kills via Hypebot

Hypebot hooks us up with one of many reasons that modern music sucks.

Hashim Warren looks at his future as a 30 year old and retires from blogging.

Black celebrity blogs are major media.  Tip via Lynne d.

Sucker Free has a pic of Kimora Lee Simmons in a Green Simmons Jewelry ad.

Check John N. Pasmore at Fast Company for interviews with AllHipHop's Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur and Staple Design's Jeff Staple.

GRANDGOOD promotes Brooklyn's newest studio, Fat Beats.

Fred Wilson riffs on the Free Music Business.

Adisa Banjoko reminds us that rappers have long been critics of the health care industry.

Save Our Kids + Hip Hop = Ban 50 Cent

You Know It's Time To Leave NYC When....

I found the ni9e blog via two cool series of photos that begin with a demographic edge at Skymall Liberation and More Skymall Liberation.

Since Al Sharpton's hoping to make some moves by attacking hip hop and such moves will have various business effects, though it doesn't look too threatening overall, I got permission to use the above photo by fi5e.

The ni9e blog also has another answer to the question,
"Who Killed Hip Hop?"

Hip Hop Blogs: Koch Records Wins, Dre Tracks Withheld, Making It Rain

Billy Sunday big ups Koch Records' second quarter.

I agree with Sacha Orenstein, holding back Dre tracks from The Game's album was "foul".  I'm not sure you could call it censorship but 50 Cent's slash and burn approach is truly nasty.

The Smoking Section laments the practice of making it rain and asks a variation on an age-old question, "If these guys are such pimps, why are they acting like tricks?"

Wallstrip Cons CBS for $5 Million

I was waiting for more on Wallstrip's acquisition by CBS and now the deal is publicly confirmed, though not the rumored price of $5 million.

However, that price is said to come from strong sources with acquisition of Wallstrip host Lindsay Campbell key to the deal.

This is so incredibly ridiculous.  Could really awesome drugs be the explanation?  Campbell and Wallstrip are not worth $5 million in any universe where media companies wish to actually survive.  That's old world pricing and CBS just got reamed.  Pathetic.

Sounds like a tale for Michael Wolff.

Compare compete's rankings of Wallstrip, ProHipHop and Hip Hop Press.

Update:
My bad, I should have gone past the incomplete story at Techcrunch but my mind's just having difficulty taking all this in. 

NewTeeVee does a nice job and points out that CBS denied the $5 million tag so we'll see about that.  Apparently, it's a larger talent move than just Campbell:
Wallstrip star Lindsay Campbell and producers Adam Elend and Jeff Marks will become full-time employees of CBS, and Lindzon, who also makes his living as an investor, will play a consulting role.

So, what's a good price for a YouTube-type talent, two producers of a YouTube-type talent and a "consultant" who says this about Wallstrip's approach:
“There’s two ways to do a show, the Oprah Winfrey way and the Montel Williams way,” Lindzon pontificates. Wallstrip, he says, is the former.

Whatever.  This is ridiculous.  Pricing anyone?

Update:
It turns out that Trader Mike, who many of us met via Move the Crowd, is in this thing up to his neck and I'm hoping he did quite well.

Howard Lindzon's version of the tale of Wallstrip reveals that a lot of people came together to make this thing happen.

Congratulations to all of you for a big success.  Despite my questions about CBS, many of which relate to problems television had before the Internet was popular, you folks deserve to celebrate all you want.

Hip Hop Biz Blogs: From A&R to Fashion

Here are some hip hop business related blogs I've encountered over the last couple of months.  If you know of any I haven't mentioned here or in previous posts, please drop a comment.

Life of a Budding A&R Executive
The Hip Hop Cosign
The Kristasphere: 24-7 Branding, Beats, and Boxing
Global Grind Culture
How To Start A Clothing LIne From Scratch

Rizoh and Q Launch Street Census

Today Rizoh announced the launch of Street Census, a joint blogging venture with Quibian Salazar-Moreno aka Q.   It's basically a blog focused on top lists like Top 10 Hip-Hop Movies and Rob Swift's Top 5 most influential DJs.

The distinguishing element here is going to artists for their lists.  I think adding occasional guest posts from other writers could be a good thing and, taking the Street Census title literally, hitting the streets to survey the general public's top lists.  Adding some commentary about other publications' lists when they come out would add yet another dimension.

One of the biggest challenges over time will be keeping it fresh and finding creative list topics without straying too far from the hip hop niche for variety.

Here's to you, lads!

Rafat Ali on PaidContent.org & Getting That Story

As I've mentioned in the past, Rafat Ali and his trade blog PaidContent.org were a real inspiration when I started ProHipHop.  Though I haven't really moved in the same direction, I'm always curious to see what's up with the development of his business.

I mention this because of a recent interview with Rafat at mediabistro.com [via Media Biz 2.0 Thinktank] that's getting some attention.

One of the nice moments in the interview is when Rafat tells interviewer Greg Lindsay what he learned listening to Lindsay do phone interviews:

You were always the guy they gave a story to when they couldn't figure out anything else to do, and then you would call 50 people. I learned to call as many people as you can and that somebody will get back to you; somebody will tell you the story. People ask, "How do you get a story?" I say that there are as many sources within the company as there are employees in the company. Somebody will talk. I'll email everybody, I'll call everybody I have to, and somebody will talk. That's what I learned at Inside as a general principle: Do whatever it takes to get the story. That's what they don't teach you at school.

John N. Pasmore: From OneWorld to Next things Next

John Pasmore is probably best known for his involvement with OneWorld, which he cofounded in 1994.  Like many magazines, OneWorld is no more, but Pasmore continues his nonstop media activities which now include blogging.

I met John via our mutual blogging at Fast Company where his posts recently included An Interview with Vibe Magazine Publisher Len Burnett.

But he's also been lightly blogging for about a year at his site Next things Next where he recently looked back at Urban Box Office and shared his fairly damning take on the [White] Rapper Show.

John told me he got into blogging, in part, as a way to better understand the space.  I think that's really a smart way to go, even if you don't intend to become a blogging nut as some of us have.  I also think blogging can give one a lot of visibility into the issues facing web publishers today, whether or not one's plans feature blogging.

Hip Hop Blogs: Ghost Ride Game, G-Unit Books, People Ain't Brands, 50 Vs. Oprah, Jay-Z Fashions, Suge's A Bad Man

Pimp My Ride: Ghost Ride the Whip Trailer

Thizzlamic Correspondent Ninoy Brown brings word of the videogame Pimp My Ride's Ghost Ride The Whip minigame and the game trailer which has a commercial at the beginning, yes, a commercial to appropriately monetize the showing of a commercial.  Appalled, I decided to post the ad-free clip from YouTube above.

Eskay shares the covers of the first three G-Unit books, each coauthored by "New York Times Bestselling Author" 50 Cent and an actual writer.  One of many reasons 2007 may well be 50 Cent's year.

Hadji Williams wants you to know that PEOPLE ARE NOT BRANDS! and that Movements and Marketing should not be confused.

Cal Ullman clarifies that 50 Cent attacking Oprah is "just another example of Fity going after easy pop targets" and shares Melle Mel's take on the situation.

I wish I'd seen A Chinese Kid Who Loves Hip Hop's post Is Jay-Z biting Jim Jones Style? before I burned out on covering Jay-Z's attempts to dress like a kid.

I also wish I'd seen That Good Good's unique take on Jay-Z news.

Hashim Warren responds