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1 month without Hiphop news · by Sach O
This is a funky introduction: For those who slept, my name is Sacha Orenstein (known on the internet as Funk Docta Bombay) and I’ve been a background contributor and affiliate to Ohword.com for a couple of months. I’ll be posting updates to the site’s blog from now on with Hiphop commentary and assorted political and social rants. Let the fun begin.
Like it or not, when you spend a six weeks disconnected from your daily reality, some of the things that seemed important before hand no longer have quite the same luster afterwards. Take the Hiphop media for example. During my 6 week vacation to the middle of nowhere, I missed Beanie Sigel’s shooting, album releases from Cam’ron, Busta Rhymes and Mr. Lif, Cristal dissing black people and the Hot 97 Summer Jam. That’s not even counting the assorted drips and drabs of information that Allhiphop feels fit to call news, such as Actor Michael Douglas Auctions Off ‘Pimped Out’ Golf Cart For Charity.
While all of these “events” seem insignificant in retrospect, I probably would have been at least curious about them had I been around as they were happening. To use the now standard cliché of rap as wrestling, it’s become obvious that websites, magazines and hood DVDs have become equivalent to WWE television. TV (rap news) used to be around solely to sell the product of live shows (rap records), but over time it’s proven so effective that’s it’s become the product itself. After all, who in their right mind would ever buy a Tony Yayo record, or even listen to the bootleg twice? Yet judging from news stand sales, a fair amount of people would be interested in a tell-all Yayo interview about the Busta Rhymes bodyguard shooting. Controversy sells. In fact, it sells so much that it’s only worth producing actual content for illusion’s sake. There needs to be some sort of a viable reason for people to be interested in rappers shooting at each other, it might as well be because they make music.
Ultimately though, it only leads to the disposability of a rap career. I don’t care about missing out on Cam’ron’s release date and doubt I’ll even bother downloading the album now that it’s passé. The actual CD is inconsequential next to the events that came with it: the Jay-Z disses, the label drama and the great chancleta debate. Only problem for the labels is that you can’t package those things and sell em for 14.99 a pop. That and no one cares about this stuff a month later.
Like Smif N Wessun said, gotta K.I.M.
Comments for "1 month without Hiphop news"
Q-Tip said it (K.I.M.) too
— Arjun Jun 19, 06:35 PM
The funny thing is they actually can package it for $14.99 a pop these days. It seems like at least 1 out of every 3 new hip-hop CD’s I buy to review these days comes with a bonus DVD of music videos, “controversial” interviews and “a day in the life of” documentary footage. At first I made a genuine effort to watch them all but at this point I could honestly give a fuck. The WWE analogy is definitely apt though, moreso to me given I also run a wrestling news website, when it’s more and more apparent every week they prefer hype over substance and “sports entertainment” over wrestling. Thank God for promotions like ROH.
— DJ Flash Jun 21, 03:02 AM
Awwww ish, the docta is in the hizzle, or is it the heezy? Anyhoo, you just blew up rap music (no Liberace). Since when did controversy become the content? In my opinion, the only way to market all the posthumous Tupac releases was to focus on the way he died. Those albums have ben nothing more than hot azz crap but they have sold units.
By the way, I wear chancletas in the summer because they let my feet get some sunshine.
— Dallyo Jun 21, 11:14 AM
Quite informative…Thanks for sharing nice post..
regards
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