Seriously, what the fu*k is wrong with people?

Normally, I’m much more reserved and high-brow in my editorializing. But time and time again, I get furiously frustrated at the ability of people to be so easily led astray by this asinine community of amateur “journalists” (I hate to use the word in this case) who continue to simultaneously poison journalism, hip hop and our communities.

How in the holy hell is there a nominees list of MTV’s “25 Hottest MCs in the Game” floating all around the internet, on almost every hip hop blog, all over Twitter, yet there is no list on MTV.com. In fact, MTV articles SPECIFICALLY say to tune in to see who is on the list and MTV’s RapFix Live account and VJ Sway tweeted that there is no list.

READ> @MTVRapFix: MTV’s ‘Hottest MCs N the Game’ kicks off Feb 13 on Hottest.MTV.ComUntil then, there is no official list circulating

— Sway Calloway (@RealSway) February 8, 2012

Yet every headline on every blog, including giant clusterf*#k ones like Russell Simmon’s broke ass Huffington Post wannabe site Global Grind and hip hop staples like RapRadar.com, run by respected hip hop journalist Elliott Wilson, and every tweet from every Tom, Dick and Harry, says “MTV Releases List…” Meanwhile, every blog (including giant clusterf*#k ones like Russell Simmon’s broke ass Huffington Post wannabe site Global Grind… oh, did I use that line already?) copied the exact same list from some other blog, and so on, and so on, from wherever it originated, and now everyone is fu*king arguing about a list that may or may not even exist?!?!

I figured out it was suspect, and may not be official, in about 8 seconds. I found Sway’s tweet in another 6. What is so hard about doing this before simply copying and pasting whatever you see on some other blog?

I wouldn’t be surprised if MTV leaked a fake or modified list, knowing it would spark debate and therefore, ensure people tuned in. If that is the case, people are blindly falling for the deception, gleefully accepting their roles as pawns, unwitting social media carrier pigeons, enlisted to freely do the job MTV once had to actually pay people to do.

I also wouldn’t be surprised that someone just made an arbitrary list, posted it to some no-name bullsh*t blog, and let it ignorantly spread like wildfire among the bloggers, twitterers and facebookers who would know how to fact check something if their life depended on it.

Seriously, people are stupid. And getting stupider. And companies and websites are realizing this and playing right into it. They know that people will believe (and SPREAD) everything they fu*king read on the internet (countless “death hoaxes” have proven this), and there are site owners and bloggers who do NOTHING but perpetuate the idiocy.

It makes me want to continue to try and fix this so-called hip hop journalism industry, or get the fu*k out of this so-called hip hop journalism industry, but watching this so-called hip hop journalism industry continue to deteriorate is nothing but a disgrace. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, one day, this rampant spread of misinformation will result in something big. Something bad.

It’s dangerous, and the sites with the biggest voices, like Global Grind or sites affiliated with or run by industry people, like Funkmaster Flex and Miss Info, need to really decide if their need to spread info to fans and listeners outweighs the inherent responsibility that journalism is supposed to illicit from its participants, in order to protect the very people it is to serve.

Too many people, particularly those who long for New York hip hop to “come back,” waste too much time complaining about today’s hip hop, when they could be using that time to discover good hip hop music from today’s New York-area artists.

Instead, they grumble about the current style and substance of mainstream hip hop, the R&B-influenced sound of Drake for example, or the lyrically simplistic style of some Southern rappers and the overall lack of traditional New York flavored hip hop on radio, stating with repeated disgust that “real” hip hop is dead and gone.

They lament the loss of the New York sound, nostalgically pining for 1990’s boom-bap sound that many of them grew up on, screwing up their face and dismissing any “Top 5, Dead or Alive” list that doesn’t include Jay-Z, B.I.G., Nas and Jadakiss.

All of which are fine opinions, but let’s be real about real.

Saying you want “real hip hop” back, is stupid. There is no “real” hip hop.

What you really mean to say, is that you miss traditional, New York sounding hip hop, a mix of grit and poetry, over beats that utilize chopped up samples, or soul music loops, accompanied by hard hitting, crispy drum sounds, for the most part floating around 88-92 beats per minute. A type of hip hop that was a nod to rap music’s early days, but with updated storytelling, increased lyrical prowess and advanced musical complexity. A hip hop that you once enjoyed while laying back, puffing an L, feeling an emotional twinge of invincibility tied to a feeling that these slick-talking rappers and hard-hitting beatsmiths were just like you. Artists that somehow packaged and delivered the collective feeling of living in New York into sounds and songs that stuck with you then, and continue to evoke feelings of euphoric nostalgia ever since.

THAT was “real” hip hop, right? What you hear on the radio today, that’s not “real,” right?

Wrong.

The problem is, you are selfish.

But it’s understandable. You are focused on a very short amount of time in hip hop’s lifespan and because it was a particularly formative time for you musically, you feel a certain way about that time period, and the music contained therein.

Your assertion that 1990s New York hip hop is covered under the umbrella of “real” hip hop, whereas “today’s” hip hop isn’t, is wrong, and is created by a combination of your particular taste in music and your respect for hip hop history, but mainly because of your psychological bias.

To be fair, it’s an age-old argument. When asked to pinpoint the best decade for music, people overwhelmingly respond by choosing a decade from their youth. This generally holds true across all genres and generations.

Your prejudice toward 1990s New York hip hop exists because that was likely the time that you were fully immersed in music, when music not only was something listened to constantly, but something to connect to.

Since then, life got in the way, and while hip hop evolved, you held on to your personal tastes, your preferred style. You listened to vinyl and cassettes and CDs in your collection. You ported over your songs to your iPod and replayed certain albums you had forgotten about. Sure, you still listened to what was new, but the time that you previously dedicated to absorbing everything new, became fractured.

You lost the ability to connect to new music, partially because you grew older. Mainstream music of course is specifically engineered to cater to a younger crowd, and because your time and energy was being spent elsewhere, your inclination to seek out music more along the lines of your musical tastes diminished as well.

Plus, you still had your favorite joints up in the iPod.

But young people, entering their own formative music-listening years, were still being hand-delivered hip hop, though what was now on the radio sounded a lot different than just a few years ago when you were coming up.

To be real, this was just a continuation of the evolution of hip hop, beyond your personal glory days, just as it had evolved from the Sugar Hill Gang-style rap from half a generation before you.

Now, a new batch of kids started immersing themselves with the prevalent hip hop of the day, which to them, no less “real” than the music you got into.

I mean, before we can criticize today’s hip hop as any less “real,” we must take an objective look at how different Mobb Deep or Snoop Dogg was from the Treacherous Three or the Fat Boys.

Understand the point?

Look, I know what you mean. But you have to get over it. The fact is, Drake IS real hip hop. So is Waka Flocka Flame. So is Tupac. And Biggie. And Run-DMC. And MC Lyte. And Kurtis Blow. And Melle Mel.

But to a 15 year old who grew up in Atlanta his whole life, having been exposed to the type of hip hop he is regularly exposed to, there is no way you can contend that to him, and others like him, his hip hop is not “real” hip hop.

It’s all “real.” It’s not all “real good,” but not every New York rapper in the 90s was either.

And don’t forget that in the 1990s, there were many less distribution channels. Less geographical hubs of rap music. New York hip hop was dominant in the 1990s because there were few places labels were culling hip hop talent from in the 1990s.

Once they figured out that there was an entirely different, underserved and undercapitalized market, the distribution companies (labels, radio, media) flocked to these untapped markets.

While it is true that for the most part they have yet to return, it does not mean that New York hip hop is dead.

It also does not mean that good New York hip hop has to sound exactly like it did in the 1990s.

To 1990s New York hip hop fans: I feel you. I am one of you. I am as pro-New York hip hop as anyone, but to be pro-New York hip hop does not mean we have to be anti-everywhere-else hip hop.

I also came up during the New York hip hop “Golden Era” of the 1990s but I am not stubbornly stuck in the musical past. By being open-minded to the evolution of hip hop, not wasting time crying over spilled rap milk, I have found plenty of New York-area artists of today, who satisfy my purist, old-school hip hop soul.

New York has always been a progressive city in terms of music, from jazz to musical theater, from punk to hip hop, magically infusing its artistic residents with an ability to create or advance music in ways no other place can. This continues today, as the bubbling New York hip hop underground is the center of our entire journalistic effort, and in that effort, we continuously come across sparks of new talent, artists who possess that same nod to rap’s earlier days, also with an updated storytelling, increased lyrical prowess and advanced musical complexity.

They are in your city. Some live on your block. They perform at venues all throughout the city, and for a few dollars, you can see them perform. Sure you’ll have to sit through a lot of mediocre artists first, but at least, unlike the radio, there’s a payoff at the end of these efforts, delivered by an artist of today that will at the same time invoke a pleasant feeling of nostalgia, mixed with a feeling that you’re hearing something new and fresh.

And if you let it, it will feel very, very real.

It’s true.

Stories still matter.

Even reputable media organizations, once bastions of journalistic integrity, have found themselves distancing themselves from this philosophy as they spend more time and effort chasing and posting about trending topics, breaking stories into multi-part “galleries” to induce extra clicks and luring readers with salacious and occasionally misleading headlines.

Most of these adopted “tricks of the trade” were actually created by claw-scratching bloggers in an attempt to master the new media art of giving the people what they think they want. While many of these amateur journalist voices are less than noteworthy, the phenomenon has helped change the methodology of news delivery, nearly toppling an entire industry at the same time.

Bloggers. The accidental locusts of Newsmageddon.

Despite the doom and gloom, some outlets continue to offer long-form, narrative journalism of old, but in an effort to attract every stray eyeball, many newspaper, magazine and online-only publication sites have become virtual carnival barkers, relying on slight-of-hand tactics to increase page rank.

The 5 Ws are being trumped by an S, an E and an O.

While old media continue to struggle in a new media landscape, battling the economic confusion that permeates the industry, they are often found joining in the tactics employed by the rise of layman journalism, further distorting and destabilizing the storytelling universe.

Hip hop storytelling has fared even worse. Hip hop has always been a tough subject for mainstream press to embrace, and even when they have, it is rarely without bias. Hip hop news with any sort of journalistic quality now is even harder to find among the throngs of sites purporting to “cover” the field. In actuality, most sites are doing little more than functioning as e-bulletin boards, where content creators serve as content regurgitators, simply sticking a pushpin through a blurb of the moment, jamming the entry onto the top of countless other small announcements, waiting for the opportunity to do the same as soon as a new blurb is available.

Site owners are as happy to yell FIRST! as site commentors are, but as is the case in real journalism, first doesn’t always mean right, and aside from the occasionally interesting long-form pieces in magazines like XXL or good online reporting from sites like HipHopDX, the art of storytelling in our communities borders on woeful.

Even on nights where reporting on New York hip hop isn’t at the forefront of my mind, it is impossible for me to miss the voices of the unheard, as they surround us every day, especially in a city with the size and diversity of New York.

One Saturday night, as I was traveling from Long Island to Manhattan to attend a lounge event hosted by friend and colleague DJ Domewrecka, life led me on a meandering path, where people and stories practically dropped into my lap. I was mildly aware of it as it was happening, but only after the night was over, and I was immersed in one of my frequent, meditative, Birthplace Magazine-related soul-searching sessions (where I vacillate between reveling in the genius of my potentially game-changing journalism vision, and basking in humility, doubting my ability to pull it off), did I feel the full effects of this inspiring succession of encounters.

Despite the allure of entertainment impresario Russell Simmons at the helm, GlobalGrind.com has unfortunately developed into nothing more than one of several uninventive, uninspiring aggregators that are cluttering up the internet. A poorly thought-out bootleg idea with little ingenuity, the site often delivers sloppy execution and, as evidenced by a recent event, an irresponsible approach to the dissemination of information.

Built essentially to jam as much content as possible onto its e-pages, GlobalGrind chases and regurgitates trending, entertainment and gossip items, utilizing controversial tactics not to facilitate the delivering of information vital to the public, but strictly to whore itself out for increased page views.

This is great if you are a blogger, or a celebrity that just likes to post up interesting things, or a Hot 97 DJ (for example) where you (often) just copy and paste entire articles from other sources.

It is acceptable in those cases because no one considers any of these sources as “news” sources. The tone and content of these sites are generally entertaining, and they become simply convenient sources of information their fans will probably like, since gossip bloggers, celebrities and DJs tend to have a finger on the pulse of their audience.

The problem is when larger organizations, in this case GlobalGrind, which actively takes a serious tone and political position regarding many issues, purports themselves to be a reputable media source, but lacks journalistic values or integrity.

The problem is when larger organizations like GlobalGrind, knowing they have hundreds of thousands of impressionable folks within their reach, fails to act responsibly, and deceives those folks.

The problem is when a larger organization, knowing that its founder is so well respected that folks will often follow (and repeat) with star-struck abandon whatever message is relayed to them, chooses to ignore or abuse that power in an embarrassing, unethical and dangerous manner.

Repeatedly.

During the final hours of the Troy Davis saga in Georgia, Russell Simmons and GlobalGrind co-president Michael Skolnik publicly issued messages of support for the convicted man in his bid to reverse his death sentence.

In their typical monopolistic fashion, GlobalGrind the entity, also expressed the same sentiments.

Surprise, surprise. But that’s only part of the problem.

While GlobalGrind’s mission (and tagline) is an ever-changing-to-fit-their-needs-at-the-moment type of thing, they purport to provide “a platform for an active, multicultural audience to consume and interact with compelling content and unique digital experiences.”

They call themselves, “the eyes, ears and voice of this multi-racial, active and engaged audience.”

Sounds great on paper. Of course, the way they represent this multi-racial, active and engaged audience is an embarrassment on any given day.

Back in 2010, I called them out for, among other things, the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Purposely.

For page views.

Previous to that, as also mentioned in that piece, Patrick O’Keefe wrote an incredibly detailed piece on how GlobalGrind was committing an egregious breach of conduct by “scraping” content from other creators, a process that at best was unethical, and at worst, illegal copyright infringement.

Despite some reported attempts to clean up that issue, and Simmons’ reportedly lecturing GlobalGrind staff on journalistic integrity (over a gossip piece about Rihanna!?), GlobalGrind continues to commit eye-opening errors in judgment.

Many people were paying attention at 7:00 p.m. when Troy Davis’ execution was to take place. The case had drawn significant worldwide media attention. Because of the circumstances, it was certainly warranted. Many people, myself included, thought there might be a decision to set aside his execution.

After a last ditch attempt at a stay by the Georgia Supreme Court was denied, Davis appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, to be heard the same day of his scheduled death.

Word of this got out, and because there was this one last chance for Davis, many were holding their breath as 7:00 p.m. came and went.

As was I.

I work in the news business. I’m very plugged in to official news sources and social media “chatter,” all of which I was actively monitoring.

7:05 p.m. There was no official word.

7:08 p.m. Still no official word. But in the matrix of the internet, “stay of execution” flashed by, “Supreme Court” whizzed past. Simultaneously checking official sources, I scanned social media.

“Troy Davis got a stay of execution,” said one random Facebook user. Then another. A few more with similar assurances. Many seemed elated. Some thanked Jesus.

Personally, I was pleased. I typed on my status update, “Wow! I’m hearing they granted Troy Davis a stay of execution!”

But I didn’t post it. Instinctually, I took a moment to fact-check.

I scanned around again. Still nothing official. Odd.

Then in my twitter timeline:

GlobalGrind: **BREAKING NEWS** Troy Davis receives stay of execution. Developing…

I knew that Simmons (and by nepotistic extension, GlobalGrind) had been pretty plugged into the ongoing events, but I also know GlobalGrind’s sloppy history. I would never consider GlobalGrind a go-to source of information, but it was certainly worth investigating.

So again, I checked official news sources. Nothing. I erased my status update, skeptical. I doubted that GlobalGrind scooped anyone, but I was pretty sure that if they were right, real news sources would be reporting the same, after taking the time to actually verify the fact before reporting it of course.

Let me rephrase that.

Real news sources check the facts before opening their mouths and telling 100,000 people that something happened, when it didn’t.

And therein lies the crux of the issue.

GlobalGrind alone has nearly 110,000 Twitter followers.

Russell Simmons, whose twitter stream broadcasted the same “BREAKING NEWS” message, has nearly one million.

Busta Rhymes retweeted Russell. There’s an added 620,000. Missy Elliot retweeted Busta who retweeted Russell. She has 460,000 followers.

Meaning that at least 2.2 million people, active, multicultural people, were lied to by a source that tries very hard to portray itself as a trustworthy source of information.

There is a huge problem with that.

It turns out that the U.S. Supreme Court asked for time to look at Davis’ final appeal. It was a delay, not a stay. Legally, Georgia could still have carried out the execution at any time after 7:00 p.m., but they waited for the nine Supreme Court justices to make their decision.

Somewhat inexplicably (at the time of this writing anyway), this process, which normally takes very little time, took several hours, adding to the anxiety of supporters.

Many of these people may indeed have had their hopes momentarily raised, in part due to GlobalGrind’s shameful and disgraceful broadcast of that initial falsehood.

While to some this may be a small event in the grand scheme of things, in actuality, the danger of an integrity-free media source is a frightening one, and must not be taken lightly.

We’ve already seen news organizations targeted by Twitter hackers, spreading dangerous lies, as in the case of the FOX News account that reported President Obama had been killed.

In most cases, such rumors can be easily squashed by semi-intelligent web surfers, but as one who often monitors web chatter based on trending items, the amount of people, particularly our youth, who take what dribbles down their Twitter timeline or Facebook wall as law, is staggering.

Revolution without education is chaos. While I support many of the efforts that they attempt to shed light on, how can Russell Simmons and GlobalGrind be expected to positively influence their audience about the causes they champion, when they are actively contributing to the continued dumbification of that same audience, while spreading unverified information as fact?

GlobalGrind is already a heavily biased source, and in the big picture, seems to exist at least partially to further some shrouded Simmons/Skolnik agenda.

And that’s fine.

But it is inappropriate and irresponsible for any site with the reach and influence that GlobalGrind has developed to purport to be a news source, a place where people should be turning to for hard, breaking news, when there is little to no editorial oversight.

False Troy Davis News Item Posted to GlobalGrind.com

Since GlobalGrind was incapable of properly reporting news to their audience, what they should have done is said, “This is too important in issue to whore for page views,” and advised their audience to follow the real news for developments.

Regardless how some might feel about mainstream media, especially when covering such a polarizing issue, the fact is that people who did rely on mainstream news received accurate information. People who instead trusted GlobalGrind, or any of the 2.2 million people who blindly repeated their broadcasted untruth, didn’t.

Make no mistake. The false spread of information can be as damning to the public as oppressed information.

And attempting to cover up their error by deleting the original tweet, which they did, does not erase the issue.

With this latest misstep, GlobalGrind again crossed a line that further tarnishes the reputation of Simmons and Skolnik. Since Skolnik is Simmons’ “political adviser,” perhaps the two of them should consider the possible effects on future efforts in that arena that could be jeopardized by these types of embarrassing lapses in judgment.

If GlobalGrind is truly serious about delivering newsworthy information to the masses, they must learn to act more responsibly, and not allow these types of irresponsible practices to continue to be executed on their behalf by a staff that seemingly does not fully understand the grown-up world of internet publishing.

All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level.
- William Bernbach, of DDB Needham Worldwide, 1989.

Birthplace Magazine, I believe, represents a new and transformative style of music journalism, where we spend as much time highlighting the work of mainstream artists as well as those on the come up. Of course, we do so with an editorial focus on New York City, the Birthplace of Hip Hop and its surrounding metropolitan area, in a way that we feel is equally groundbreaking. In doing so, we’ve gotten well acquainted with hip hop media on local and national levels, and gotten to know quite a few upcoming artists in our area pretty well. In many cases, however, hip hop media sources are failing upcoming artists, who spend great amounts of energy seeking their cosign. Here’s why I think this is harmful, and why I think we’re different.

OTiS CLaPP and I have a funny relationship.

In Birthplace Magazine’s early days, I attended the release party for OTiS CLaPP’s album Welcome II Nowhere, held at the Bowery Poetry Club. I didn’t really know him then, though I had heard his name during my pre-launch, local-artist reconnaissance.

It was a small affair, though to be fair there were several events occurring that night that were appealing to the same regulars that might have otherwise attended. My initial impression of OTiS CLaPP was that he was a capable lyricist and performer, had a bit of a rough but likeable edge, marketable enough look, and his music wasn’t horrible.

Since not much more could have been gleaned from a single appearance, OTiS CLaPP made sure to put a CD in my hand, and implored me to check it out.

Though not very quickly, I eventually did. There were a couple of tracks I thought were good, but several that just did not stand out to me. A telephone call interlude, a conversation with his incarcerated brother Ralphie whose release OTiS CLaPP has always been a hugely vocal proponent for, went way too long.

OTiS CLaPP

I chose not to write it up, largely because of scheduling, but mainly because I didn’t find it as noteworthy as some other projects I had in my hand at the time. But he was on my radar, and when we crossed paths again, I told him I listened to it, though I didn’t go into much detail.

Some time thereafter, I received a complimentary tweet from another upcoming New York City artist, YC The Cynic. OTiS CLaPP noticed it as well, and replied, taking me to task for not listening to his project, even though I said I did.

Now, I had to take huge exception to being “called out” in that manner. What we do at BirthplaceMag.com, we do for love. Expenses are out of pocket, and I personally spend many nights scrambling around the city, covering shows and events, to make sure that upcoming New York hip hoppers receive their shine on a respectable, professional platform that my team and I sacrifice areas of our lives to painstakingly build.

You know. Just like some of you artists do.

So I immediately replied to OTiS CLaPP, telling him that I did indeed listen to his project as I said I did, and that I simply chose not to post about it. To prove it, I let him know which songs I remember liking and which I didn’t, and I let him know I thought that phone call skit was too long.

I was polite, but firm. I let it be known it’s not cool to make me feel obligated.

To his credit, OTiS CLaPP has a great sense of humor and is a very cool and humble guy. He immediately insisted he was more teasing than being serious, that he completely understood my position and he vehemently apologized.

I accepted of course. No harm, no foul.

Throughout the latter part of 2010, we delivered a semi-regular column entitled “5 Reasons Why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck,” our way to help parse for readers near and far, a varied assortment of people, places and things which exemplify the talented diversity of hip hop in the New York City area.

Entrants included artists, some underground up-and comers like the passionate, intelligent and charasmatic FinaL OutlaW and the statuesque, eclectic and multi-talented Kalae AllDay, some B-list powerhouses like Joe Budden, some A-list superstars like Lloyd Banks. We included some venues like B.B. King’s Blues Club, and special hip hop events like the yearly Rapathon. Organizations like WBAI radio were noted, as well as companies like Duck Down Records, all helped demonstrate the wide-reaching range of hip hop’s involvement in the New York City area, and that New York’s fingerprints are still all over hip hop music and culture, despite some notions suggesting otherwise.

More than the goodness of what we profiled was the greatness of what we left out. There are countless up-and-comers worthy of extra notice, dozens of venues who open their doors to a hip hop audience, several organizations and companies who work to help hip hop progress into new areas, markets and consciousnesses that are based in the New York Area, who we simply haven’t gotten to yet. Countless people involved in hip hop other than as an MC or producer or DJ. We have so many stories to bring you, so many people to talk to. It is why the series will continue in earnest over the course of 2011.

In the meantime, as a sort of year-end recap, we’d like to re-highlight a couple of the folks we’ve noted earlier who we think exemplified the concept of the column, as well as spotlight a couple of different entities, to present to readers old and new, five really good reasons why New York Hip Hop didn’t suck in 2010.

Oh, and if you think you know of a reason why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck that should be singled out in our series, send us an email at 5reasons@birthplacemag.com.

Homeboy Sandman

We began our series highlighting Homeboy Sandman. HS has been a staple of underground, progressive NYC hip hop for some time, and after listening to the lyrical exposition that is his latest album, The Good Sun, and witnessing his unrelenting stage presence, we asked ourselves, “How could anyone say that New York hip hop is dead?” In asking ourselves this, Homeboy Sandman himself became the inspiration, and epitome of the column. Since that inaugural posting, Sandman as gone on to travel the country in support of his album, shout us out lovely-like while rocking the A3C Hip Hop festival in Atlanta, and made a move to TV land, appearing on an episode of MTV’s Made. His eerily-creative videos have shown that Homeboy Sandman’s delightful eclecticism doesn’t end in the recording booth, yet his everyman demeanor is evident when his towering presence is seen emphatically supporting fellow underground artists throughout the city. We were right then, and we are right now, Homeboy Sandman remains one damn good reason why New York hip hop doesn’t suck.

Joell Ortiz

When we selected Joell Ortiz, also in the inaugural edition of our column, we stated, “[Listen to] the ‘for the love of God why was this not pushed nationwide, this could have been as big as Drake’s “Best I Ever Had’ “Call Me,” and you will realize that Joell Ortiz could, should, might be, hopefully is, one of the very next to break out from the tri-state area.” Since then, Ortiz has indeed released an almost non-stop flurry of hip hop dopeness, jumping on nearly every hot commercial beat that wafted through the Brooklyn air, often outdoing the original. Not one to simply rely on jacking for beats, Joell Ortiz has also dropped some standout original material particularly the fiery lyrical assault in “Battle Cry,” and an ode to the working man alongside crooner Novel in “Night Train.” We noted how we thought the main obstacle to his hopefully-inevitable ascension to the mainstream might have been the unfriendly relationship with his label, and now, that relationship is over, so we expect 2011 might finally be the year this blue collar rhyme slayer gets his proper due.

Jay-Z

We did not specifically highlight Jay-Z during our series, as we felt that the so called A-listers were already obvious enough reasons why New York hip hop doesn’t suck (though we did include “mainstream NY artists” as a whole, noting that many New York area artists and organizations are still very much driving the business of hip hop). Jay-Z however, continues to stand out as a business, man, a undeniable rags-to-riches story, similar to those owned by Diddy, Russell Simmons, 50 Cent and several others, but continuing to set the bar just a bit higher than all the rest. His book Decoded was a New York Times bestseller, and while that feat can be easy enough to achieve for a celebrity, the book received a glowing review from famed NYT reviewer Michiko Kakutani. His concerts with Eminem were the preeminent events of the hip hop year. He is reportedly commanding a $1 million New Years Eve performance fee. His interviews with Howard Stern and Charlie Rose delivered fascinating insight into his life and times. Not to mention the success of his other ongoing business endeavors, 40/40, Roc Nation, the New Jersey Nets as well as partnerships in the advertising world and product endorsements. And of course, he still has the hottest chick in the game wearing his chain, landing Mr. and Mrs. Carter atop the Forbes Top-Earning Couples list, all while staying musically unretired, dropping formidable collaborations, becoming the first 40 year old rapper to have significant relevance on the pop music landscape, ever. He has had the most number one albums by a solo artist in Billboard history, has President Obama in his speed dial and, to be frank, has found a way to stay his ass out of major trouble along the way. Simply put, there has been no bigger hip hop figure ever to emerge from the gritty New York streets, than Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.

Nicki Minaj

From the embryonic stages of her meteoric ascension into the hip hop and pop music stratosphere, we have been fascinated with Nicki Minaj. While at first, it was easy to write her off as a corporate-crafted, cartoonish, gimmicky version of the rough-around-the-edges, around-the-way girl she once was, it became clear to us that the Jamaica, Queens native just might be on to something a bit more worthy than that. After she got plucked up by Lil Wayne and the Young Money machine and her hype began to bubble on a national level, we paid even closer attention, coming to admire her enthusiastically stylistic flow, which on occasion, admittedly, bordered on absurd, but most times hovered around inventive and entertaining. Yes, the voices took some getting used to, (as did the eyeball popping), but to us, her infectious animation, energy, creativity and yes, lyricism, quickly elevated Nicki Minaj to the status of guilty pleasure. We began saying some very complimentary things about her, much to the chagrin of some our of fans and friends, but we stayed true to our conviction, reminding many how a young MC named Busta Rhymes once sparked the hip hop world with equally rambunctious mannerisms and outlandish costumes, only to go on to become one of the genres more respected journeymen. Yes, we cringed a bit when the embarrassing “Massive Attack” dropped and flopped, but ultimately remained confident in our co-sign. When “Your Love” took off, and Nicki Minaj essentially took the music world by storm, we felt that, at least commercially, we had picked a winner. When her documentary My Time Now aired on MTV, we noticed a flurry of comments throughout the social media universe, essentially stating how folks admitted underestimating Minaj, acquiring a newfound respect for her and her art. Needless to say, we remembered our arguments about how we thought that despite a bit of overdoing it, we considered Nicki Minaj a wonderfully creative breath of unique fresh air, and while we can certainly use more exposure to the Kalae All Days, Jean Graes and Rah Diggas of the world, we have always felt that there is room in hip hop for Nicki Minaj, and as her emphatically received debut and monstrous guest appearances this year have helped demonstrate, Nicki Minaj is indeed a fine example of why New York hip hop doesn’t suck.

And we do mean fine.

The New York City Hip Hop Underground

I have spent more than a year making it my business to thoroughly document the New York area hip hop underground scene, and while I have made many strides to fulfill this ongoing mission statement of my Birthplace Magazine creation, I have only begun to scratch the surface. I have met many good people, many talented artists, promoters, bloggers, DJs, dancers and producers. I have been blessed with the assistance of several talented writers, photographers and videographers who have contributed greatly to the site. Yet, sometimes standing for four hours in a small, sweat-box venue does not yield a tremendous amount of noteworthy hip hop. I now receive countless submissions, and rarely can find the time to listen to even the ones I want to listen to, much less find time to review and post. The last six weeks of 2010 have hit me with personal hardship and tragedy, and at times, I wondered if I can realistically continue this quest to redefine music journalism, documenting the music and associated culture that I love, and have been a part of for more than 20 years. But as a former DJ, rapper, producer myself, and as a journalist and publisher now, there is a certain thrill when seeing an unknown-outside-of-their-clique performer show me a spark of star quality. I still enjoy hearing the track produced by a local beatsmith under the vocals of a local rapper that makes me want to play that song repeatedly, like back in the days when a new Big Daddy Kane record would drop on Mr. Magic’s show. Yeah, I go back like that, and despite the change in the music game these past few years, there is still an excitement to be found in hip hop. For those of us who are open-minded enough to be able to enjoy good hip hop, no matter the subject matter or style, just good, creative music, I can safely say that with all I have witnessed in the last 12 months, the birthplace of hip hop is still very much alive and kicking. It is my hope that as I continue to grow our humble operation in 2011 to be a bit larger and a bit more self-sustaining, that the support we have received in 2010 will be reciprocated with good content, quality journalism, a hot event or two and a respectable platform that continues to become known as THE source for New York area hip hop news, artists, organizations and events.

So far, so good. Thank you all for helping me think I’m not (entirely) crazy for doing this.

Happy New Year.

-Manny Faces

Nicki Minaj, fresh off of the release of Pink Friday, teamed with Hot 97 to deliver a Thanksgiving evening treat to her hometown, appearing with Fabolous for a packed house at the Hammerstein Ballroom. While we couldn’t be there ourselves, many online sources have records of the evening, with RapRadar providing a thorough video collection from the night.

Nicki Minaj assuredly delighted her Barbies and Kens, but provided extra fuel for the musical fire by bringing out several A-listers on stage with her, most prominantly, Kanye West, Drake and Rihanna. Also appearing alongside Her Pinkness, Busta Rhymes and Keyshia Cole. Earlier, Fabolous devised a little surprise spark of his own with the appearance of Juelz Santana and Lloyd Banks.

The star-studded event went on into the early morning hours, but Nicki Minaj managed to stay in the hip hop news cycle today, as the full version of Lil’ Kim’s diss track began making the internet rounds.

Editor’s opinion: While Kim drops some good lines, her delivery was strangely laid-back, certainly not up to the energetic level of the “Simon Says” track she rocked to. It was too long, too drawn out and too lazy, vocally. We love us some Nicki (even though sometimes we catch heat for it), and we’ll always love the Queen, but as far as hip hop beefs go, we think Kim’s looking a little thirsty right now.

In any event, if you missed the big NYC show like we did, have a looksee at the videos courtesy of RapRadar.com.

Nicki Minaj x Kanye West

Nicki Minaj x Drake

Nicki Minaj x Rihanna, Keyshia Cole

Here’s something small about something big. We cover Joe Budden here with a bit of a favorable bias, as the general consensus here is that he is dope, and had been underrated. Founder and Editor-in-Chief Manny Faces said so multiple times, most boldly in his editorial “God Damn You, Joe Budden,” recently reiterating his assertions in “New Joe Budden – “Inception,” or, For The Last Time, Stop Fronting On Joe Budden.”

So last night, while attending a few CMJ events, we noticed that a couple of prominent hip hop blogs had posted that Mood Muzik 4 had “arrived early” and of course, we were a big annoyed that we were all out on the town, and couldn’t republish this, as our audience has usually been favorable to our favorable coverage of Joe Budden.

Today, we were going to finally get that post up, but then something occurred to us. We had previously been informed that the “digital” version of Mood Muzik 4: A Turn 4 The Worst would be available October 23, with a physical version available for purchase November 6.

The blogs were ripe with words like “early” and “leak” and even a post in Joe Budden’s site’s messageboard asked the question, “is this an album or mixtape??” to which someone answered, “Album… No DJ, all original beats, and meant for you to buy….”

That got us to thinking. Is this an unauthorized leak? While it’s great that there is such demand (and, apparently, very good response), is the free distribution of the product something the Joe Budden camp approves of?

So, we did what I can almost guarantee 99% of other online publications, blogs, etc., don’t do.

We asked.

The reply from our inquiry to Joe Budden’s camp, came back simply stating that “it is for sale,” which still could mean that they are fine with the leak. We’re still not sure, so, in either case, if you want to find it, we’re sure you can. We just figured it was a good time to state that we support largely independent artists, and their art and their business. And while we do play the post-up-a-leaked-song game here and there, we know that a majority of those times, there is no objection to such from artists and labels, a bait-and-switch for promotional value.

But for a full body of work, clearly one that is to be sold, to be freely distributed by the very blogs and websites that claim to value and cater to our hip hop sensibilities, we feel is wrong. And we promise today to never participate in that.

We are not the “super exclusive we got it before the artist even recorded it” hip hop site, or the “show you only the dramatic shit no matter how ignorant it is” site. We deliver you New York area hip hop news, artists, events and organizations, past, present and future, and strive to do so with an air of journalistic integrity. We cover indie artists, mid-level artists and mainstream artists, who are from our region of the world, one that we proudly share as the Birthplace of Hip Hop. We hope that these ethics mean something to some people, and that those people will ride with us because we have many stories to tell, and can use all the loyal support and word of mouth we can get.

Rant over. Buy Joe Budden’s shit. Peace.

The Making of Joe Budden’s Mood Muzik 4 from Dan M on Vimeo.

A while back, I wrote a rant-like opinion piece boldly titled “God Damn You, Joe Budden,” in which I lamented the underratedness of the New Jersey wordsmith, reflecting my annoyance that such a talented, interesting and introspective artist hasn’t been able to fully emerge from the grasp of the hip hop underground, optimistically hoping that through Slaughterhouse exposure and the release of his next projects, the rest of the hip hop loving world, or at least the faction that appreciates biting lyricism from a charismatic MC who obviously loves his craft, would perk their collective ears up once again, and give Jumpoff Joe Budden the second life he has long been worthy of.

Since then, and particularly recently, Joe Budden has consistently dropped hot tracks (“New York, Jersey, Philly,” “We Don’t Believe You” (with Joell Ortiz and Novel), “Black Cloud,” and “Sober Up” with Crooked I, the latter two adding fuel the hype fire leading up to the release of his Mood Muzik 4, hitting the internet October 26 and stores on November 6.

Since then, Joe Budden has entered new business realms, releasing a limited edition book, detailing his lyrics, entitled Enter The Mind of Joe Budden. He has kept the salacious fiends in us entertained with his on-to-the-next-one model girlfriend drama. He has squabbled publicly with his record label in a flash of online rebellion. What more could a rap audience want?!

In fact, the only criticism I tend to hear when discussing Joe Budden, is that he can be too introspective. Too ”emo”, for lack of a better urban word.

But if that is the case, then how, after dropping material like his Dark Knight Music-produced, fiery take on the theme to the movie Inception, can anyone continue to deny this man’s ability, without being relegated to the realm of the oft-overused, but in some necessary cases, relevant world of ”haters.” How can someone not look at the quality and depth of the material he is able to create, and not label him one of the premier performing lyricists of the day?

Regardless, here we continue to salute Joe Budden, who, along with other NY upstarts like aforementioned Slaughterhouse brother Joell Ortiz, keep my personal hip hop hope alive, feeding me the optimism I need to continue to push forward our BirthplaceMag.com mission, documenting the transition of the tri-state area as we emerge from our largely perceived funk, helping provide these artists the shine they deserve.

Related: Joell Ortiz at Southpaw, Brooklyn – Recap, Photos, Video

Buy tickets to see Joe Budden & Friends at BB Kings on 10/26 here

Download/Listen: Joe Budden – Inception
(link courtesy of YouHeardThatNew.com)

By writing this, I am preempting a planned, well researched and well thought out diatribe I have been planning in my mind for quite some time.

By writing this, I am directly attacking a formidable force in journalism, new media, and hip hop, all areas where I am working feverishly to implant Birthplace Magazine. It may not be in my best interest to step into such an arena, with little more than my own site and my pride to protect me.

However, due to my already smoldering discontent, fueled by a disturbing recent development, I do not wish to hold my e-tongue for a later date.

Global Grind (www.GlobalGrind.com), in my humble opinion, you have done yourselves a disservice for some time, and yesterday, you stooped particularly low. While my long-standing personal feelings toward the bastardization of your self-proclaimed alignment with, and authority on, “hip hop” and your unethical approach to online journalism were already deep rooted, yesterday (Sept. 22, 2010) your site teetered precariously on the edge of the sexual exploitation of an underage girl in a thinly veiled attempt to drive page views. As a journalism professional, hip hop head, and father, none of this sits well with me.

Global Grind's "The Daily Grind" Email (9/22/2010)

Jasmine Villegas is 16 years old, yet you paraded her provocative photograph on your homepage, as well as the primary item in your daily newsletter, going so far as to proclaim this young lady “quite the catch”. The writer of the accompanying piece suggested that the Villegas’ apparent boyfriend, pop superstar Justin Bieber, also 16, take her to a hotel room. This, after the young lady and Bieber were photographed “making out” in the back of a car in California.

When I am not running BirthplaceMag.com, I am a professional new media specialist working in the field of journalism. I am well aware of the tactics that Global Grind have discovered and actively engaged in recently, as it struggles to find a voice in the digital world. You know, the tactics that have veered the company away from its initial mission of delivering “The World According To Hip Hop” to that of its current catchphrase, “The New American Mainstream,” in a scattered attempt to reposition itself after failing to do what WorldStarHipHop.com and MediaTakeOut.com have been able to do.

Claiming initial allegiance with a culture where “selling out” is so vehemently shunned, it always struck me as ironically shocking what Global Grind has become. GlobalGrind.com, announced in September of 2007, promised at the time to use a “proprietary relevance engine” to “provide the web’s most rich and dynamic integration of all content formats of interest to the hip-hop community”.

In simpler terms? Digg.com for hip hop.

And so “the world according to hip hop,” (and by hip hop we mean co-founder Russell Simmons, pronounced Editor-In-Chief in 2009, and veteran journalists Kim Osorio, briefly, and Datwon Thomas, now with Vibe), was aggregated and delivered to its ever-growing audience in an ethical, helpful and honest method, establishing GlobalGrind.com as a pioneering force in new media journalism, giving hip hop a strong foundation of technological credibility.

Well… Not quite.

After copying the methodology already in place with Digg, internet aggregator-in-chief at the time, GlobalGrind.com seems to have gotten a bit greedy. A fantastically thorough piece by Patrick O’Keefe called GlobalGrind.com out for “shifting their strategy” in early 2010, engaging in an unethical practice called “scraping content”.

You can read O’Keefe’s detailed post (and I suggest you do) to fully grasp the scope of the infraction perpetrated by GlobalGrind.com, as well as somewhat of a response by Michael Skolnik, co-president of GlobalGrind.com. At least it seems that once called out, some fixes were implemented.

But let’s not lose sight of the not-so-subtle changes that Simmons’ “world according to hip hop” hub has gone through, from the top-level down, regarding the overall content and mission of Global Grind. From the addition of “celebrity” blogs (often inane ramblings of B- and C-list personalities), to the heavy shift away from aggregating “hip hop” to the full-court press of covering TMZ-style pop culture stories, GlobalGrind.com has obviously jumped full force into the game of simply securing page views, with no particular affinity whatsoever toward the “hip hop” world, despite the continuing existence of that tagline in their branding and literature.

Yesterday’s egregious affront further amplifies the site’s clear intent to simply piggyback, and often, sloppily, off of the hard work of other journalistic outlets, particularly those modeled after the “gotcha” style of journalism invented by the National Enquirer and perfected 2.0 style by TMZ.

And this offends me, Global Grind. As a longstanding follower of a hip hop lifestyle, a participant of hip hop music and culture, and now, as a serious-minded purveyor of hip hop news, particularly with my current work documenting the struggles and successes of New York area artists.

It is clear that you have decided it is more profitable to become “The New American Mainstream” than to remain true to the mission of delivering “The World According to Hip Hop”. That’s cool. But then do so completely. Remove that old tagline from your emails, and the site’s “About Us” section. Those “Daily Grinds”? Of the last twelve emails , only two featured items of any relevance to “hip hop”. The rest? Justin Bieber, Glee!, Lady Gaga, Aly Michalka (the 20 year old Disney starlet, led by the nearly-as-suspect headline “Aly Michalka is the Sexiest Disney Diva Yet.” Real classy.), Gossip Girl, Fashion Week, Willow Smith and Snooki.

This is the world according to hip hop?

Global Grind's "Hip Hop Culture" Section Front Page

Ah, but surely the actual “hip hop culture” sub-section of the site would be chock full of hip hop, right? Like for instance, featured stories from the same day: a new Land Rover (with plenty of photos, aka, page views), Fashion Week in Sweden (with plenty of photos, aka page views), a new fashion brand (with plently of photos, aka page views), a new BMW (with plenty of photos, aka, page views) and a real big, expensive house in Spain (with… you guessed it, plenty of photos).

Seriously?

Look, I work in news and I run what is quickly becoming a very successful blog/e-publication. I know all about SEO techniques, driving traffic based on trends, writing web-friendly (and whenever possible, super salacious) headlines and other practices not necessarily meant to inform readers, but to attract readers, and provide information culled from other sources. Even with reputable news organizations, it has become fairly commonplace. It works, but I’ll leave the discussion of the benefits vs. drawbacks of this new school type of journalism for another time.

However, to practice these techniques, with a slant that borders on the sexual exploitation of a minor, almost proudly, with a subhead exclaiming that said 16 year old girl, who is prominently displayed with as provocatively suggestive a photograph as could be found, is “quite the catch”, enters an area I don’t particularly care to share with Mr. Simmons, who I otherwise admire professionally. To have author Blogxilla suggest, “Justin Bieber you’re rich take her to your hotel room playboy,” and then instructing to us to “enjoy these amazing pictures of Justin Bieber’s Girlfriend Jasmine Villegas” just seems to cross a bit of a line.

If this is what is important “according to hip hop,” then one of us has a very flawed definition of what hip hop is.

I can almost close my eyes and imagine that if I was hip hop watching these developments, I might conjure up a noticeable, Rakim-like sneer curling the edge of my mouth. I might gruffly implore Russell Simmons, one of my oldest friends and allies, and his GlobalGrind.com, with a slightly cocked head and pinpoint glare, that if this is going to be the way you are going to pursue the delivery of the “New American Mainstream,” then more power to you, but when doing so, make sure you take my name out your mouth.