Recently, I have rediscovered my appreciation for hip-hop journalism. As someone who has been working as a journalist in hip-hop for over 10 years, I realized that, while some of us have been able to survive the slow death of publications and make our transition to the web, the art form of hip-hop journalism has somehow lost its sense of direction. But in studying the internet over the last couple of years, I have been able to distinguish good ole’ hip-hop coverage from the overdose of “content” out there.

This is not to say that I’m not a junkie who has become addicted to scouring the internet for more and more “content,” some of which is just plain ole’ bad for ya. I’ll be the first to admit that I am a part of a culture that makes sites like worldstarhiphop.com (which dubs itself the “CNN of Urban Media”) such a success. I check it almost daily for their aggregation of hip-hop related videos–be they great interviews or ignorant sometimes misogynistic video clips. Still, there are those of who seem to have forgot that there is a responsibility that comes along with the publishing of material that is created within hip-hop. As a result, hip-hop journalism seems to be dying a slow death....READ MORE...

http://blogs.bet.com/music/hhvsa/when-hip-hop-journalism-became-content/

Here are the local times and channels airing an interview with me in their segment on "Straight From the Source" If you haven't gotten the book yet, check it out.

http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001_ZxdiM4DYvewFymn0xWuQrYmdEz__EbIQFHUDZFeIUHphDhTTA-_EySnLnWO0NJSHYDh8tZorvJ0-IeJ38QxtBjOMPau37Uu9Giu_KGSUrw%3D

so normally I don't post links to any of the stories I write, but I felt like sharing this one. I interviewed Heavy D about his upcoming Reggae album, Vibes, a few weeks back and he said something that was interesting (and honest) when I asked him why he wasn't rapping anymore.

"My best days as an MC are behind me. I can give you a Hot 16, but a hot album is over."



Here is the link to the article I wrote.
http://www.bet.com/Music/News/Heavydvibeswithnewalbum_interview_music_12.1.htm?



Read the article and tell me what you think about this. Should some of these veteran artists realize this and switch up their program?

Excerpt from "Straight From The Source," pages 14-15...

By the year 2000, the hip-hop industry was comparable to a male football locker room. Most of the top executives were men, the majority of hip-hop artists were male, as were almost all of the producers, video directors, engineers and DJs. That basically left video model or personal assistant as the most likely career option for a woman. But as a female, if you were successful, and rose to the top of the corporate ladder, your reputation became that much more vulnerable. If you looked halfway decent, then the misconception was that you slept your way to the top. On the contrary, if you were not easy on the eyes, then you must either have been gay or related to someone. As a woman, I knew it would be hard to beat the odds. But because I had put so much time in, I wasn't about to let the odds come between me and what I wanted.

But a woman doesn't only have her resume to worry about, she's also got her reputation, and when it comes to a woman's reputation in the business of hip-hop, it's almost customary to define her by the men she's been linked to. Pick up any hip-hop magazine and compare the stories done on women to those done on men. I guarantee you'll find out more about he woman's past sex life than you will about the man's. That code doesn't just apply to celebrities, it's the same behind the scenes as well. For me, it was no different. The more successful I became in the industry, the harder it became to keep people out of my personal business.

My days and nights revolved around the magazine and around hip-hop, and my social network was composed of people who were just as obsessed with money, power and hip-hop as I was. Therefore, the majority of the men that I met along the way had some sort of function in the music industry. But in this particular sect of the industry, known to us as the hip-hop culture, the usual double standard applied to women is administered in much bigger doses. Once Snoop said "Bitches Ain't Shit," it was a wrap for us.

http://www.amazon.com/Straight-Source-Expose-Former-Hip-Hop/dp/141655968X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222134834&sr=8-1

Click blog and tell me what you think.
kimosorio.com

You've seen the picture of him on the cover of XXL right? Lookie here.

Hey Nick and Mariah are talking in People magazine. They confirm wedding. Read.

If so, then I can't take it. Click link below to go to the blog and read my two cents.

http://kimosorio.com

 

i love this beef today. Read the blog here.