Yo! MTV Raps Turns 20. Time to Pour Some Out for the Homies

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Yo! MTV Raps, which was quite possibly the greatest show in the history of MTV. Not only were the hosts super fly (yes, I am using early 90's hip hop slang for this post); beginning with old school rap/graffiti icon Fab 5 Freddy and continuing with Ed Lover and Dr. Dre (who were the Kenny 'the Jet' Smith and Charles Barkley of the rap game back in the day), but the videos documented some of the most important songs of the era. From Boogie Down Productions, to Black Sheep, to NWA, Yo! MTV Raps was a forum for every scene in hip hop (NYC, Philly, West Coast, etc.) to reach critical mass.

For me, Yo! has a much more personal meaning. It was my first introduction to hip hop music and it couldn't have done a better job showcasing the very best of the most prolific era of the genre. While I was only 10 years old at the time I first started watching the show, the memories are still quite vivid. I remember me and my brother waking up every Saturday morning and eagerly awaiting the start of the Yo! MTV Raps Top 10 Countdown. We'd pop a tape in the VCR and record each episode so that we could play our favorite videos over and over so that we could recite the words like we were make-believe MC's. It was through this show that I was introduced to artists like Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, EPMD, Gangstarr and so many more. Basically, I owe my whole love of hip hop to this show and I couldn't imagine how uninformed my understanding of hip hop would be if I hadn't grown up watching Yo! MTV Raps.

In honor of their 20th birthday, MTV has put together a bunch of online content celebrating the impact of Yo! on the hip hop scene. I especially recommend checking out the section listing the top 20 Yo! videos of all time. There's plenty of gems throughout the list. Of course, if it were up to me the following videos would've made the cut:

The Pharcyde - Passing Me By

The Pharcyde - Passin me by
Uploaded by hiphopmomo

Erik B. and Rakim - Don't Sweat the Technique


Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg - Deep Cover


A Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of a New School - Scenario

>>>Continue reading "Yo! MTV Raps Turns 20. Time to Pour Some Out for the Homies"

Pitchfork Aims to Pickup the Baton Dropped by MTV 10 Years Ago

With Trent Reznor, Radiohead, MySpace, YouTube, the iPod and bit torrent slowly dismantling the record industry as we know it, it was only a matter of time before somebody set their sights squarely on the other media conglomerate that's been sucking the life out of music, MTV.

We've all heard the tired-but-true gripes with MTV a thousand times over. They never play videos. The videos they do play suck. Too much focus on buffoonish rap music. There's WAY too many reality shows. Etc., etc., etc. For whatever reason, no suitable competitor has ever challenged their superiority on cable TV, but with more people looking first to the Internet (and away from MTV, radio and record stores) to discover and acquire new/old music, the time is ripe for someone to fire the first real shot across MTV's bow via an Internet cannonball.

Indie criticism juggernaut Pitchfork Media is just that someone as they announced this week the creation of Pitchfork.tv, a 24-hour web music video channel that promises to "[document] independent music as it happens". The new venture is set to launch April 7 and promises music videos, live concert footage, mini and long form documentaries, exclusive interviews and other content. All of which is said to be available in high quality on-demand full-screen viewing.

Now, for those of us who read Pitchfork on a regular basis are well aware they aren't above harsh criticism themselves, but it's hard to deny that they do a good job covering the (mostly) independent music scene and offer a significant pipeline into musical content (good and bad) that many people would otherwise not know existed. Both of these components (along with its large audience) should serve them well in being able to succeed in their mission. Moreover, sponsorship, advertising and cross-promotional opportunities should give them the flexibility to keep the service 100% free, while potentially opening up a significant revenue stream that may inspire others to follow in Pitchfork's footsteps.

Currently, web video remains a largely unproven source of revenue. The main problem being an inability to monetize the large pools of traffic that web video can attract. In this regard, even YouTube, which is owned by the most successful and powerful Internet advertising corporation on Earth (Google), has been unable to turn their 16 billion monthly page views (according to ComScore data) into a profitable revenue stream. While this will absolutely be a challenge to Pitchfork.tv, they do have the benefit of having a more easy-to-define target demographic (ie. it's easier to target ads that users won't ignore) than YouTube and can also lean heavily on the blogosphere, which is almost certain to send waves of traffic over to their videos (especially if they are easy to share with others).

If they play their cards right (say, tie in sales of higher quality content that is playable on iPods/Zune/mobile phone/and television screens or partner with the big Summer music festivals to provide live streaming content) Pitchfork.tv could become a huge success and serve as another watershed moment in a series of watershed moments for the music industry. My hope is that the site becomes everything I think it could and should be, while other visionaries follow suit with their own web video networks and MTV fades into oblivion. What a happy day that would be!

>>>Continue reading "Pitchfork Aims to Pickup the Baton Dropped by MTV 10 Years Ago"

Link Roundup - September 11th

Surprise, surprise! Kanye West acts like a little whiny bitch after being shut out (yet again) at the VMA's. He is aware that nobody gives a shit how many moon men anybody wins, right? [DListed]

Britney's embarrassment of a 'comeback' performance notwithstanding, the entire VMA show didn't suck. Check out some of the fine performances by the Foo Fighters and friends (including Serj Tankian from System of a Down, Cee-Lo, Queens of the Stone Age, and Mastodon) at their "fantasy suite" VIP party. Of course, MTV only showed bits and pieces of these performances, leaving it up to viewers to log onto MTV.com to see them in their entirety. [MTV]

The new Radiohead album is finished being recorded! 100,000 rock snobs simultaneously got a boner just thinking about its pending release. There may not be a title or a release date, but don't let that rain on your parade. [At Ease Web]

The RIAA outdoes itself and announces the stupidest. . .idea. . .EVER! I won't even ruin it for you. Just follow the link and let the hilarity ensue. [TechCrunch] >>>Continue reading "Link Roundup - September 11th"

Video of the Week - Justice: "D.A.N.C.E."

Happy VMA Day!! Oh wait, I forgot, the Video Music Awards stopped being fun and spontaneous years ago. I think I will be watching the season premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm instead of waiting on pins and needles to see if the 'rumors' are true and Britney Spears really is opening the show. I know the suspense is nearly unbearable.

Anyway, since it would be too easy (and lazy) to sit here and write about how much MTV sucks, I will now give MTV some credit for doing something right. Amongst pop chart champions Kanye, JT, Rihanna and Jay-Z, and Beyonce, French electronic due Justice sits as a nominee for Video of the Year. Yes, there's a minuscule chance the video that actually is the best will win the award. Of course, I am not holding my breath, but I am definitely content with Justice merely being nominated. Now, if Britney actually pulls off a flawless performance, then I will concede defeat and admit that Hell is indeed freezing over.

>>>Continue reading "Video of the Week - Justice: "D.A.N.C.E.""

MTV: Marketing Television?

The slow demise of MTV from a once maverick cutting edge pillar of music (and pop) culture to a celebrity-obsessed orgy of short attention-span teenage entertainment and product placement has been a tragic thing to witness for those of us that spent our early years growing up alongside the cable network. While Yo! MTV Raps, Liquid Television, 120 Minutes, et. al. are gone forever, it is still surprising (at least for me) to see how far around the bend MTV has gone since the glory days. With the MTV Video Music Awards. . .er, excuse me. . .the VMA's (remind me again when it became necessary to use acronyms for everything?) just around the corner, I was once again reminded about how far MTV has fallen in the realm of cultural relevancy.

It was with this in mind that I read a story in today's Hollywood Reporter about how MTV is the most "innovative" network at branding content for their advertisers. Basically, the article is an interview with MTV Networks' Executive VP for Integrated Marketing and Brand Partnerships and it outlines how MTV (and their associated cable networks like VH1, CMT, Logo, etc.) has championed "creating original programming for advertisers." That is, rather than figuring out ways to integrate products into existing programs, MTV instead figures out ways to integrate content into existing products. The interview is truly a fascinating read, if for no other reason than it illustrates how the need to satisfy advertisers has led to the bastardization of good programming. Keep this in mind as you watch the countless promotions for the Palms Casino Resort and the new 50 Cent and Kanye West albums that are sure to litter the VMA broadcast on Sunday. >>>Continue reading "MTV: Marketing Television?"