XXL Top 100 Hip-Hop Websites: Brushes With Fame
Even though the list was announced a while ago, the hard copy of XXL’s latest issue, featuring the top 100 hip-hop blog sites, hit the racks this week. Its a pretty good list – much more authentic than the widely dismissed VIBE list from a number of months earlier – and there are a lot of great sites that made it.
I am privileged to have chopped it up with a number of the good people on that list and I wanted to bust a few words on them – given how little XXL said on some of them.
Daily Mathematics
Combat Jack is a consummate hip-hop insider and a practicing attorney, so you know dude is no joke. Forget the press releases from PR hacks, I love reading about his run-ins with famous rappers and industry honchos. The best part about CJ is that he’s actually a real dude – never hesitates to drop in here at YFWB and lay down a comment, even though he doesn’t know me from Adam. He recently got a gig applying his rap hustle at XXL Magazine itself, and for frequent readers of Daily Math, its not a surprise.
Dallas Penn
Dallas is a hilarious writer/videographer/blogger, and he was kind enough to hit YFWB with a complement that now graces this site. But behind all the jokes and gags, Dallas is a true hip-hop head who understands his rap history and appreciates those who respect it. He gave me some great advice about writing on this here blog, which shows the kind of guy he is – building with other bloggers to make a better community.
The Rap Up
Rizoh over at TRU is hands down one of the realest dudes I have ever met since I started blogging. Even though he is one of the original hip-hop bloggers, Rizoh is the most unassuming and friendly cats I’ve had the privilege of dealing with. And the man knows his hip-hop, boy. He also happens to be a social media ninja. You want to know how to conquer Digg? He’s the guy to talk to. Learned much from “The Blogfather”.
Its The Real
The Rosenthal Brothers were kind enough to sit down for one of my first interviews. I was a fan, I reached out and they were happy to oblige. Its been dope to watch them take off and go from an ill concept to being known in the industry. And their videos are still well done. Still not sure why they never followed me on Twitter, though. Still sore about that.
Looking for new hip hop music? Whether it’s underground rap, R&B, Southern hip-hop or gangster rap, here’s some of the hottest places to find new hip hop music.
Radio Stations
While they may have lost some of their influence in the past few years due to Internet, radio stations still provide a great place to hear it music. I’ve included a standard radio stations as wills a few of their Internet counterparts…
Power106. Arguably the largest name in rap music today Power 106 plays at established artists such as Eminem, and Lil Wayne, as well as up and coming rap superstars like Drake, and Flo Rida.
Hot97.One of the most popular hip hop stations in history, Hot97 delivers fresh tracks from artists such as T.I., Outkast and Kanye West.
Power 105. They made the move from soft rock and never looked back In addition to fresh new music, they play old school hip and R&B
IMEEM. This website lets you create your own playlist from their gigantic database of music. You can save your playlists and share with others via the social network on their site. The new hip hop music section is on point, and offers a selection of new artists daily.
Pandora. Personally I love this site. To all you have to do is entering the name of your favorite artist, song or musical style and Pandora automatically creates a playlist for you based upon associated artists they think you would like. I can’t even begin to explain how any great to rap artists I’ve discovered using the site. Pandora also offers you the chance to vote on each song as the play, and will shift its playlist accordingly. If you’re looking to find a hottest new music as well as underground tracks you may have missed the first time around, Pandora is certainly a place to start.
MixTapes
Mixed tapes have always been an important part of hip-hop culture, and the following two websites let you hear your favorite songs put together a new and exciting ways…
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