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Friday, January 05 02:08 PM |
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Urban Expose Presents: The Top 100 People, Places, and Things With No Buzz. The Top 50.
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We present the conclusion of the UE 100 people, places and things with no buzz.
50. Source Awards
 The Source Awards should really start giving awards out for who can bring the largest, toughest, roughest entourage. When people aren't getting robbed outside afterward, they are settling petty beefs inside. This year awards show couldn't even be shown in its entirety on television because everyone just went bonkers. A completely uncensored version coming to VHS and DVD near you: "When rappers go wild"
49. Impact
 The oversized Jet magazine now has a newsletter component that actually is informative. The website however launched to little fanfare and even less usage. It looks like a bottle of Listerine.
48. Kioken
 Kioken is a web design firm that came into the urban entertainment space with flashy designs that wowed everyone. Their designs worked great for music artist's promotional sites like Puffy, but these guys only have a vauge idea of information architecture and e-commerce. They claim they don't care if the sites they deliver work on all platforms. They collected big checks and delivered sites designed between their marathon dreamcast sessions that were noisy, scared traffic away, and put a hurting on your vision.
47. Indieplanet.com
 IndiePlanet was the original flagship product for Urban Box Office. It turned out to be more like a meteorite. The staff had to endure 3-hour meetings with long speeches that became an impediment to the sites success. They featured the ability to participate in auctions for Cisco routers, tools to build your own online calendar to remind you to read stories about schizophrenic bums who ask for money with two cups.
46. Laron Batchelor
6 degrees of David Watkins. He is a former Icon Media employee that David Watkins yanked. Ran a hot spot aptly named the Batchelor Pad.
45. Sidehustle.com
Sidehustle is a job site run by Vanguarde Neomedia. We love it when Ivy Leaguers attempt to name things with an urban slant over their mid-afternoon consommé.
44. Jason McCabe Calacanis
 The Rex Reed of the New Economy. Interrupted the Impact conference he was on to accuse random people in the audience of being Crispus Attucks. He has merit badges in snideness and grudge holding. Peppers his cocktail parties talk with stories about playing ball better than Russell Simmons down at Chelsea Piers.
 |  | Rex Reed
Reviews feature films
Acted in "Myra Beckinridge"
Kleptomaniac | Jason Calacanis
Reviews new media companies
Acted in "Center Of The World"
Megalomaniac | |
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43. Toshikubota.com
 Even with big name R&B/Soul producers from the states behind him, he stills sounds like he is cranking out video game cover music. We wonder how many military personnel he has dancing in his J-pop videos.
42. James Bernard
The most prolific magazine idea guy who continuously gets his ideas yanked from under him. He was on the team early on in The Source magazine helping to define its voice. After bouncing over controversy, he pitches the XXL idea to Dennis Publishing, which forced him out. He then pitched the Manifest idea to Larry Flynt Publishing, which now publishes Code: The alternative lifestyle black men's magazine. Manifest is still waiting for a partner bold enough to take a chance on winning ideas. Till then this Harvard Law cat will be all right.
41. Kevin Powell
 Kevin "The Real World" Powell started his career by standing in line for auditions to MTV shows. He parleyed this into a stint at Vibe where tossing PC's at secretaries was a popular way of reliving frustration during his ascent in hip-hop journalism. Kevin has taken time off from serving ominous threats to other writers to curate the hip hop exhibit at the Brooklyn museum of art where Marshall Matthers sneaker has been enshrined forever next to King Tuts viscera urn. He also edited an anthology which has every hip hop journalism asking everyone else why they were snubbed.
40. Therese Whatley
Therese was formerly a telephony sales manager who used to describe Voice over IP products to potential customers. She translated this experience into hot ideas as a consultant to volume.com where they anointed her as VP of Content after McLean Greaves' departure. They have now redefined what it means to write in a passive voice.
39. Chris Sabin
6 degrees of David Watkins. Chris Sabin is David Watkins personal sycophant.
38. Rich Kleinman
 The vociferous Richard Kleinman of onelevel.com likes to pitch the strengths of his new company. He'd like to point out that they had excellent small budget parties and did guerilla marketing that consisted of posting about their company on other websites' message boards. Rich developed a technique of reusing condiments as a restaurant manager that attracted the attention of investors.
37. onelevel.com
 The once empty battle bulletin boards and video clip interviews of second tier music artists have been replaced by ClubRoom bubble goose coats and Gemini turntables. They still haven't launched onelevel radio yet. They launched, went bust, and were reborn and no one even noticed. They are now looking for partnerships to help bring them traffic.
36. Ann Marie Adamson
6 degrees of David Watkins.
35. Kevin Dowdell
 Kevin Dowdell helms volume.com. He successfully secured a $60 million dollar commitment from HBO/Time Warner to create a portal. Unfortunately, AOL merged with Time Warner, which has held up Kevin's thrusts to take over the urban space. Only time will tell whether volume's particularly middling urban fare will take off with college kids. Kevin Dowdell is fond of the game tennis. That's apropos because Kevin reminds one of a young David Dinkins; well spoken, well groomed, and yet uninspiring.
34. Claude Grunitsky
 Claude Grunitzky dreamed of making a magazine that would establish his reputation in the three major fashion capitals of the world. He managed it: now everyone in London, Paris or New York knows Trace, and none of them will ever work with Claude again. Notable more for outstanding bills than for outstanding editorial, Trace has stiffed many off the magazine industry's finest talents. With customary arrogance he took credit for their subsequent careers, believing that relieved him of the responsibility to pay their salaries. With the departure of all capable staff, editorial and commercial decisions are now made solely by Claude. Not inconsequently, circulation currently hovers around the 10,000 mark, a fact that drove many of his advertising partners, already dismayed by the infrequency of the rag, over the edge. A much trumpeted foray into the world of charitable activity a la Bill and Melinda proved farcical, and the traceurban.com website, launched December 1 2000 with grand ambitions to assist the fight against AIDS in Africa, lasted less than a year. A perpetual companion of mediocrity, Claude is currently affiliated with the piss-poor thewebset.com, and planning an escape to Brazil, a fugitive from his own character.
33. Dream Hampton
She was the first hip-hop journalist to blur the line between interviewer and interviewee often mistaking the celebrity of her subjects for her own. Every two years she threatens to quite writing altogether and takes a sabbatical back to her hometown.
32. Raymond O'neal
Raymond now runs Blaze Battle. It made its debut as a television show on HBO. It resulted in poor performances, artists losing their deals, and a couple of physical altercations. The show spent a lot of time showing a fancy on-air elimination tree graphic rather than showcasing lyrics of MCs. It was reminiscent of the short run Snaps television show.
31. Fred Wilson
 The managing partner of Flatiron Partners who pumped a lot of cash into Urban Box Office in the hopes of creating an urban Starmedia.
30. Russell Simmons
 In the editorial page of One World magazine Russell Simmons claims "What the fuck do I know about running a magazine?". Well it doesn't matter because Russell's name will sell anything. Branded Simmons things go like hotcakes: websites, magazines, television shows, two-way pagers and foot sole inserts. Now that's clout.
29. David Mays
David Mays runs The Source entertainment giant. It is the international barometer for what's happening in hiphop. It has also directly influenced the history of hiphop. The Source magazine has taken magazine payola to another level. The infamous 5 microphone rating system has been used as an industry-wide tool to destroy enemies and reward friends creating a political dark horse that has reaped many lucrative advertisements and sponsorships for The Source. Good business is where you find it.
28. Vibe
 Vibe is by all accounts a successful magazine. It has nice circulations with a ton of ad pages. It is the barometer of urban black music scene. However, instead of taking more chances with content because of satisfied advertisers, they take less. It's also become Blaze light rather than interesting pieces about urban culture.
27. Entertaindex.com
Entertaindex is a Vangaurde Neomedia property that has been cancelled. It originally was going to be a site dedicated to listing the phone numbers of executives in the entertainment industry so that they could be harassed at work continuously by weirdoes with poems to publish, poets with want to be rappers and people who want their autobiographical poems turned into feature length films.
26. Latin Flava
 Oye! Yo hago lo que quiero. Ney Pimentel convinced Urban Box Office to fund latinflava.com. The site's purpose was to showcase the New York Hispanic community to the rest of the world. Instead it just showcased Ney who on a UBO budget purchased a SUV with his face spray painted on the side. The site features videos of his friends dressed in wizard hats acting like Mario Cantone. Maybe if they put up more pictures of all the naked girls they took pictures of the site would have been a success.
25. Dujeous
Dujeous is a bunch of guys who evidently got tired of their jobs in human resources in some generic insurance company and started a live band hip hop group. We swear, by the year 2002 everyone in New York will have made a rap record.
24. Kris Ex
Hiphop journalist made famous for throwing up in DMX's Jeep.
23. Bo Kemp
Bo knows spamming. Claims he is CEO of Neomedia. In reality he is executive VP of 10 splash pages and one web site. Went to Wharton for a degree in managing sky-tel pager alerts. He wants to deliver information to the urban entertainment executive that she/he can make critical decisions on. He broke ground when he ok'd sending out news about Treach and Pepper breaking up to your two way.
22. Dalmar James
Dalmar submitted himself to the no buzz list. Known as the Michelin Man because of the particular way his fat folds, he dreams of playing rock guitar with Axl Rose instead of doing business development for volume.com. Spends his time with Naeeem trying to make volume.com bulletin boards look busy with their inane posts. They should leave that to Alpha Poet and concentrate on some better affiliate deals.
21. Bad Boy Records
 Bad Boy is trying to get in on the N'sync, Backstreet Boys, 98 degrees phase with his own female version called Dream. Turned an A list bad boy roster into the Biv 10. He might as well signed Barrington Levy considering he seems more popular at live performances than Shyne.
20. Selwyn Hines
 He ignores anyone at cocktail parties who doesn't summer at the Vineyard. Finally showed former boss at The Source what real hip-hop journalism is about with his helming of 360hiphop.com, it's a shame no one goes there to read it. Selwyn likes to change outfits during interviews because his pants are real shiny.
19. Urban Expose
 Urban Exposé's vitriolic comments about the urban entertainment industry have been a subject of a few small debates at Night Of The Cookers in Brooklyn. Although Crispus has changed the face of the online urban entertainment landscape forever, he needs to really get off drinking Apple Martini's in a straight glass and finish the UE list.
11. UBO.net
 Adam Kidron and Frank Cooper ran a multi-million dollar company into the ground. They are now fighting for the assets. The idea was to start a network of sites that investors would go ape-shit for and catapult them to IPO status, which would recoup massive amounts of cash for Flatiron and other investors. The current site now just showcases Othervision and has links to other urban properties that were formerly competitors. Bill Goins now runs the show now. Bill Goins also likes to refer to his Blackberry pager as a Dingleberry. Bill was previously responsible for Pseudo lowest rated show, The Quarterback Club, that consisted of tiny 100x100 pixel videos of ex-football stars playing golf in Florida.
10. Ronin Ro
 The talented, yet angry Ronin Ro spent time at 360hiphop, Urban Box Office and wrote a Donald Gonies-esque book for S Affiliated called Street Sweeper. He used to write for The Source magazine. He now spends his time spewing veiled threats to various people in the urban space for no apparent reason other than to alleviate his own writer's block.
9. Arzie Hardin
Arzie Hardin, the third strike in the VMI curse took a back seat to running Urban Box Office to pursue his dream of a entertainment property called Indieplanet. He hoped it would be a place where independent artists would awake from their drunken; heroin induced haze and leave their band practice sessions and poetry readings to get online in record numbers to participate in coffee machine auctions and read articles about the best places to get Doc Martin boots.
8. James Andrews
 If ever there was a poster boy for falling upwards, success through failure, power from superficiality, it is James Andrews. Is it his emasculated mannerisms or his penchant for dropping names that endears him to the uninitiated? Creator of Soul Purpose, this professional business card collector found a vehicle where he could express his smarmy, mediocre turn of phrases, and insulting observations to his Rolodex of industry middle managers.
7. aka.com
 A lose network of Geocities and Angelfire sites dedicatd to hiphop became the backbone of AKA. AKA thought lets amalgamate all the traffic from these sites and sell ad banners at premium prices. Advertisers ran from the scam, but UBO bit. They promised them millions of dollars in the future to advertise. UBO then filed for chapter 11 which caused AKA to roll back. Hookt happily paid for the divisions AKA didn't want, and sold the part worth anything to Concrete Media to help promote Bolt and music company products thru web street teams.
6. 360hiphop.com
 A site created for 10 people to chat about hiphop and strain to read some of the best hiphop journalism around. The site features every useless plugin and feature that modern browsers will allow. It also has areas like labeled Buy Shit in an attempt to have an attitude. Too bad the store never works, they are missing out on the robust sale of one t-shirt to some kid in Oklahoma. They also feature the same cartoon from launch that has Lil Kim and Vanessa Williams sucking off Bill Clinton. How's that for empowerment! Cellyhead indeed.
5. Hookt.com
 What happens when two bankers, one nerdy, the other obese get together and start an entertainment/e-commerce web site? Pay Puff Daddy $4 million dollars to hang out with him! They recently mergers with Platform to merged in an attempt to become a larger acquisition target or an even higher profile failure. They have now combined platform.net's patronizing coverage of hiphop with hookt's non-existance e-commerce initiative.
4. Soul Purpose
 A now defunct insipid newsletter that purported to be for urban executives. Bringing them daily information that they could make important decision on like restaurant reviews and notices of new mp3 players. Soul Purpose also attempted to put Urban Exposé on blast by outing Ronin Ro as the editor of this site and made fun of the fact that we didn't have a two-way pager. The plan backfired as it shed light on how truly ineffective Soul Purpose really was.
3. David Watkins
 No Comment!
2. Adam Kidron
The perpetually nervous and sweaty Adam Kidron wound up with the reigns to change the urban media landscape forever. He managed music act powerhouses such as Scritti Polliti and Nena Cherry before they became one hit wonders. He used these skills to grind down UBO to a halt. He is currently writing a book ala Burn Rate. The current title of the book is "God's Sloths, Rattlers, Punters in Dottyland"; guess which one of the categories his employees fall under. A must read for anyone planning to ruin a dot com content company.
1. Scott Mills
Scott used to be in charge of the obscure franchise of BET owned restaurants that no one has heard of. He loves to take cocky pictures of himself as he crows about the demise of other African American and Urban target portal sites. He purchased 360hiphop, the dying hiphop portal site in an attempt to create a relationship with Russell Simmons. New directives a bet.com include incorporating features successful on UE instead of developing a e-commerce initiative or maximizing sponsorship performance. He often remarks how other people aren't good enough to sit on a panel with him.
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the source should have been in the top 20 at least UE |
if the source is fifty, i can't wait to see the other forty-nine.
I'm with you Thuglite, they should have at least made top twenty |
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who is behind Savoy magazine? |
Savoy Magazine is a Vanguarde publication. It is the brother magazine to Honey now. It is built on the subscription base of Emerge. |
Andrew,
That's Keith Clinkscales and Vanguarde. |
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along with IMPACT and SIDEHUSTLE.com |
Savoy=bourgeois black journalists trying to be hip. Travesty that Satan..uh I mean Keith Clinkscales deadend Emerge for Savoy.
Roy's editorial calls it a dinner party. I call it toilet reading. Where's the fucking NEWS? |
thank you for starting a new page.
for those that already posted...is it a possibility that both the source awards and the source will make the list? neither have buzz, so maybe you'll get your top 20 wish. |
Fuck Savoy.
Bougie motherfuckers want to show people how to style, as if GQ doesn't exist.
Yeah, let's kill Emerge for some weak-assed bullshit which plays into the consumerism of the black middle class. Like they need to be told to get MORE gold or a new Lexus.
Just another reason to love Aaron Magruder |
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I never read a Black style magazine I like (except for oogling the sisters in Black hair magazines), any recommendations? |
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Black Tail or Hot Chocolate always show postive Sisters doing their thang......Those are just a couple of good Black Style magazines |
SAVOY IS DEFINITELY WACK!!!!!!!
AND HERE'S 10 REASONS WHY.......
1) Who the hell is the chick on the cover??? Gabrielle Union? Hollywood's Best-Kept Secret??? Please!!! How about giving Sarah Jones or Jill Scott a cover??? They're much more talented, have better chances of making noise in the future and are much more cuter then this Gabrielle chick!!!
2) While Emerge was introspective, grassroots and revolutionary, Savoy comes off as nothing but . . . lame--check that, a waste of trees and even worse, bougie to the max.
3) With its wannabe "upper-class" and "polished" written articles, doesn't Savoy remind you of a poor man's Ebony/Vibe/Upscale???
4) $3.99 price tag!!! That's $3.99 too damn much!!!
5) That sellout Gregory Hines (Pg. 32) really needs to quit whatever it is he does nowadays and his name and "Black History Month" shouldn't be in the same sentence, much less on the same page.
6) Was that "All That" piece the corniest piece of crap you've ever seen since you last caught a Mario Van Peebles flick???
7) At least we know that the brains behind the idiocy shown 25/8 on B.E.T. (Bob Johnson) is just as dumb as his channels programming.
8) Tiger Woods "Gladiator"??? Could somebody please shoot me, like....now???
9) Doesn't anybody know by now that Keith Clinkscales and Sheryl Huggins are birds of the same feather???
10) Clinton in Blackface!!! I want my subscription refunded......NOW!!!!!!!!! |
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Roy, you've got a lot of anger to work through. But I'm feeling you on the Savoy thing. It's a travesty. Any bets on how long it'll be in print? |
I thought the title said top 50, this only looks like 5. Come on, been waiting for this shit since Jan. 1.
Or is that your intention, to keep us checking and telling our friends about it?
Hmmmmm.....
Smells suspicious. |
Just gotta say one last thing. You present the conclusion? Hold up, waaaaiiiitttt. Why you pissing me off? Get the whole damn list up here already. |
I nominate the Silicon Alley Reporter 100. I saw an interview with the publisher on NY1 bragging on how Psuedo was on his list even though they are history... |
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <Sankofa4ag@aol.com>
>Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2001 9:57 AM
>Subject: Good News: re-EMERGEnce
>
>
>This is one of my favorite publications folks! Check out the web
address
>below, show your support, and stay informed with the news that
matters
>most
>to our community.
>
>KNOWLEDGE is the key, and this is a great, uncompromising source.
>ANITA
>
><< By George E. Curry <currysite@usa.net>
>
>You can kill a magazine, but you can't kill an idea. If
>anyone doubts that, they should read the hundreds of letters
>and e-mails I have received since Vanguarde Media announced
>in June that they were shutting down Emerge: Black America's
>Newsmagazine.
>
>As I said in my last Editor's Note, "despite what some
>people might say, there is a significant number of African
>Americans interested in a publication of substance." And
>we're going to give you such a publication. The same staff
>that brought you Emerge will start a new magazine that will
>be in the Emerge mold: uncompromising and cutting edge:
>
>http://www.georgecurry.com/mag.html
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From Kalamu Ya Salamm's email list:
>>POV: commercializing our culture
==========================
Kalamu
I would like to raise an issue that has recently become more prevalent
in our
work as artists, and particularly artists of color. It is a quandary
that
involves money, pride, and the ethical utilization of our skills as
wordsmiths. I hope that this missive will provide the spark for a
discussion
that provides more light than heat.
I recently received a proposal from a large, black owned advertising
corporation which offered me the opportunity to judge a poetry contest
for a
brand of liquor. I had previously spoken with the advertising agency
rep and
had advised her that I would be interested in judging the contest if
entrants
were not required to write about the liquor or drinking.
Upon receiving official notification of their desire to contract me for
my
services as judge, I was chagrined to learn of the contest's
parameters.
Entrants were advised to send in poetry that celebrated the many
mysteries of
this particular brand of alcohol, to explore the conundrums of this
mysterious beverage through verse. Quite sizeable prizes were being
made
available to the winners - approximately twenty thousand dollars worth.
And
my proposed fee was nothing to sneeze at for a day's work..
Believe me, I am not one who is accustomed to walking away from a hefty
day's
pay. However, I am loath to participate in an endeavor that seeks to
sell
unhealthy, addictive goods through an advertising campaign that will
most
likely target people of color. I still cling to a corny belief that
our
literary powers should be applauded when they celebrate truth, healing,
and
enlightenment - and not when we create ad copy for liquor companies.
I do not wish to admonish those who want to judge or submit work for
such
competitions. I believe that is their personal (and political?) choice.
But
I would like to raise several questions about this phenomenon, the
crass
commercialization of our literary talent.
By participating in such ventures, do we place more value on our
ability to
sell goods than our ability to create messages that make us more
enlightened
individuals? Would my contribution to the sales of this company
outweigh any
contribution that I may be able to make to my people from monies gained
through my participation in such a venture? Do we legitimize and
endorse the
consumption of cigarettes and liquor in our community when we accept
their
largesse? To what degree do such ventures sidetrack our artistic
focus?
Perhaps through open discussion about this issue, we can further
understand
our role as artists. I thank you for the opportunity and forum to make
such
a discussion possible.
Forwards Ever, Backwards Never
Tyehimba Jess
TYEHIMBAS@aol.com
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>>HELP: looking for interview subjects for book on digital divide
=============================================
Interview subjects needed for upcoming book on Digital Divide
Please feel free to forward this message. Contact deadline is January
20,
2001.
Any responses and questions should be directed to
techdiva@earthlink.net
I am currently revising a book on the Digital Divide and African
American
business. The book, to be published by John Wiley & Sons and Black
Enterprise, is a solutions-oriented guidebook that will provide a
methodology
for strategic technology planning and marketing resources for African
American entrepreneurs.
I am seeking to interview African American entrepreneurs in small,
medium and
large businesses, as well as leaders of national or regional African
American
professional organizations. Selected interviewees will be asked a
series of
questions about how technology is (or is not) affecting their business
(e.g.,
marketing, productivity, communication, etc.). The interview will
consist of
10-15 questions via phone, fax or e-mail and will cover such areas as
computer hardware, computer software, Internet, PDAs, Web-based tools,
mobile
and wireless usage.
Selected responses will be included in the book, along with a reference
to
the interviewee, their business or organization, and their company's
contact
information.
Industry and location does not matter. Interviewees must be
entrepreneurs or
managers of professional organizations. Businesses may be home- or
office-based, sole proprietorships, partnerships or corporations, with
any
number of employees.
All interested parties should contact Bernadette Williams as follows:
E: techdiva@earthlink.net
P: 310-858-5522
F: 877-602-9775 (toll-free)
The contact deadline is JANUARY 20, 2001. Thank you in advance for
your
assistance and participation.
Afro-techies, the technology discussion list for women of African
descent
http://www.afrotech.com
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Please.
Emerge was decent but _hardly_ cutting edge.
They _let_ Bob Johnson use it as a sounding board whenever people critized BET's lackluster operations.
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Crispus and Harriet, what's up with the list? I think we've been patient (well, most..ok, some of us) so far but it's the 2nd week of Jan. and you're still wrapping up the Y2K with an unfinished list. Come on already. |
Can't fault Crispus in a promotional sense though - we all keep coming back for more just to see the doggone Top 100 get completed; especially since it's so damn ambitious! *heh*
"Go! Go! Go! Go!" |
>>PUB: call for video & new media work for conference on race &
technology
=====================================================
<< CALL FOR VIDEO/NEW MEDIA WORK THAT DEALS WITH THE INTERSECTION OF
RACE
AND TECHNOLOGY:
In coordination with the conference "Race and Digital Space" being held
at the MIT campus April 26-29, 2001, a concurrent video show and
digital
salon will be held at the LIST Visual Center for the Arts. I am looking
for young innovators and visionary film/video/new media/website
designers
whose work deals specifically with the intersection of race and
technology.
PLEASE SEND ALL INQUIRIES TO:
Erika Muhammad
erika@escape.com
RACE AND DIGITAL SPACE CURATORIAL STATEMENT:
In the ever-changing terrain of new media productivity, issues of race
and ethnicity ferment in digital space. Artists who tackle issues of
race in their work are faced with fresh challenges and opportunities as
they build and define what will be the most powerful networks on earth.
With an emphasis on cultural hybridity, these artists explore just how
electronic culture influences the production of identity, race, and
nationhood as our conception of the historical document evolves.
Curated
in this digital salon, video program and soundscape are works by
artists
who are building digital habitats and laying political foundations
through the use of hi-tech documents. Beginning with the early 70s and
working our way through the hi-tech 90s into the new century, this
program will include experimental film and video, music videos,
CD-ROMS,
websites and aural mixes. The intent of this program is not to create
a
reactionary and centrist critique of technological colonial
victimization--quite the contrary: it is meant to offer examples of
work
by artists who inhabit electronic space and engage with this new media
in
creative and progressive ways. Reviewing questions proposed in critical
race, futurist and pop cultural theory, the "cut-and mix" collage
aesthetic employed in many of the pieces reveal unique juxtapositions
between various media.
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I swear....i don't know if it's the mesculine or the three ours sleep...but i don't understand the title of this article for the life of me..."The top 100 ....top 50"...man what the fuck was that? Anyway it's been like three weeks and this is the article we get......I'm telling you the only thing wacker than these fuckin titles are the fuckin articles man..get ya shit together..
Be EZ !!!!
and hey! I love Kioken's shit...if ya kiss their ass maybe they could save your site...the design sux by the way...don't know if you care..... |
Hey!!!!!!!!...I'm still dizzy as shit but...what's up with this clout system shit?....high clout-what do we win?
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Savoy,
"We will show you how to be a successful Black Man. Because you obviously can't do it without our help." |
Someone said that they never read a black style magazine that they like. I used to think the same until I came across a publication called CODE. It's a black style magazine for men...and it's actually pretty good.
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OK
Happy New Year! I have not posted in a while, so I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!
Now...regarding Savoy magazine. Why is it that majority publications can run the gamut (sp?) from Hustler - Esquire - Cosmopolitan - Penthouse - New Yorker - Elle - People - InStyle - WallPaper - Etc. no one complains or comments about the quality of those magazines.
Why do we expect our magazines to be on a higher/grand scale?
Vanguarde created a publication that is OK. I think we should give it a few more issues before we decide if it is "trash or not". I also thought the Bill Clinton in "black face" was great! It reminded me of the December Esquire with Bill Clinton on the cover!
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"Hey!!!!!!!!...I'm still dizzy as shit but...what's up with this clout system shit?....high clout-what do we win?"
>>
I guess we win the same thing the urban sites win when they are considered to have high clout?
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CODE is a gay magazine masquariding as a heterosexual magazine |
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Is Savoy out yet? It's cathing a lot of flak |
If what you say is true....
I wasn't aware that gay people had no sense of style...go figure.
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I think "thugs" are lost men in disguse.
CODE is gay?..hhmm..maybe appealin to brothas with slightly higher income / lifestyles, and im sure there has to be consumers that purchase tha magazine that are gay...but how the eff do you come tothe conclusion its a gay magazine?
I guess MurderDog is the realness...
no doubt,
representin real men to the fullest....
yea..okay.
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HNY Karen..
I think we dont comlain about those other magazines because we simply may not read them.
For some reason were consistantly overley critical of anything WE produce for US...why?..maybe someone else can answer because there damn sure are enough views, opinions, and mindsets int he black-urban culture for all of these new magazines - including Savoy, to exist.
I though the latest issue of Savoy was pretty ah-ight...i found it more interesting from mid magazine on; especially the interview on BJ..i really wanted to hear what he had to say regardin' the whole Viacom deal...
Readin that article made me realize he never had had any intentions but to make money..period.....now im wonderin if that was his initial plan from the start, why many of us thogut he OWED US anything more?
Yeah..we all know BET had mad potential for many things, but i dont think one goes into a big business venture to save the world or culture, when the main focus is to make loot... |
Thank you ohsokool
My point exactly. Mainstream press, media, etc., go into business to make profit. Not to uplift their people! Not that there is anything wrong with uplifting one's people, Lord knows we need it! I just don't see my Savoy is being persecuted. They created a magazine that will appeal to a certain demographic. Remember a few years ago, we had one magazine EBONY, then came Jet, Black Enterprise, Essence...and so on.
There is room in our diaspora for thousands of magazines! Just like the "majority" has! |
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I've never gotten the impression that Code is "gay" (also didn't realize a mag could have a sexual preference, but whatever). I can't help but wonder if this is just sour grapes. Or if any 'style' magazine for men is gay. Never heard anyone talk about GQ this way. It unfortunately sounds, to me, like people hating on a mag that for all intents and purposes, is really pretty decent. I don't memorize all the articles, but I'm saying, my very heterosexual male friends have no problem with it. And neither do I. Maybe someone can enlighten me on what to look for in a 'gay mag' posing as a hetero one? |
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Hey Crispus I think you should change it to the top 50 when no ones watching. That way we can move on to the next story.
D Duba U 2 |
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Henry Blodget from ML said it himself this morning on CNBC
"We do not or never use page views as metrics to determine the value/outlook of any Internet company"
Keep bragging about those page views urban web sites, I'm sure it'll you that get that billion dollar IPO you still dreaming for....not! |
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vibe is not gay. |
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I haven't posted in some time, I have been biting my tongue for quite a bit. The top 100 list will not be done until March. Quite honestly, the number 1 item on this list should be the development and execution of the UE100 by the authors. Very bad choice of topic to utilize CP timing, Crispus.
As far as magazines go, the majority of magz these days are stuffed to the gills with ad content. No matter what you choose to read, your ass has already been niche marketed and advertising has been preordainded to tickle your id like a Thai hooker. You are damn lucky to get a mag (that you care to read) that actually has arcticles of substance. If we should choose to be so critical of a mag, let us be critical of the content, just as we choose content as the barometer of a website's worthiness.
Is CODE a gay mag? Who really cares. Maybe the gay guys would like to claim it all to themselves. Str8 mofo's can have style and class too. Life is not just a hoody and Tim boot ensemble. CODE has been a let down this year, stories are getting as bland as newbie comments. (note to CODE: Black men like to think, write something worth thought.)
Is SAVOY a piece of shit? can't say, because quite frankly, it's too early to tell. there is a learning curve that all magazines undergo, be it special education or college level, let's see where SAVOY ends up in about, oh let's say 4 issues.
Is Hype Hair relevant? Hell yes! when I go to the strip club, Momma Pelates Chicken Hut or the Laundromat I expect to see the finest ghetto hairstyles the hood has to offer. If it wasn't for Hype Hair, a lot of sistas would still be wearing 80's mushrooms (a la MC Lyte, "Paper Thin" video flashback) Hype Hair is as important to us as JET's Beauty of The Week. What self-respecting Black Man would turn his back on his early barber shop days, with their musty mountains of JET magazines! 52 issues a year, mutilplied by however many decades the barber shop has been around..hmmm... that's a lot of titties! GOOD LAWD!
(Excuse me) I guess what I am getting at is content is relative to the needs of the magazine reader. Even "bottom-feeder" magz have their place.
So, I will go back to lurking in the shadows of UE until a real article emerges and I can again use the gifts of sarcasm and wit to help to world.
PS--
Be aware of ESSENCE branching out into the diaspora. Word is the mag is coming out with ESSENCE CARRIBBEAN, ESSENCE EUROPE, and another yet to be announced specialty mag. Hey, before you do that good shit ESSENCE, hook your .com up, please!
holla |
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<<and I can again use the gifts of sarcasm and wit to help to world.>>
read: to help the world.
I need help, too :)
holla |
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HYPE hair is just an important as the poster of the fly male hair style poster that rock the walls of our barber shops. |
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I happen to see SAVOY on the magazine rack today. So I opened it up to see what it was all about
Robert Townsend? Bianca Lawson....
I didn't put it back, I dropped it on the floor where it belonged. |
Haha!
Ed, you made a funny! |
I couldn't help but find the discussion about Code Magazine, Savoy, Essence and the other magazines to be quite interesting.
As a 10-year journalist who has worked at two daily newspapers, managing editor at two black weekly newspapers, news director and morning anchor at a radio station, on-air talent for producer for television and now seeking to acquire newspapers, I can appreciate the diverse offerings we have.
If you don't like hip-hop and rap music, you can turn your radio dial to easy listening. If you don't like adult contemporary, you can turn to oldies but goodies. If you don't like that, then you can hop on over to classical, country, etc. I'm trying to figure out why all the hatred and anger at specific magazines when we have diversity?
For instance, Vibe doesn't appeal to my sensibilities. Nothing wrong with the magazine, but I'm not in their demographic group and they are not in my monthly budget. Because it doesn't appeal to me gives me no reason to constantly diss it and blast it out of the water.
I must agree wholeheartedly with some of the comments about Code Magazine. I am a seeker of more news and information, and less photo spreads on fashion. But that's not the voice of the publication.
Second, there seems to be a constant discussion about whether Code is targeted to heterosexuals or gay men. The magazine is targeted to heterosexual men, but the reality is a significant number of gay men do subscribe to style magazines. What's my source? "Newhouse: All the Glitter, Power, and Glory of America's Richest Media Empire and the Secretive Man Behind It" by Thomas Maier (published by Martin's Press).
The excerpt reads: "Marketing could completely redefine as Newhouse magazine's editorial voice. For instance, the numbers showed the appeal of Gentlemen's Quarterly (that's GQ for those who don't know), which the the Newhouse organization bought in 1979, had to be widened among heterosexual men if it wanted to improve its profit margins. "GQ was too gay," as Tina Brown bluntly put it. There was more than a little irony in this decision. For decades, gays had worked at Conde Nast under conditions considered much more tolerant than at other media companies. "My business -- as far as the men go -- is a gay business," said Anna Wintour in a 1992 story entitled "Vanity Fairies" for The Advocate, a gay and lesbian newsmagazine. In the early 1980s,, however, the decision was made at GQ to tone down the homoerotic images of such photographers as Bruce Weber and to appeal more to a heterosexual audience. Such celebrities as Billy Crystal, Sting, and Patrick Swayze were featured prominently and photo displays of male models almost always included women. "They sell better," GQ editor Art Cooper explained, "and we have the figures to prove it."
Some estimates have put GQ's subscribers at 40% gay.
The fact-of-the-matter is Code Magazine, in my opinion, has been somewhat soft when it comes to their photos and stories. But remember, no one gives a damn about the opinion of folks unless they are picking the magazine up. It's all about the target audience and the subscription base. Code is a magazine that is evolving. It's only two years old. Do you know how long it takes for some magazines to find their way?
That leads to a perfect transition into Savoy. It is silly to judge Savoy by its first issue. They will be some good things, some bad things, some okay things and some things that really lit a spark in folks. But that's the nature of the business. Folks should give it time. I'm not going to kid anyone: I like the magazine, have written for it and will continue to do so. Will that mute my tongue when it comes to offering constructive criticism? No. But I can and will offer to speak about the publication in a positive manner because the launching of Savoy is the latest example of the evolution of African Americans in the media business. As opposed to trying to crush the magazine, we have another publication that is seeking to speak to the issues of African Americans. NOT all issues and not for all African Americans. But I do hope and pray that the diversity of publications will meet the needs of our people.
A lot of this complaining and carping is similar to what I hear today as it relates to black movies and television shows. We expect every TV show and every movie to be "real" and show ALL of Black America. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE! No one show can do all of that. But if we have different offerings that present a well-rounded picture -- from the crack addicts to the Wall Street lawyer to the blue collar worker to the stay-at-home Mom -- then we have achieved what we hope to achieve.
I was a reader of Emerge and found the cancellation of it to be sad. But as someone who has actually managed a business and owned a business, I also have a keen understanding of the bottom line. Emerge WAS losing money. LOTS of it. There is no way around it. Could it have been done better, in terms of marketing and sales? Yes, but it didn't. Did it have the ad pages to make it successful? No.
For all of you who bitch and complain, I'll ask this question: Have you ever run a business? Have you ever had to balance editorial quality with limited funds? Have you had to meet a payroll? Have you had to do any of the stuff that makes running, maintaining and succeeding in business? If the answer is no, I suggest you step back and realize that there are lots of Monday morning quarterbacks in the media business. But not enough Sunday afternoon players and coaches who are trying to put together a winning formula.
I look forward to George Curry's "Clarity" magazine later this year. Do I expect it to be another Ebony? No. Another Jet? No. Another Essence? No. Another Savoy? No. Another Vibe? No. Another Code? No. Another Black Hair? No. I expect it to be "Clarity." But when I look at all that we have to offer, I can at least say that we have ample opportunities to have our voices heard and expressed. |
Crispus,
Me thinks you should have just done a thread titled the best of the UE posts. It would have taken much less time and effort. A simply copy, paste and voila...FINISHED! People would post their comments and things would be back to normal. But NOOOO we're stuck in this UE 100 abyss. Enough already babycakes...the horse is dead. He's GLUE. Let's just move on to the next one cause this just ain't happenin'. |
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WOW ROLAND good info! |
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Roland,
For argument sake I'm one of those bitchers and complainers and nothing is personal against you.
My biggest argument is that again, here is another example of milking the stereotype of African Americans and selling it to advertisers....don't bother writing about the real issues that affects me.
Hell yeah, I threw that fish wrapping with the "SAVOY" title on the ground - why? Because SAVOY didn't give a damn if I liked them or not, they got what they wanted - corporate ads...
All I ask is write about something relevant to the African American community. Have me miss my morning train reading your magazine from the rack and willing to give up my lunch money like other magazines do. That's all I ask for....
Do you need me to break out the stats on the number of incarcerated African americans, the percentage of unemployment in the African american community or the AIDS or suicide rate among young African American? How about the number of African American losing their homes to refinance lenders?
But no, everybody on this fantasy tip about bling-bling shit and the good life.
I feel like taking some you editors and writers to Judge Hatchett court so she can make you spend time in the hood and write about what really matters and most relevant and even most desired by the African American community.
Savoy ain't fucking diversity..it's an idealogy of an upper-class, educated African-american demographic for advertisers to buy into....call it like it is..I saw it on the first page
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Ed Dunn,
I can understand your frustration and anger, but why is it that you can't accept and realize that there is another slice to black existence than what's taking place in the hood? There are a number of other hoods out there where black financial success is at its finest. This is not to say that any magazine or publication is a be-all-to-end-all because it's not.
I remember all kinds of black folks saying The Cosby Show wasn't real. But now they complain that The Wayans Brothers, the Jaime Foxx Show and countless others ain't real. Guess what? City of Angels was real, but it got canned. Why? Nobody watched it. Gabriel's Angel's (I think this was the name of the James Earl Jones show on ABC a few years back) was real, and it got cancelled. CBS' Georgetown U.S.A., starring George Duke, was real, and it got cancelled. Frank's Place was quality programming on CBS and it got cancelled. Fox's Roc was real and it eventually got cancelled. Television is a different beast because it relies mostly on mainstream numbers for success. Magazines rely on niche demographics. That's why we can have 50 to 100 black magazines and they continue to exist.
I'll ask you, Ed, or any others: Do you regularly subscribe to your local black newspaper? Black newspapers regularly write about the stuff you mentioned, yet we as a culture don't support them like we should. On the other hand, many of them need help and are terrible reads. I rather help someone fix it then stand back and throw rocks at it.
I am the former managing editor at two black newspapers. Guess what? All of the stuff I hear you complaining about we covered. I had cover stories on AIDS, suicide, Clinton's visit to Africa, Oprah's Beloved, the adoption of black kids by white parents, the PJ's and all of that controversy, the 100th anniversary of Paul Robeson's birth, white businesses being fronted by blacks, Sickle Cell Anemia, the number of black sports agents, and I can go on and on and on.
We had editorials, cartoons, sports, entertainment, world and news stories. We won local, national and international awards. And guess what? The bitchin' never ceased. Folks kept saying, "You ain't got this and you ain't got that." I would go to forums and people would go on and on and on about what we didn't have, and I would pull out papers showing that exact story. Their reply? "Oh, I must have missed that issue. But you should have it every week." Give me a damn break! We can't sit here and write the story on black suicides EVERY week. We must write on all the issues facing our people. What Bob Johnson and BET is doing is as relevant a story as the crisis among black adoption.
You're talking to a brother who left mainstream media -- at my choice --to work as news director and morning anchor at a black radio station. I broke stories, did unconventional stuff, reported the "good" news and the bad, and guess what? Folks still complained. People on the inside complained. I heard this wasn't black enough and that wasn't black enough. I personally led our station to do 12 hours of consecutive coverage on the Million Man March. That was unheard of then as it is now. But did the viewers respond and listen more? No.
I have a black newsletter I send out two to three times a week. It's the Black America Today News Report. You can subscribe my sending an e-mail to roland@blackamericatoday.com. I'm also working on launching my site, BlackAmericaToday.com. It will be news and information, from breaking news to faith, entertainment, business and opinion. Am I serious about news? Hell yes. Do you wanna know who broke the Emerge closing story? If you subscribed to my newsletter you would have read it first because I broke it. We had tons of stuff on the election, stuff you didn't read in other places.
Do you want to know why some black folks say, "The hell with consciousness, I just want to get paid"? Because of what I've described and experienced. I've worked and been successful in black TV, radio and newspaper. You ain't gonna talk to anyone else who has the full experience of working in black media. I'm not speaking based on calling someone, I'm speaking on my total experiences. I attended a magnet school of communications in high school (99% black) and skipped out on an intern at CBS to work at a black newspaper while in college. I served on the national board of the National Association of Black Journalists when I was a college student. I know the mainstream and black media experience.
Many of these brothers and sisters have gotten pissed at working and working and working and black folks not supporting them. So guess what? Many of them just say, "The hell with this! I'll just get paid and say I don't give a damn."
Go to Impact247.com and read the story I wrote on Tim Reid in the publishing section. He owns an actual movie studio and he doesn't get support from black folks. So you tell Tim Reid about your complaints and this black businessman will tell you what he has experienced.
Just say Savoy isn't for you. That's fine. We hear ya. But to say it's irrelevant is an equally sad commentary. You rip the educated black folk, but isn't that the same as the educated black folk dismissing those brothers and sisters in the hood? I believe so.
You're ticked about buying the first issue of Savoy. Hell, thumb through it first and then see what's in it. Then you'll know whether you're interested. I'm not pissed about buying an issue of Vibe and saying, "Nope, that ain't for me." Did I get angry at Heart and Soul? No. I just realized it's targeted at black women. I've even bought Code several times. Mad at some issues because it was lightweight and had nothing for me, happy as hell at others that had some articles that piqued my interest and I learned something from.
All I'm saying is if we don't like it, fine. But let's at least applaud someone for doing something so many of us do all too often: turn a vision into a reality instead of go to our graves bitching and complaining and not making an attempt to do what we criticize. |
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<<We expect every TV show and every movie to be "real" and show ALL of Black America. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE! No one show can do all of that. >>>
Jerry Springer love him or not should be our fucking hero/role model. After going the lame route he must have said "fuck it" created a no limit talk show with people cussing, getting their feelings hurt and punching while the cameras still rolling
Jerry said fuck the high-brow advertisers and appeal the lowest of the ghetto/trailer audience out there that really watch daytime television..the rest is history
And guess what? He was offered a commentary job at the local news station, mtv specials and movie deals. He still in syndication and getting paid...
think about it the next time your publishing model consist of sticking your nose up advertisers assholes more than actually satisfying what your viewers really want to see..be real for a change |
There was a line in Jill Nelson's Million March madness article that summed up how I felt about Savoy. As I do not have my copy of the magazine with me (I do believe my dog is peeing on it right now) I'll have to paraphrase. Jill said that Americans have become more preoccupied with style than with substance. Read the article and you'll see what I'm talking about. And as soon as I read the line, I shouted out loud for style was predominantly what Savoy was about NOT substance. How ironic wouldn't you say?
Roland, I commend you on your credentials. As we are not a monolithic people, I'm glad you are willing to give Savoy a chance. Oh how fortunate Savoy is to have ONE person as in yourself who's willing to wait to see what else they are going to do. Sorry, I'm not gonna pay four damn dollars for another issue when the first left me feeling quite PARCHED. Just not investment I'm willing to make.
Also, I don't believe that Monday quarterbacking has anything to do with this issue. It was to my understanding that Mr. Clinkscales and his Vanguarde troop were going to incorporate some of that Emerge flava into Savoy. Sorry, didn't see it. I thought that was the reason behind killing Emerge? That Keith and his gang were gonna make it better. Sorry, didn't see it. Emerge wasn't perfect, but it DEFINITELY filled a void. None of our other magazines seem to give a shit about news. Sure, I will read Newsweek and Time but I'd also like to see a publication with a focus on news as it pertains to Black folk. Is that so wrong?
Look, I totally understand the bottom line. Boy do I! But I will continue to criticize any and every magazine-black, white, purple, green-that focuses on style rather than substance because that's not what I'm about as a 30 year old Black woman who also has a publishing history. Does that mean that Savoy shouldn't be on the market? No. But will I continue to demand that for my money I be provided with substantive articles? YOU DAMN RIGHT.
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Roland,
Your points are very valid and well recieved. I'll just end it like this - I won't be putting a SAVOY sticker on my Publishing Clearinghouse form anytime soon....
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"My biggest argument is that again, here is another example of milking the stereotype of African Americans and selling it to advertisers....don't bother writing about the real issues that affects me. "
Well what affects you Ed, obvioulsy affects others in an entirely different manner, which is why so many publications come and go attempting to attract the many mindsets of POC..
Again, as you already know..the bad thing is eventually no matter how revolutionary a magazine may seem or be initially-or to your liking, the power of the almighty advertising dollar will eventually win...
... and yeah, it may even dumb down the content of your favorite publication, radio or tv station and now..web site.
I remeber when the 1st test issue of VIBE hit the streets with Treach on the cover--totally different from what is it now-and I have also gotten older, so the mag just doesent hit me the same way anymore.
If were in the media biz to make money, we know nothing survives on mere content alone...gotta advertise and spread the word.. balance is essential.
Finding that middle ground (balance) to get the bills paid, and maintain a good majority of your audience, and vision-while attacting new ones and future advertisng ( VC funding) is......hard....and i dont even have own a company (yet) to realize this......it simply aint easy.
Support what you like, but eventually this diversity benifits us all in the long run-cuz we learn from mistakes and build off of sucsess. |
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well said and I hope my bitchin will make sure the readers' end of the scale is tipped equally or favorably. |
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damn Roland -- nice set of posts there. [thumbs up]
i look forward to checking out your site when it's launched. it seems like you will have good content. although the early drafts of the website don't look to appealing.
oh and make sure you have a searchable archive, so the complainers can have the opportunity to find out if you have covered a topic.
anyway Ed you should put those weather icons on your server instead of calling them from the hamweather site. it slows the page download time a little. |
Savoy is yet another attempt to validate the black middle class --"See mainstream America, black folks have money to spend, we have 'good' taste and we like nice things."
My problem with Savoy is this: there are countless magazines, niche and general lifestyle, that cover pop culture, fashion or high-level, non-detailed political insight.
Savoy doesn't cover any new ground. Basically, the same jiggy-shit from other modes of media, now in print. Thanks, I need more of that.
If I spend my hard-earned money on any magazine, it damn well better give me insight, coverage and information that speaks to the things that are important to me and information I can't get anywhere else. (i.e. my subscription to Business 2.0 but not to Essence)
What a waste, we ask for minority owned media that speaks to "us" and what do we do with it: parade the so-called "good life" in front of people -- most who still spend like they're well off but really are not -- with no explanation of how to really get there. Like or not my mother used to say, "you can't be as good, you have to be 10 times better." I say the same goes for our media.
Bottom line, Savoy probably shouldn't have "replaced" Emerge. It could have complimented it, but in it's present form it does Emerge subscribers a disservice. George Curry promised us a "publication of substance" and "uncompromising and cutting edge" Currently, Savoy just isn't that.
"Fuck jiggy shit, we got's to get over" -- Common
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Correct me if I am wrong. I thought Emerge was cut because it was BLEEDING cash.
Jiggy shit sells.
Noble purpose doesn't.
I don't think there is much more to debate.
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celess..
If Savoy isnt speaking to you..why trash it...whats your beef and point?
I dont agree with all of Louis Farahkahns words and actions, but theres no need for me to down the cat. I simply dismantle the parts of info he preaches that dont pertain to me, and keep those words that do.
If there wasnt a demand for Savoy or CODE, they wouldnt be around, hence the demise of EM, MBM, Emerge, ect.....simple common sense biz law; S & D.
I dont really dig jigg-ology, but I kinda agree with you dLo2:
That bling-thug-jigdance many of us do sells like a mofo.
Noble causes?....hhmm...one often finds themselves in the trenches, bein' down for a cause-and no one really knows what the cause is for when the battle begins:
because we to busy battlin ourselves.
And when its all over, and your dustin yourself off-
that bling shit dont look to bad anymore...(smile)
I think of that old joint "N*ggas is scared of revolution" a lot, fromThe Last Poets.
but celess:
thats how some poc ARE gettin over, by gettin jiggy..and they decided to make that choice. Shit, collectively, we have been UNDER, one too many times and waaaaaa-y too long.
Aint no right or wrong, its just about where you stand;
when and if you take one.
Dosent seem like were ever all going to be on the same page,
so diversity aint' a option:
its needed.
anyway...imma check for Savoy for a few months and see if it grows, maybe do a lil tradeoff with someone there who might dig the magazine i work at....sshhhhhhh... |
I'm all for black folks getting paid, nothing wrong with it. Shit, I'm in the corporate rat race myself. But I refuse to believe that you can't get paid and have a some sort of feeling of social responsibility to your race. Jewish and Hispanic groups have mastered the art.
But let's not go social responsibility, how about financial. I recently read a marketing study that pointed out that most blacks who make $50K spend like they make $70K, whereas whites who make $50K spend like they make $30K. So some of "us" thinking we living "jiggy" really shouldn't be, but of course don't know enough about financial planning to know so. Of course we all want the good life, but how about instead of an glossy spread of $4,000 Prada dresses, how about an article that illustrates what the ROI on that dress is, compared to if you had instead put that loot a Janus Fund and it earned 12% over a period of 10 years.)
All I'm saying is if rap can have a Jay-Z type artist and a Common type artist who both have loyal fans why should we be limited to one type of print magazine? Where is our Mos Def equivalent in print? We have magazines like Savoy and nothing to speak to other half. I think Emerge was at least making a half-hearted attempt to do that.
So let's not act as if there is no market, there is a market for that type of magazine.
As for Emerge bleeding cash: If Vanguarde spent a portion of the money it's going to spend on raising brand awareness and readership of Savoy, on doing some market research and a decent marketing campaign that consisted of more than commercials on BET for Emerge, I think the magazine could have been saved. Even if it was merely an online or bi-annually.
Like Ed D. said above, for those who like Savoy, enjoy your reading, but I for one won't be subscribing any time soon.
"If I don't like it, I don't like it, that don't mean that I'm hatin" -- Common, (yes, again. I'm sorry but my boy be bringing the pain)
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tokachu,
SHHHHHHHHHH....
Don't tell anyone about the hamweather site, next thing you know all these urban sites will have blackweather links on them! |
I'm feeling these last few posts. Who says we can't have a balanced and respectful discussion. Congratulations. |
Damm some of you people posting on this
thread are a bunch of bitter mofo's. If
you dont like whats on the newsstands create
your own publication with your own vision and
ideas. As far as C0DE and Savoy catering
to the homosexual community so what, Its well
known that in the black community a significant
amount of our brothas are closet homo's so get
off the gay shit because your homie whom you
never suspected may be a homo on the low |
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^^ haha
anyway this is a product no urban content/commerce play should be w/out.
http://www.ghettoscooter.com/ |
The way this list is going,
I am surprised Elian Gonzalez hasn't been mentioned |
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this is an interesting story.
The Boss: From Shoe Man to Publisher
Preston J. Edwards Sr., chief executive of iMinorities, a
publishing and Internet company based in New Orleans, tells
his story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/10/technology/10BOSS.html |
The way this whole "six degrees of David Watkins" thing is going....by the time you get to David Watkins, you better have one hell of a fucking story to tell |
"...your homie whom you never suspected may be a homo on the low"
LOL |
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"...your homie whom you never suspected may be a homo on the low"
I bet Mr. Burns still doesn't have a clue |
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so what if ur homie in on the low, does this mean u wont speak to him? |
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corporate nigga r u coming out the closet now? |
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anybody know what happen to the members of OAKTOWN 357? |
Oaktown 357 are #21 on the no buzz list. Behind Burt Convy. |
Oooooh, Weeeee! That Claude Grunitsky blurb pretty much sums the whole thing up! And damned if I couldn't have written it better myself. And no, Claude, I didn't write it, so don't hit me on my personal email again like you did last time you were scathed on this channel.
You can run, but you can't hide.
Ya heard?!
Look out NYC, here I come.
M.J. |
I don't think Emerge would make it, even with a campaign like Savoy will get.
I don't think blacks are really interested in supporting a socially conscious magazine.
Tough to swallow but true.
It was thin as hell.
Who advertised in it?
Who bought it?
Was it ever on newstands?
It is spilled milk now.
I think Savoy will make it, because it is basically a "jiggy ebony."
I think after a while black people will mindless subscribe to Savoy as they MINDLESSLY subscribe to Ebony. |
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Is it me, or has Platform.net actually gotten better since the merger with hookt while hookt is just trash?
tokachu,
that ghettoscooter is funny as hell. |
I second that! I'm gonna e-mail it to my peeps - anybody who doesn't get it will automatically GET THE GASSS FAYCE, THE GASSS FAYCE!
The UE Top 100? Yeah they get the gas face!
Tokachu, thanks for the e-mail potnah, just hook me up with that business2.com URL if you can. |
I am not coming out of the closet, I am
a straight up hetorosexual black man. I
just wanted to address the homophobia thats
that I read in some of the posts. We all either
have a gay relative or know sombody gay. Black
people have enough things to focus on rather
than caring what 2 consenting adults do behind
closed doors.
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Roland, I agree, there is more to life that always appealing to the lowest common denominator. Hell, I never watch Jerry Springer, and don't plan too. Yes, there is room for Savoy, just as there is still room for Emerge Magazine.
So welcome Savoy, we're glad you're brave enough to be on the block. |
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Please contact Julie at Pallas810@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of the above items.
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URBAN EXPOSE 2001: The Shit Talking Kids Struggle To Grow Up?
Well, let's see now....after three weeks of this UE100 bullshit, I think I've realized what's going on with Crispus and the cats responsible for this site...
As UE tries to grow from a popular hobby site to a real business, they are faced with real business issues. The same issues faced by the many companies that UE clowned during their "exposures", issues such as:
DEADLINES: Can anybody tell me the deadline for the complete posting of this UE Top 100? What are we getting new parts whenever Crispus finds time? Hmmm that ain't no way to run a business.
QUALITY CONTROL: It's one thing to come up with some funny insightful shit periodically, but another to do it consistently. UE ain't do that too well either. Especiall once UBO, UE's self proclaimed wicked witch of the Internet east, came to an end.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: It's one thing to build a lot of anticipation but another thing to deliver and meet customers expectations. You guys tell me....what's your customer satisfaction rating for UE?
TIME & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: Even a site the relies on user generated content requires substantial time to properly develop, maintain, and expand. Unless you want to keep it at a grassroots level where people are more forgiving...but UE claims to be all about business. So to do this thing as a business you got to strive for...
PROFITABILITY: More than ever, websites have to have a clear plan for generating revenue in excess of expenses. Basic business. I look forward to UE going "public" and seeing the implementation of their revenue models.
PERSONELL MANAGEMENT: I have not idea what is going on in house, but I would bet that given the popularity of the site and the potential for attracting your standard $2-$12 million VC money, Crispus and his crew have faced the challenge of converting the network of friends and associates that worked gratis on the first site, into reliable employees. What makes me guess that? Well Black folks always seem to want to work together under the hype and stress of a grass roots campaign, but soon as money is involved a predictable percentage of them folks are gonna show their ass and in-fighting is inevitable. Especially when an endeavor was undertaken in a semi-democratic enviroment.
There are many other come business issues I'm sure the UE staff is now dealing with. It's like a cocky rookie quarter back eager to get in the game...you may know the game, but you don't know shit until you take that first hit and realize that talking game is good, but execution is a whole other level.
But I ain't mad at Crispus and them cats either, they saw an opportunity...had a vision for capitalizing...and made it happen. Hopefully in 2001 they'll show us all that their cynical but often poignant perspectives on the business practices of others effectively translates into a successful, profitable venture of their own. Or, maybe their just like the skinny little loud mouth kid that talks a lot of shit and gets people fired up, then slips away while others do the real fighting...
To all the people REALLY hustling to start and build their own successful ventures...much respect!
But if you're still stuck in the idea stage and you spend more time writing on UE than writing your business plan...step out of the way, cause real players see through your shit.
One love,
Illphigga |
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"PERSONELL MANAGEMENT: I have not idea what is going on in house, but ..."
so in that case, aint much to riff about now aint it?
One of the main things many here keep forgettin is this place - UE- regardless of the flaws, typos and , technical difficulties (makin everyone stand by and come back) is that UE aint never claim to be what the very same media types who frequnt this place is makin it out to be....check that mission statement / about us section again
then again
then again
then again.
many dont even hav a clue whos runnin the show here, and just speculate...and nothin here should be taken as truth, till that shit happens..like it seems to do....often.
hmmm..i'd take heed tho'..:-)
seems to me the audience here is dictating the growth and format and information in this little space..
regardless of yall bitchin and moanin...you still come back here lurkin, postin or readin...heheheheh...i know i do..:-)
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say it isn't so...
www.rapexpose.com
launching February 19th, 2001.
damn! |
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illphigga, you took a LOT of time for your breakdown of Urban Expose. Almost like you had a vested interest in being taken seriously. What's up with that? If it's a personal thing, call up Crispus and Harriet and duke it out with them. I mean, really. Customers? Last I checked UE never sent me an invoice for logging on here. |
For all of you SAVOY-haters out there, has it ever occurred to you that YOU may not be the target audience. Read: sophisticated, upwardly-mobile etc...
Kidding aside, I do find it odd that people would have such heart-felt hatred for a new magine. Nothing can be all things to all people, but that doesn't make everything bad. Check yourself. |
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Mary Jane stop playing CLAUDE hit you up? |
I just got through taking a dunk and reading the new issue of Savoy, and guess what? I used it to wipe my ass. Ouch! Yep, straight trash only good for wiping your ass. What the hell were they thinking putting out this bougie fluff rag without the bougie? I can't believe this douche bag was rambling about her kid not growing up spoiled and they had Ill Bill in full Man Tan face. If someone will light the match, I'll bring the gasoline to burn down the Vanguarde offices. Oh, and the cover sucked too. Who the hell cares about that no name actress on the cover? Just thought I'd offer my spin on things.
i am shaan james' numero uno groupie |
Is Angie Martinez really serious with this damn audio frisbee she's peddling these days? C'mon ma' don't quit your day job. When are we going to see a female white rapper? Why hasn't someone beat Eminem's ass already? Is it just me or have you also gotten tired of waiting for a JadaKiss album and now hope he calls it 'Kiss Off'? Have you people not realized who this is yet and that I'm about to set this bitch ablaze in a minute... |
Smooches...
Now that the urban internet space is almost dead and stinking, can all of us band together and make this site a place where we can keep up with what goes on in a more lucrative and long-lasting urban landscape: music? How about it. peoples? We can dish the dirt on what goes on at the record labels with its very own scandalous executives...and the artists? forget about it. This shit would be the bomb. And we can find out why Star of Hot 97 is going after BET's TIgger, referring to him on the airwaves as a half-homo-thug. Let's do this. We'll never run out of stories and information. And I can finally find out what the hell happened with music exec turned urbanexpose ghetto poster girl Rhonda Cowan. Can we do this? Please. Pretty Please with Sugar on Top. |
And you can keep the name Urban Expose too. It still applies. And when you say it, you can mean it.
Smooches.
LuLu |
Now that I have my cable connection, where'd all the flashy Urban sites go?
Curses @home, curses! |
So this brother tells me check out his site-
www.pineapplecolours.com--
I was told it was the b-omb!
I check it out. I don't understand it but I am told it is popular as hell overseas.
Oh, and falxwon is right for a change. This top 100 thing is played the fuck out. How about a real topic.
i am tyler's bored look. |
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I'm actually still trying to figure out is there even 100 people in the urban internet space?
Also fuck Savoy again and again. To re-educate you bougie negroes, a majority of the new middle/upper class didn't came from the bougie sector but straight out the projects/lower class families. Yeah, the ones who are still the first in their family generation to get a college degree..the ones that played their ass off in the inner city or dirt poor rural areas and was drafted before their fourth year. Am I the only person that see the current trend of corporate brothers/sisters still living with their mommas in the hood buying 60K cars to profile on the weekends? If you going to claim you market the middle/upper class, I have no problem but be real with the shit. And you know and I know real bougie negroes don't subscribe to that "Black stuff"
The only thing a bougie negro is good for is seeing the reaction on their face after they found out you fucked their wife or daughter.....
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Pineapple colours.com scares me
as does your played out, tired ass Fight Club references. Can you borrow from another movie now? How about Crouching Tiger? Make a whole bunch of weak comments about your sword, the Green Destiny.
Variety is the spice of life |
Ed Dunn got something aganst bougie negros, he just mad because that redbone bougie chick with the straight hair and hazel eyes turned his ass down for a high school prom date.
He never recovered from the rejection. |
After listening to Ed's diatribe against Savoy, I think I will subscribe to Savoy. What do you say! What do you have against hard working people? You have put ghetto onto a pedestal! Don't you know the real deal about life.
Do you really have a family? Do you have brothers and sisters that just didn't want to do nothing? Do you really want bullets going through your home just to be down? What kind of person are you anyway?
BT. Always going forward! |
This is what I am talking about Real Support:
Black Enterprise Dec, 2000
BLACK DOTCOM SHAKE-UP.
Author/s: Sonya A. Donaldson
Many Internet start-ups that gambled on a big payoff are now rolling snake-eyes
IT WAS JUST LAST YEAR THAT BRASH DOTCOM upstarts were the toast of Silicon Alley and Silicon Valley. Everyone--from venture capitalists to John Q. Investor--had caught dotcom fever. If you were and entrepreneur with a catchy name and a glimmer of a good idea, money was yours for the taking.
What a difference 12 months make. As many start-ups burned through capital at a phenomenal--and alarming--rate, investors started stepping back. The gamble no longer seemed worth the risk.
Now, when it comes to making a investment in an emerging dotcom, investors ask: "Where's the return?"
Experts say it was inevitable that the tide would turn. And African American-focused Websites have not been immune to the investment community's cold shoulder. One by one, the black and urban Websites that sprang up--fed by venture capital and spurred by technology and the thriving economy--have been forced to close shop or partner with major corporations.
Here are some of the sites that have been shook up by the shakeout:
* In August, BlackFamilies.com ceased operations.
* After an April launch, Onelevel.com pulled the plug on its site in August.
* The launching of HBO's Volume.com has suffered a series of delays.
* In September, hip-hopreneur Russell Simmons finalized a deal with BET.com to keep his 3-month-old company, 360hiphop.com, alive.
* World-renowned historian Henry Louis Gates decided not to go solo and sold his cultural site, Africana.com, to Time Warner for an undisclosed sum.
As industry stalwarts like NetNoir, BlackVoices.com, and BET.com strike deals with major corporations--and the crowded field thins considerably--many question whether, in the future, any money can be made online.
But analysts say that recent events are simply a natural evolution of the space, similar to what was seen in the women's market more than a year ago or among general-market entertainment sites today.
Once the dust settles among African American-focused sites, there'll be one major player in the arena, predicts Ekaterina Walsh, senior analyst at Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Forrester Research. She places her bet on BET.com.
E. David Ellington, NetNoir's pioneering chairman and CEO, puts the number at four, including his own venture, of course. "It's a normal process," says Ellington, who's been in the Internet game since he developed his site in 1995. "There were too many sites that launched without developing a realistic business model, way too many."
Adds BlackPlanet.com's executive director, Omar Wasow, "There are some trends that are about the whole industry, and there are some that are about the black space. For example in the magazine space, there are relatively few that remain independent; most usually join with large entities because of economies of scale."
Another challenge, maintains Wasow, has been "confusion in the market about sites that aren't sure whether they're `black' or `urban.' Those are two different markets. They both have their respective audiences, but some [sites] are trying to appeal to both, and you really can't."
Urban Box Office's (www.UBO.net) co-founder and executive vice president, Frank Cooper, agrees. "One problem is that the term `urban' has been tortured and has been used as a description for `black' and `inner city'--and now it's being used to describe a lifestyle." At the core, says Cooper, it's still African American and Hispanic, but UBO.net's audience is "a multicultural audience that has an interest in urban culture."
Confusion and semantics aside, the reasons for the shakeout are simple: lack of a viable revenue model, failure to identify the target audience, and lack of market intelligence. And with such fierce competition online, it's simply not enough for a dotcom to have a great-looking site with high-end graphics and content--or even thousands of hits. At the end of the day, the name of the game is profits.
Some maintain that the fatal flaw of dotcom entrepreneurs has been a need to "get rich quick" at the expense of developing a plan to create long-term value. Asserts Ellington: "The problem is that they should be thinking more in terms of longevity, rather than building a dotcom, going public, and getting rich overnight."
But Cooper reads a different message in the tea leaves. He believes the fast-paced nature of the industry gives the impression that Web entrepreneurs are just seeking the big payoff. Moreover, the venture capital community isn't just giving away cash (although the burn rate of some sites may make one wonder), they want dotcoms to show returns--and sooner, rather than later.
AN ENTREPRENEURIAL WAKE-UP CALL
Many believe the shakeout is a wake-up call for black and urban sites. They view the trend as an opportunity for the remaining dotcoms to reevaluate their strategies for claiming their share of the multibilliondollar industry (analysts put the figure at anywhere from $550 billion to $800 billion). Key to their sites' survival: an e-commerce component.
"If a site isn't getting banner advertising or building revenue, they'll have to close shop once the investment dollars run out," says Robert Rucker, co-founder of BlackWebPortal.com, a business-to-business hub and marketplace for black-owned businesses, which launched in 1999.
Clearly, that fact is sinking in. Emerging dotcoms are learning from the mistakes of their predecessors. For instance, hip-hop-oriented Hookt.com recently teamed up with rap mogul Scan "Puffy" Combs to hawk his Scan John clothing line as well as music from artists on his record label. Combs is expected to gain an equity stake in the company and serve as a member of the company's advisory board. And BlackVoices.com, a venture owned by Tribune Co. and run by black digerati Barry Cooper, has just inked a three-year, $10 million to $15 million deal with General Motors Corp. that will not only make e-commerce available to BlackVoices.com visitors but provide a wider, more affluent market to GM. The deal will include scholarships, sponsorship of the site's offline publication, BVQ, as well as original programming on the site.
As for the much-hyped 360hiphop.com, Russell Simmons' deal with BET.com provides the site with the element that it has lacked thus far: entree into the young, hip hop/urban space--and some much-needed street cred. Moreover, the acquisition comes at a time when 360hip hop.com has been burning through its cash at a rate of $1.5 million a month, according to industry insiders. So, just how will the deal be structured? BET.com and 360hiphop.com will function as one unit with "integrated teams." Translation: Simmons will have to lay offmore employees. Prior to the acquisition, Simmons had already cut about 30% of his staff.
UBO.net has not been spared its share of growing pains. The site was launched by Cooper, the late George Jackson, and Adam Kidron last July after a year of planning and an infusion of $37 million in financing from such venture firms as Flatiron Partners and the New York City Investment Fund. Like other newly minted dotcoms, the site has been immersed in turmoil, including tight cash flow, staff defections, and marketing missteps such as its now infamous--and expensive--launch party on Ellis Island.
So while the remaining sites reposition themselves and jockey for more investment dollars and partnerships, the issue of profitability remains.
OPERATING IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT
The common scenario for these dotcoms has been that they spend loads of dough before figuring out how to make it. In fact, even the most popular `urban' entertainment sites have become cash-strapped within months of a launch.
Take DME Interactive. Last year, Darien Dash, CEO of 5-year-old Digital Mafia Entertainment, transformed his privately held Internet services firm into a company publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange. (DME was listed after it acquired the assets of Pride Automotive Group, a publicly traded automotive leasing company, in a transaction known as a reverse merger.) Shortly after going public, the company, which received much fanfare, and enough credibility to ink a multimillion-dollar deal with AOL Inc. and CompuServe Interactive Services Inc. to launch Places of Color, an urban Internet access community. Yet just a few months later, rumors began to circulate that the company was in trouble. The rumors were confirmed by the third quarter of this year. SEC filings revealed that as of June 30, DME had only $27,222 in cash. During the summer, the cash-strapped enterprise laid off 60 employees--and halted plans to launch Places of Color and Fan4Life.com.
DME and other dotcoms are operating in a far more discriminating environment. Cooper believes the current shakeout will bring more instability to what was an increasingly segmented space and "force companies that don't have a sustainable business model out of the marketplace."
He adds, "Now, venture capitalists are stepping back and waiting to see whether companies are viable before they fund them. Given those constraints, the question is, `How do you generate traffic and show a profit?'"
Rucker believes the failure to pay attention to the true demographics of the African American community is yet another hurdle the dotcoms face. "There are people in the 35- to 60-year-old market who buy homes and cars, go on vacations, take cruises, and have money to spend," he says. "Not everyone in the African American community is `urban' or `ghetto.' The African American population is getting older and more affluent; and these sites are just not leveraging that and marketing to the [black] middle class."
Ellington agrees. From the beginning, NetNoir has focused on attracting affluent African Americans in the 25- to 54-year-old segment. "[NetNoir] targets black people who are educated, have money, and own homes," says Ellington. "We were not trying to be a hip, cool urban crossover site. If you can build an Internet business model for the 14- to 25-year-old group, I applaud you, but that is not our focus." Currently, AOL holds a 15% share and Radio One owns "slightly less," says Ellington.
Counters Forrester's Walsh, the focus on a target demographics is one reason many of these sites will not survive. "Income, education, age, similar interests and background play a greater role in determining a site's success than race or ethnicity," she says. "The assumption is that people who share the same ethnic background and race share the same interests, but you can't do that. It's arrogant and ignorant."
Meanwhile, Wasow believes conversation is king. More than 95% of BlackPlanet's traffic is generated by members who interact with one another, says Wasow. The site's revenues come from "banner ads, sponsorships, and a variety of campaigns." Unlike other sites in cyberspace, he maintains, BlackPlanet.com has lower operating costs because it's not focused on building expensive content. Because the high-bandwidth content of entertainment-oriented sites is costly to produce, they have been forced to find a corporate partner with deep pockets or shut down. "It takes a lot of technology to run these sites, so it's very expensive to build all the technology for just one site. They're also finding that a lot of the high-end stuff just doesn't work for many people who have slow dial-up connections."
But Cooper says relative to television or motion pictures, UBO.net's content is "a fraction of the cost. Animated content is about one-tenth the cost of an offline piece," he says. But the reality is that compared with, say, BlackPlanet.com, which is community-based, entertainment sites like UBO.net and Hookt.com are producing expensive content.
THE POWER OF BRANDING
The consensus seems to be that lack of business savvy and insight into the online audience have prevented these companies from making money. But Cooper disagrees: "The major challenge right now is to preserve cash and grow at the same time. Until April, most of these companies were focused on building traffic without generating revenue." Additionally, he counters, UBO.net has "multiple sources" of revenue. "We develop content for distribution television, satellite, and wireless" he adds. "We have an extensive strategic research department devoted to understanding the urban market."
But will that translate into profits? And how will these sites fare against branded sites operated by such mainstay media companies as BET, Johnson Publishing Co. (which owns Ebony and Jet), Essence Communications Inc., and Earl G. Graves Ltd., which publishes BLACK ENTERPRISE. These companies own household franchises that have already established niches and customer bases.
Cooper doesn't buy that argument, though. "In the short history of the Net, that hasn't necessarily proven true," says Cooper. "Large, branded companies, although they have the name recognition, tend to have blind spots and aren't able to move as quickly to address changes."
The shakeout of black dotcoms isn't just an issue of content versus commerce. It's a question of market savvy--and common sense. In the age of Internet economics, the "if you build it, they will come" mentality no longer applies. "There's likely to be further carnage in the space," says Cooper. "Sites that have the ability to preserve their cash and grow their audience are the ones that will survive."
STATUS OF BLACK-FOCUSED WEBSITES
SITE LAUNCH DATE STATUS
africana.com January 1999 Acquired by Time Warner in
September 2000; will be part
of AOL site
afronet.com 1995 Black-owned
blackfamilies.com January 1999 Owned by Cox Media;
closed August 2000
blackplanet.com September 1999 Produced by Community
Connect, which also backs
asianavenue.com
blackvoices.com 1997 Produced by Tribune Co.
blackwebportal.com November 1999 Black-owned
blackworldtoday.com July 1996 Black-owned
netnoir.com June 1995 Black-owned;
AOL holds 15% stake
ubo.net July 2000 Black-owned;
Privately held
blackenterprise.com January 1996 Black-owned
bet.com August 1999 Black-owned;
partnered with Microsoft,
USA Networks, News Corp.,
and Liberty Digital
ebony.com February 1997 Black-owned
essence.com Late 1995 Black-owned;
In partnership with Time
Inc. publications
VISITS
SITE PER MONTH
africana.com 575,000
afronet.com 436,000
blackfamilies.com NA
blackplanet.com 439,954(*)
blackvoices.com 250,000
blackwebportal.com 138,810
blackworldtoday.com 300,000
netnoir.com 250,000(**)
ubo.net 500,000
blackenterprise.com 500,000
bet.com 800,000
ebony.com 72,487(***)
essence.com 77,656(***)
EXCEPT WHERE NOTED, NUMBERS WERE PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES.
(*) MEDIA METRIX RATING
(**) UNIQUE VISITORS PER MONTH
(***) DOUBLECLICK DART
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Ed sounds as if he romaticizes ghetto lifestyle. I guess a brotha cant go to college and want the better things in life because Ed would call him bougie. Well I guess I am bougie. With Ed's rant I am going to look for an issue of savoy to purchase. |
"And you know and I know real bougie negroes don't subscribe to that "Black stuff" " - Ed Dunn
As a real bougie negro according to Ed's description of a bougie negro. First generation out of the projects, the first in my household to earn a college degree that was paid off from hard work, the first to earn a decent salary with benefits. I happen to subscribe to vibe and my bougie girlfriend subscribes to essence, Ed rants as if he is the atithesis of the bougie negro he sort of like a highly educated ghetto reactionary. He offers no solutions he just reacts he sounds as if he is a prime candidate for high blood pressure. |
What's sad is those numbers are what good mainstream hobby sites get!
On another flash back note:
Undernet is being taken out by Hacker's
No more #blackhouse for all you IRC heads
:/ |
True the numbers are sad. Anyone got a solution? |
I didn't think the first issue of Savoy was so bad. I thought some of the articles were interesting. I didn't really dig that picture of the black Pres. Clinton, and I didn't find the "You People's Network" article even a little bit amusing. But overall, I'd get it again just to give it another chance and support a black publication that's at least trying. My big issue is with the cover. I don't understand the no name on the cover. Inside, there are Savoy covers with Tiger Woods, Larry Fishburn, Halle Berry and Spike Lee. I'm sure they are mock ups, but if they can attract this level of celebrity, why put not even a b-level star (that would at least be someone from one of those WB or UPN shows on the cover, or even a black soap star) but a c-level, co-star, (always playing someone's sister or girlfriend) on the very first cover of the magazine. There are so many others who I'm sure would love the exposure that would be more recognizable and sell more magazines. Well, maybe they'll do better next time.
I've been checking this site for about 6 months, and it's informative, sometimes disturbing, and always amusing. This is the first time I'm posting. I really like reading what some of the regulars have to say. Keep doing what you're doing. Say what you want to about this site, it keeps me coming back! |
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XJZ cut and paste the URL next time please |
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ditto on the url insteada cut and paste..
just curious:
do you realy think that Onelevel, Volume, and 360 were / are specifically aimed at African Americans?.. |
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ubo.net July 2000 Black-owned;
Privately held
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UBO isn't black-owned. Flatiron Partners has a bigger share than any "black" person in that company. Eco Associates, who rescued them with an $8 mil infusion, also has a healthy slice of the pie. There is no need to try and pass that piece of crap failure as a "black" production.
BE needs to stop fooling themselves with that "black-owned" tag. I guess the Washington Wizards are "black-owned" too since Jordan has a little slice of the pie. |
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do you realy think that Onelevel, Volume, and 360 were / are specifically aimed at African Americans?..
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HELL NO. This quote from that BE article pretty much sums it up.
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Another challenge, maintains Wasow, has been "confusion in the market about sites that aren't sure whether they're `black' or `urban.' Those are two different markets. They both have their respective audiences, but some [sites] are trying to appeal to both, and you really can't."
Urban Box Office's (www.UBO.net) co-founder and executive vice president, Frank Cooper, agrees. "One problem is that the term `urban' has been tortured and has been used as a description for `black' and `inner city'--and now it's being used to describe a lifestyle." At the core, says Cooper, it's still African American and Hispanic, but UBO.net's audience is "a multicultural audience that has an interest in urban culture."
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ue sux jiraffe cunt.
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The closing of the merger between AOL and Time Warner marks the start of
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Steve Case and Jerry Levin
|
so I have read all this bullshit that urbanexpose has talked about for awhile. all the pricks that have posted on this site still have not defined what urban is. all these media peeps doing discussions on what is urban, conventions etc etc. urban has been existing for years. you want to know urban talk to people that have grown up in the 50's and 60's. all of you make assumptions. all of you trash each other. damm thats funny. as a minority 40 or 50 years ago everyone stuggled together as a family. talk to people who grew up as black panthers, young lords, black spades etc etc. talk to your families most of the cats that post here and run urbanexpose dont know jackshit about urban..urban is not just black. u have all these so called pricks running these urban dotcoms talking about urban this urban that..when you have lifted a gun, sold drugs, been in jail, gone through the justice system, gone straight, been successful in corporate america, lived in the ghetto and still have fam in the ghetto, then pat yourself on the back...i know many of these people who run these sites...ur fucking educations on urban dont consist of working at record labels, reading the latest source or vibe, hanging out at a record release party. a former young lord ( felipe luciano) is about to run for office in his old hood uptown...that just one of the many real urban people....all these magazines and other sites shitting on urban, hmm makes me wonder...so urbanexpose...when are we going to see a classified section to help out our people, have us speak to our minorities about the downfalls, i know its all fun in here, but fun dont pay the bills for many of the talented people that have been shitted on by dreams. |
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Damn BlueBlack Brotha
My post bothered you that bad to respond 3x to it????
If you really read what I said, you would have realized that I'm 100% agreement with you..but I guess you wanted to rant and that's okay......
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Question: What do y'all think of BLU Magazine (http://www.blumagazine.com)? It may not have the bling folks here are used to, but to me it's the most
needed publication out there, especially for POC. |
Am I alone in thinking that "defining urban" is a waste of time?
"Defining Urban" reminds me of that Geraldo show where he pre-hyped the opening of that vault and there was nothing there.
Who CARES what "urban" is...the problem with most of the properties on this list is that they were bad SITES. And the people who are on this list have no identity to THEMSELVES, and so of course anything they TOUCH is going to fail.
What better time than now to take some night classes in CLUE101.
Stop this "urban" nonsense and find out what black folks want to do online. Give them THAT. If we can't, then step aside. 2000 was embarassing. Haven't seen a more complete display of incomptetence since...well, let's just say it's been a while, but many of these same people were involved in THAT, too. |
Okay, here we fucking go again. I guess we have some new chickenheads up here on UE, cause I'm seeing that good ol "what is urban?" argument tossed out again into the pile of shoes in the middle of the room. When I worked at UBO, this was a heated argument, and a stupid one at that. I have always maintained that "urban" is NOT A CONCEPT, NOT A MARKETING STRATEGY AND NOT A LIFESTYLE, IT'S A SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATE OF EXISTENCE!!
Urban by-products, such as the music, culture, and melting pot that exists in Urban Centers such as NY, Chi-Town etc...do not define URBAN. Urban means nothing more...THAN CITY!!!!! What the fuck, are the geniuses that ran UBO into the ground going to make a new slew of sites devoted to "suburban" lifestyle? Sites all about the mall lifestyle, gardening, golf games and tennis matches..HELL...BE MY FUCKING GUEST...IT MIGHT SELL BETTER...
My point is...it's ridiculous to coin "urban" like a product you can sell. It's impossible, because essentially to do that, your site/sites would be humungous and impossible to include all the different cultures and ethos that make "urban" even a concept. All the sites being bashed here (and deservedly so....I've seen better representation of cultures through National Geographic y'all) equated "urban" with the disgustingly commercial "hip hop" trends. Everyone thought suddenly that Hip Hop was the language and music of the streets, ie "ghetto" ie...
"urban" AU CONTRAIRE MON A MUTHAFUCKIN MI!!!"
Tell that to bands like the Ramones. Or to Lou Reed. Or to John Coltrane (to me, Jazz will always be ahead in representing the language of urban...far more than hip hop....Jazz gave way to hip hop in very many ways....dig up the bones of Louis Armstrong and tell him that Run DMC have more relevance to defining ghetto culture than his music and I assure you that he'd put some mojo voodoo on your ass quicker than maggots like a dead dog's carcass....) tell that to Tito Puente (RIP), tell that to the slew of Orchestras, Salsa Bands and Reggae Bands. My friends, hip hop attracts the masses because it's a purely cash commodity. It's base...not dressed up and hard to understand (like Jazz can be for those who don't wanna know) and easy to remember, and is nothing more than big ol muthas dressed in Quasi military gear telling stories about subjects white America is still afraid to touch on...Murder, Pussy, Drugs and Wilding out..
Essentially, Hip Hop has gone from being stories of the street, to a underground newspaper of a comic book world where everyone has a bitch, everyone rocks the ice, and everyone does so by dealing drugs and escaping authority. These are aspects that uptight White People love to vicariously live by. After all, it's white America that gives Hip Hop music the freedom to exist. Do you honestly think if not for white execs...that hip hop music would have ever gone this far...HELL FUCKING NO. In fact, powerful Black men abhorred the idea of hip hop music when it first gained popularity. When I mean popularity, I'm describing years way past Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc and the Sugar Hill Gang. Back then, hip hop, was an extension of Jamaican Dancehall. The DJ's came to New York (The Bronx originally to be more specific) and brought this unique style with them. Rap is nothing new...people have been rapping since the turn of the fucking century. It's spoken word poetry, it's avant garde jazz, it's a whole bunch of stuff. Anytime you speak over a beat, it's rap!!!
I'm not daft enough to realize that hip hop...is a separate animal from rap. Rap, is a part of hip hop, like be-bop is a part of Jazz. It's a defining language. However, Hip Hop Culture went from being it's own series of messengers to the proverbial cash cow that gives greedy, obnoxious and self righteous motherfuckers like the UBO clan to say..."look at how many people are buying this hip hop shit. Let's create a series of sites, call them "urban sites" and sell the idiots what they want." Problem..."urban" is more than "hip hop" It's more than black. It's more than Hispanic. It's everything that makes up the living conditions of city life. Does this exclude Jews, Asians, Polish, Irish, Italian? Or are all these groups no longer entitled to their individual contributions to urban life..cause "after all...everyone listens to hip hop music now....."
BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!! Another thing, is that you can't build a site based on music alone!!!!!!!!!!!! Hip Hop culture is based on it's musical counterparts. How the fuck is that urban? An urban site would read more like an underground newspaper to me! If you're going to base sites on musical content, you'd better have chapters for klezmer, salsa, tarentellas, jigs, and a whole slew of Asian music. The radio station would play just as much Japanese wood flute music and Balinese Drum Music as it would Jay-Z.
This, isn't the problem though. The problem is that a group of ex-record execs with not much brainpower and too much cash decided what to call the nature of our cities and the lives within. Funnier is that one half of these geniuses was a British Jew whose claim to fame (other than turning down Madonna for a record deal) was being part of the pulse of another Urban happening, the London Punk Scene of the late 70's..(which was developed by a genius of marketing....Malcolm Mc.Laren...who had been to New York and seen the original inception of punk and took it back to an economy starved London and gave it a fresh coat of paint...I don't mind this...really, the Sex Pistols and the Clash and bands that were influenced by both are worth such a devious bit of theivery). If someone like Malcolm McLaren had been on the board of UBO instead of Adam Kidron, we might actually have had something today!!! McLaren was just Warholian enough to understand that yes, you have to give the kids what they want, but you have to also ground it in something broad based and relevant. McLaren, would never waste his time trying to define urban however, he'd be too busy helping the urban art pulse thrive. Please don't think I'm idolizing McLaren in any way, he was a bastard who cheated the Pistols out of tons of money and really was a greedy fuck, but at least he was a smart and clever greedy fuck.
I guarantee that half of the kiddies out there who logged on to SOHH, haven't even heard of the Sex Pistols. For that alone, you can't have called UBO, or Psuedo, or Blaze or any of these ridiculous pieces of shit content laden crappers "urban sites..." They were nothing more than Source Magazine online. For that...I'd just go to www.sourcemagazine.com. Why waste time? More importantly, to waste time and money creating Urban Sites, is ridiculous and too hard to conceive. Better still, let's pump that money back into the dying art scenes that plague our Urban Centers as of now (at least NYC's) and call it a day. |
OH, and one last thing..for those about to clock me about the white exec/black exec thing by saying that Quincy Jones was always behind hip hop. That maybe so, but I didn't see him put out any materials featuring hip hop music or content till Back on the Block, which was 1990 y'all.......even he waited till it was "safe to do so..." and Vibe came along, not too long after.
As for the idiots about to argue people like Russell Simmons, let's face it. White powered Hip Hop Music, made powerful black exes like Russell (and mind you he went flat broke once before he could stand without Rick Rubin) I don't think this is a good thing per se, but if people are stupid enough to think that hip hop is the commodity upon which black people can finally get their power game on, they are sadly mistaken. While hip hop music was made by African based people, it's business and sales were not. Perhaps, that is why such militant devotion to creating these sites came about in the first place. If that's so, than Africana.com has more of the right idea. To call it "urban" however disguised as a black/hip hop site is a fools game. |
Truth is, nobody out there really knows what urban means and doesn't want to invest in it. Heard a Vanguarde property, Urban IQ, conducted a survey of this 18-34 multiracial market, which has HIP HOP as its common denominator.
Seems, there is Black, or there is Latino, but when it comes to corporate America, there are no dollars for the Urban market. Looks like the whole Vanguarde push is to prove that an urban market exists, and there is spending power, and that it is the most techno literate demographic.
At the end of the day, though, if you want advertisers dollars, you better decide if you are Black or Latino. Being Hip Hop or Urban...it ain't getting no cheddar. |
UE, Impact 247, AtNewYork, Silicon Alley Daily, and BlackPlanet.com all wrote similar stories on this Hookt Platform hook up. Fact is, do we really care? Is this really news? Yeah, we learn from mistakes. But, how about some of these editorials learn to focus more on bussiness models that work so we have something to learn from. Everybody is pushing this haterism news. Blah, blah, blah, how many times or how many ways do we have to be told that buying up non-hot properties and then not launching them is not the way to go?
Here's the ish that ran on BP. Why?
The Incredible Shrinking Urban Web Space
by Lynne d Johnson
A few months ago, the Urban Webscape was vast. I mean massive. But since many of its players never quite figured out how to monetize their ventures, the space is becoming quite sparse.
Just this week, it was reported that the urban portal Hookt.com acquired Brooklyn-based hip-hop lifestyle site, Platform.net, and music site AKA.com. A top Hookt official confirmed the Platform acquisition and said that in the weeks ahead the two companies would be working on their integration strategy.
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but it has been reported that at least 20 editorial and tech staffers have been let go to prohibit overlapping of the two staffs.
It really comes as no surprise that Hookt is positioning itself as the Goliath of Urban Web portals. After the well-financed Urban Box Office (UBO.com) declared bankruptcy back in November, and 360hiphop.com folded into BET.com, which joined the Viacom family, there really weren’t many hot properties left on the playing field. That is, unless you consider Home Box Office’s Volume.com, a Division I player.
In taking a look at the big picture, it appears that Hookt is forcing the hands of all the smaller players still left standing. In December, it secured a $5 million round from Warbug Pincus, which had led two earlier funding rounds for the portal. Since September ‘99, Hookt has raised nearly $20 million in financing.
Now it seems that the only way for other urban Web properties to survive is to either join the Hookt camp, or to rollup into some other heavily padded blanket. It better be one that has an offline strategy as well.
My bet is that we can expect the mergers, acquisitions, and layoffs to aggressively ensue until VCs and advertisers start believing in the Web as a commodity again.
Lynne d Johnson is BlackPlanet.com`s resident Technology Reporter/Editor. If you come across any tech news that you`d like to share with the BlackPlanet.com community, please forward to ljohnson@mail.blackplanet.com |
Yo Cris, no disrespect, but it's time to forget about the UE 100. If you couldn't bring it all at once, it would've been better to chuck the whole idea and just publish the list.
Yeah, the posts are still working, and working well. But, can we get a new story going? Or finish the damn 100 already. Need some help with it? I'm down to spit my hatorade out, it's too bitter to hold in any longer anyway. |
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What's sad is those numbers are what good mainstream hobby sites get!
On another flash back note:
Undernet is being taken out by Hacker's
No more #blackhouse for all you IRC heads
really? |
really?!
rapexpose.com
june 19, 2001
yeah right! |
Crispus--Give up the UE 100. You've become as wack as the people you criticize. |
Dick wiggling...
Yeah IRC is getting taken out.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,41077,00.html
read about it in wired magazine. |
As it relates to the business world, urban is a word that was created by folks who didn't want to call their product a "black" or "Latino" product. But it mainly focused on African Americans.
Anytime you heard anyone speak about urban, they went to great pains not to identify it as black. This was done because when it comes to receiving funds for projects or products, folks were scared that if they used the word black, that would scare off potential investors.
As it relates to politics, urban is now the euphemism for inner-city. See, politicians used to say black parts of town. Then it became the inner-city. Now it's called "urban America." Urban was created as sort of a politically correct term. As a result, so many things were grouped under urban that it simply became a description for a lot of stuff that didn't exist.
When whites began to move out of the "urban center" (also known as the city's boundaries, they went to the suburbs. That was called white-flight. That left a whole lot of blacks "in the city." Thus, the creation and use of "inner city." Now, cities are attracting folks who are tired of living in the "boondocks." So what do we now call it? "Urban America."
Check out the title "urban planner." What is that? Someone who is sort of like an economist who pontificates on the layout of a city and the population shifts of downtowns across America. He or she isn't an inner-city planner or downtown planner. They are an urban planner. This clearly means that urban has now gone mainstream and means the entire city.
In this country we create words to define certain things as if it is something special.
When developers wanted to lure people back to downtown, they didn't want to use the word inner-city. Why? Because people would think that means living in a black part of town. Why? Because we associated inner-city with blacks (Remember when you heard inner-city kids, ALWAYS meant black. Remember "at-risk kids"? ALWAYS meant black). But now the landscape is changing. With more Latinos in cities, we can no longer use inner-city to define black folks. Now we use urban because it includes everyone.
Now those folks who are moving back to the expensive lofts downtown feel a lot better to say they are doing so to "experience the urban scene." Urban has now taken on some sort of trendy, exciting, gritty and "real" feel. That's why all these folks are latching onto "urban."
I remember the folks at Urban Cool came to see the sales folks at the Dallas Weekly when I was managing editor. They were talking about "urban cool" and all that B.S., and I slammed them over and over by saying, "What the hell is that? Define it? You can't because it doesn't exist."
Urban isn't hip-hop. Urban isn't black. Urban isn't a damn thing but a word that is a catch-all that demographers, politicians, city planners and advertising folks use to define something that ain't quite black, that ain't quite Latino that ain't quite suburban. (By the way, suburban used to be called white flight. Also, black folks who are leaving the inner-city or urban centers or the damn ghetto has received the title gentrification). When it comes to these terms, realize academia plays a serious role in trying to label what is going on. They are the ones who do all the in-depth studying of population shifts and trends. Those words then seep into the media who then pass them onto the rest of America and we began to use such words (Example, black men killing black men used to be called black men killing black men. Jesse Jackson began to use fratrocide. Guess what it's called now? Fratrocide! Male domination used to be called male domination. Now it's called misogyny).
The reality in the business world is that urban doesn't mean a damn thing because corporate America doesn't have dollars for "urban." I'm just being honest. I've told many a website developer and newspaper owner that you've got to make up your mind who the hell you are.
I've done some work for Major Broadcasting Cable Network and they tried that same crap. They didn't want to call themselves black but a "family network." I said, "Yea, but you're competing against BET, so what in the hell are you?" Their response? "We say different things to different folks." My reply: "Then you're coming off as confused as hell."
I told them if you walk into Coca-Cola and say, "We're a family network, they are going to judge you by Fox Family Channel, Disneys cable channels and The Toon Network. When they see your content, you won't even be able to match up. Plus, all your content is black. They'll say, 'You're a black family network.'" I told them you'll look stupid because the advertisers will define you because you're afraid to do so.
What so many black folks have done is they have bought into this nonsense that black isn't good. I call it the "self-hating prophesy." They want to appear above black, but in reality they are black. MBC is a black cable network that is owned by black folks with all black content and run by black folks (except for one white staffer).
All of you who are looking at websites, magazines, newspapers, etc., need to make up your damn mind and say who you are targeting. Is it black or Latino or black and Latino or a mix of black, Latino and white suburban kids? Does it matter in the beginning? Yes. But you should continue to reassess your audience.
Rap used to mean black. That's when only black folks listened to it. Then we started to hear hip-hop. Does anyone care to guess why the change began to take place? Can you say, 'When white kids begin to listen!' As a result, hip-hop is a lot better word to parents and advertisers than whites, who began to associate rap with just black.
Urban is an anomaly. It means nothing! Advertising and corporate dollars, along with governmental dollars, are broken down by racial categories. It's as simple as that!
Look at black magazines. Ebony is considered a general interest magazine that has a low to middle-income demographic. Black Enterprise, according to advertisers, targets an upper income, higher-educated demographic. Savoy is considered to be a competitor for Black Enterprise. Why? Not because of content, but because of the demographics they are targeting. Savoy is not a competitor of Ebony. It's all about race and demographics, which is simply a breakdown of the racial category.
Those of you who are wondering about the U.S. Census, it boils down to race. We define dollars going to specific projects in this country (roads, sewer systems, political districts) based upon racial composition. If the U.S. government has an understanding of racial breakdown, don't you think advertisers are doing the same?
By being specific with your name, mission and purpose, it makes it a helluva lot easier for people to know who you are, what you do and what advertisers expect when you walk into the door.
All these folks out there can continue on the path of using urban this and urban that, but as long as you use a word that doesn't define anything, then you'll be lost. |
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Roland,
I agree with every statement you made except this one...
"Rap used to mean black. That's when only black folks listened to it. Then we started to hear hip-hop"
Rap was the music. The term "hip hop" encompasses the whole cutlure from b-boying, djying, to the our style of dress. |
Words mean what people want them to mean. The fact that so many people are responding to the use of the word urban indicates that it has a meaning (albiet maybe an unclear one). The debate of the word urban is like the debate of the term negro, afro-american, african-america or hispanic and latino. Each term may be a nuance but for some people the naunce is everything.
To counter another myth, there is money for urban media and people like Fox and the WB are getting it. The WWF is getting that money. Scary Movie got that money. Jay-Z gets this money. Coke and Nike get that money. What makes you think that all these people using the term are delusionary? There is a lot of stupidity in the world and the word urban may not be well defined, but companies of all sizes have been using it to create signifcant brands for the last 20 years.
You don't think Fox and Rupert Murdoch launched Fox telling advertisers that they were going to target a bunch of black people with their programming do you?
You don't think Universal tells white kids to not buy Jay-Z CDs because "this music is urban and not for you"?
The basic question in this urban debate is how do you define a demographic of consumers with similar purchasing habits and preferences that cannot defined by race, sex and social status? All the other discussions on the topic are frankly bullshit. Figure that out and you will either define the word urban or make the word go away all together. |
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At this rate we'll get to number 1 at the same time as the Nba Playoffs......
Does anyone in the Starmedia building speak english?? |
The UE 100 list is a joke. If nothing else, UE proved itself to be just as shitty as the nobuzz losers & sites it ironically buzzes over. This shit is pathetic: late, half-assed, lacking wit and ultimately, low-trafficked (I've been on this site for weeks and have seen the same five losers everyday). Hell, my moms could've done a better job and she's never heard of any of the list nobodies who are are supposed to provide "quality urban content."
If anything, UE should start another countdown: how many days before its audience equals zero?
Any investor or advertiser thinking of putting loot into this site should avoid this piece of nutsackware lest they "ubo" they money into the toilet.
Hmmm, I like that: ubo has become a synonym for excreting large quanities of solid waste where there was once a bank account.
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Yo Observ,
Your point about Fox and WB illustrates the fallacy about urban. Those two networks didn't build their market share and brand on "urban" shows. They built them on "black" shows. They simply did what other folks have done: instituted the word "urban" because they didn't want to say "black." On Madison Avenue and in the halls of TV networks, when the word urban is used people know that they really mean black. That's what the whole issue has been.
And by the way, I hear folks continue to diss UrbanExpose.com for being late, lame and all the other comments used. Yes, would we like to see ALL of the list? Yes. But I get the impression that we aren't talking about a site of 50 to 100 people who are working to put it together. I actually am under the impression that it's one or two other individuals who are doing the site, and it appears at no cost. Which means their source of income is coming from other sources. I could be wrong, but that could very well be the case.
If so, CHILL! I think what may be more important than our self-righteous indignations towards the site is the fact that there is a forum that has been established for us to vet our comments about other sites, but to also discuss what is going on in the world of media. Somebody at least made the effort to put this together, and should be commended as such. This is not to say that I believe in lowering the bar for excellence, but what it is is a start.
And for the folks who have inquired about BlackAmericaToday.com, the site has not been fully developed. The site that is currently up was something that a friend was working on and was just testing. The issue -- like all other sites -- has to do with funds and a proper business model. We are working on that, which also includes providing content to other websites. That is currently being done. Until the site is fully active, my focus and limited time is spent on sending out the newsletter two to three times a week.
My final comment is this: If there is anyone out there who is contemplating a website, newspaper, magazine or any other business, go ahead and do it. If you have the passion, drive and vision to make it reality, go ahead and do it. If God has placed a vision within your spirit, go ahead and do it. All too often our dreams are deferred and squashed by lack of self-esteem and the need to please others. Far too many wonderful ideas have been left in diaries or on the drawing board because someone cast a critical eye towards it.
We know so many sites and businesses have died because of poor execution, planning and all the other issues that come up with failing businesses. But the one constant that I cannot dismiss is the fact that someone DID IT as opposed to just talking about it.
I hope this may be an encouraging word to someone out there who needed a little extra push. |
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lay-zee boy recliners.
ue = lazy fucks. |
No, but really..........SAVOY SUCKS!!! |
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God is love
Love is blind
Ray Charles is blind
Ray Charles is God
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I'm sure people would appreciate this list a little more if we at least had a time table of when to expect the updates to the list. |
lets start giving Urban Expose no buzz because of this bullshit month long count down, which still aint even in the top 30 |
This web site sucks shit. Crispus Attucks should
find another past time. Like being a male 'ho since
he seems to like sucking hard. |
Thank you Roland! Sometimes we get so caught up in our bashing of each other, we forget that many great companies were founded on one persons dream and vision. We need your insight here in the UE family.
:) |
Is it fair to say that everyone has their own definition of Urban? |
No Buzz!? How about Urban Expose you fucking idiots.
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UB has been pretty boring lately, but i think maybe because the staff may be strategizing about the best way to go public (exposing their identies). |
People kill me with their ridiculous obsessions with things they were bounced up out of, fired from or otherwised dissed. Find a job, a life or some emotional help and get over it....OUT. That Selywn shit is so true, and his fronts are a straight up distraction. It's called a cosmetic dentist....check it B. |
My final comment is this: If there is anyone out there who is contemplating a website, newspaper, magazine or any other business, go ahead and do it. If you have the passion, drive and vision to make it reality, go ahead and do it. If God has placed a vision within your spirit, go ahead and do it. All too often our dreams are deferred and squashed by lack of self-esteem and the need to please others. Far too many wonderful ideas have been left in diaries or on the drawing board because someone cast a critical eye towards it.
Amen!
We know so many sites and businesses have died because of poor execution, planning and all the other issues that come up with failing businesses. But the one constant that I cannot dismiss is the fact that someone DID IT as opposed to just talking about it.
Amen again.
www.nativemagazine.com
Are you a native?
I am. |
Putting UE on it's own No Buzz list? That's balls, that's about the first really ass-kicking thing I've seen them do in a month. UE needs to cultivate more of this attitude and worry less about going public (which I still think is a farce anyway - the minute they did this site would be worthless). |
I give UE credit for putting itself on the list. I see signs of that edge that got me coming here in the first place. BUT in the midst of all this UE100 stuff, UE got scooped by SOHH.com. Why didn't we hear about Tha-Real.com closing down here first? Because it has no VC funding? Do those sites not count? Tha-Real made an impact and was around long before most of these big-name sites that have now come and gone. It deserved some exposure on UE. At least, that why I come here -- to read about when, how and why these sites shut down -- and above all learn from it. Peace. |
What happened to 12 through 18? |
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tha-real.com shut down because Hugz lost interest. not because of financial instability. |
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I totally disagree with the Number 1 choice....
The biggest no buzz belongs to the mr graves and mr johnson, blackenterprise.com and ebony.com respectively.
Here are two major media coglomarates that been around longer than me and your mother with the most richest "urban" content out there. But what they do? Did Earl Graves set up a B2B for the Black businesses and entrepeneurs out there to add value to his magazine? Did Ebony created a online spin-off (like Essence is doing now) to attract and analyze black online users to improve their grammer school articles?
What they did do is obvious: hire some non-black consulting firm to build and manage their web sites which little to increase their diminishing sales.
They get the #1 no buzz without a challenge....
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And let's get real - BET.com will not last long under Viacom. Why should they? |
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22,21,20,19-11,...what the fuck kinda of counting is that? What are you guys, former accountants for UBO? |
"SoHH Style: UBO Ellis Island Launch Party
by Lorraine Haughton / September 18, 2000
» interactive features
» slideshow
UBO Ellis Island Launch Party
The Urban Box Office (UBO) launch event on September 6th at Ellis Island was more than just a hot event. Of course there were celebs, execs, and money makers in the spiznot, but it was also the place to be to kick back and peep some of the hottest styles for fall. Sunglasses were a major fan favorite as folks let you know it was okay to rock your shades - no matter what people say. Of course SOHH Style was on the scene to bring you exclusive pics. Check out SOHH Shady - Stylin' on Ellis Island."
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hey crispy: what's today's mathematics?
a-doieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! |
That's ill the way you ripped up Toshi Kubota. He's up in the States now so that's straight urban kids up in videos.
I'm pissed he's Japanese and didn't show up at his own Tokyo concert....
If he cancels on the 28th I'll write part 2... |
Even though SOHH's story says the site is "retiring" it still seems to be up for the moment:
http://www.tha-real.com/Home.shtml
BTW, I noticed they've got ads up for the next round of Online Hip-Hop Awards. No coincidence that on the page, the links for both "past winners" and "contact us" are both non-functional.
Anybody who knows me, please do not nominate any of my sites. |
I was glad to see our name up there in the 100 No Buzz List. Free publicity. Actually I dont have any complaints or suggestions, just a question: How did you guys compile this list? Was it an average of everyone who was on the no buzz list all year? If so, it seems our no buzz campaign (voting ourselves on there for the past few months out of boredom at work and for some free publicity) really paid off! If not, I'm just curious why we made the list. It seems kinda random to put an admittedly obscure hip-hop group up there in the top 20, above the likes of Vibe, Impact, and other "bigwigs."
Apex
Dujeous?
P.S. I wish I had a job at an insurance co. Then maybe I would have some benefits. |
Attention FAT BOY Chas Walker..I challenge you to a SUMO! I heard you stole a copy of my business plan way back when and made off with some of my ideas of buying Platform and AKA. You best not send your lackey Peter...I WANT YOUR FAT "99 cents McDonald Menu" ASS in the ring BABY!
A. Kidron |
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notslimshady,
click on the links under the update section.
hugz and i go way back ('97), believe me it's over. |
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What? No Jesse Jackson? |
no buzz shit,you the leader,...... keep frontn!!!! Dave Mays fired his whole intrnet...put screemin no talent bitch tracy Mcgregr in charge when shes not throwein fits everyplce to everyoneSHE KNOWS THE INTERNET?(helluva thing for her,to with no body around for her tofire no more, is that why shes not at the mag? even the sources lookin for webmoneyies. buzzzzbuzzzzz whers the story LEADER!!!!!? |
What is ubme talking about? ubme, how about filling the rest of the world in on what is going on? |
I don't know how successful UrbanExpose' can be, since it appears to be the home of nothing but wannabees! Where are the experts, and where are the real analysis of urban sites? Is it just name-calling, 'cause that's not making anybody any money anywhere. |
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Crispus, I try to have your back, but damn, could you please not try to trick us and skip like 8 entries on the list? At least be honest and change the title to the "UE Way the F*ck Overdue-Top 92" or something. |
Why do I think Scott Mills is behind Urban Expose? |
No mention of the Jamie Fox show? |
Just a point. Hip hop hoods are always talkin shit about fags, homo's, etc. Who the fuck do they think created the hip hop look? Hell, the truth be known, anyone workin in hip hop industry is down right suspect! |
what's up with these tired as "urban" websites? I mean they all say the same crap. The got a bunch of brothers and sisters working for them and backed with some rich white boys money.
how the hell are they helping close the "digital divide"? I don't see any of them donating computers and if they are, i haven't heard about it.
keep up the good work crispus. nice article in the washington post.
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