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Facebook’s Hashtag Adoption: another attempt at trendiness?

posted March 25th, 2013 & filed under digital trends, Serious Stuff, social networking, Trends

Recently, Facebook announced that they will be implementing hashtags on their site. Why are they doing this? Hashtags have been a missed business opportunity for Facebook. They enable brands to steer live conversations and are extremely powerful during events such as the Super Bowl or awards shows. Twitter is the pioneer of cashing in on the promoted hashtag business and Facebook has realized that they want in. Facebook is also most likely in the process of commercializing hashtags on Instagram (a Facebook purchase) and combining both social media networks. Hashtags will enhance Facebook’s real-time commenting with brands who are organizing live events.

Reasons for skepticism in regards to the success of hashtags on Facebook:

1. Facebook is a closed network:

The content on Facebook is not open to search engines such as Google and Yahoo. You can post something, but no one will be able to search it. Everything shared on the social media site is held within “The Great Facebook Barrier” as I like to call it. This is the reason that so many brands have made fan pages and are becoming more and more active within the network- they need a stronger presence within Facebook’s closed network.

The reason hashtags work so well on Twitter is because most users in that social network have an open account. Facebook is a different environment where users have to accept who they allow into their circles. A successful hashtag experience also requires an open network in pulling from various social networks such as Google+, Twitter, Vine, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Facebook already pulls information from your personal Pinterest and Instagram accounts but, it would now have to combine all of this information and group them into hashtags. For brands, this definitely creates added value, but do consumers really want their entire online activity to be featured within Facebook?

2. The Facebook algorithm feed is curated:

Facebook made changes to its algorithm last year, which essentially ranks paid content higher on your live feed rather than organic posts from your friends. Public figures and brands are encouraged to pay in order to rank their posts higher than everyone else’s in your feed. Adding hashtags to the feed will be another source of income, encouraging paid promotions by other brands. Brands and/or users will be asked to pay for hash tag content.

3. Users go on Facebook to interact with their friends, not to look for news content:

The main purpose of Facebook is to catch up with your social network. Users go on it to talk to their friends and to stay in touch. If they want to search for news stories, they would go to sites like the Huffington Post or Yahoo! News. Because of the casual, friendly environment of Facebook, I see it as doubtful that users would be ready to have branded hash tags in addition to the promotional posts that are already included in their news feeds. With all of this extra content, it may deter users from even using Facebook because it could be “clogging up” their news feeds.

4. Is Facebook losing its “cool factor?”

Facebook might be encouraged to adopt hashtags due to a recent trend growing among the younger Facebook user demographic- boycotting Facebook (or at least limiting their interaction with it). For this younger demographic, there are concerns of privacy (many parents and older family member watching what you’re up to), there is constant spam from brands and their promoted posts, as well as too many people they are “friends” with but in actuality, do not even know or are concerned about anymore. Because of these issues within Facebook, this younger demographic is spending more and more time on Instagram (a prime example behind Facebook’s purchase of the network), Twitter and Tumblr. With the implementation of hashtags on Facebook may come the integration of all big social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

It will be interesting to observe the results of this. I have a feeling that hashtags will end up being tailored mainly for marketers, which will create additional spam on the social network, hence a potentially deeper exodus from the platform. What is your opinion about hashtags on Facebook?

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Best of the Week – April 20, 2012

posted April 20th, 2012 & filed under digital trends, Serious Stuff, social networking, technology, Trends

Venus X Interview in NY Times

As one of the founders of GHE20 GOTH1K, Venus X has merged diverse underground cultures in a seamless blend that’s become one of the most forward thinking and next level parties in NYC nightlife. Check out this interview with her in The New York Times for some background about her style and unique take on current music culture.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/fashion/profile-of-the-dj-venus-x.html

Le1f’s Dark York Mixtape

Le1f’s new mixtape Dark York is an amazing blend of crazy call and response rhymes over some of the best production in electronic music right now including tons of bass heavy beats by Nguzunguzu. Check out his mixtape streaming on Soundcloud, and download it next week on Das Racist’s record label Greedhead.

http://www.thefader.com/2012/04/18/stream-le1fs-dark-york-mixtape/

Tupac Hologram Performs at Coachella

Out of the tons of noteworthy performances last weekend from Coachella, all anyone is talking about was the Tupac hologram performing with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. No matter how you feel about it, it really brings up interesting questions about the future of music performance and touring.

http://www.billboard.com/column/the-juice/opinion-the-problem-with-the-tupac-hologram-1006777552.story

http://lunavega.net/2012/04/holographic-tupac-performs-at-coachella/

Rustie’s BBC Essential Mix

Rustie is one of the most amazing young producers in electronic music right now and his new BBC Essential Mix is the perfect introduction to his manic a hundred synths and genres a minute style. You’ll hear tons of exclusive unreleased tracks mixed in with the illest southern rap junts and everything in between. Also, check out the Pitchfork article “Maximal Nation” for an interesting breakdown of Rustie’s style and how it fits into current electronic music trends.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16498-essential-mix/

http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/8721-maximal-nation/

http://soundcloud.com/rustie

New Mel Gibson Rant & the Joe Eszterhas Letter

Another week another unbelievable Mel Gibson rant has leaked to the web. You almost have to hear it just to believe it, and especially when you read the Joe Eszterhas letter that explains in intricate detail the exact scenarios behind the rants, it’s a beyond wtf scenario you almost couldn’t even make up if you wanted too.

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/mel-gibson-rage-recording-costa-rica-37112

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/joe-eszterhas-letter-mel-gibson-36949

Facebook Purchases Instagram for $1 Billion Dollars

One of the biggest stories in the tech world this week was Facebook’s purchasing of Instagram for $1 billion dollars. Even though that number was double the amount of Instagram’s recent financial evaluation, Facebook still thought it was worth the price with over 5 million photos being uploaded to Instagram on a daily basis. People are already crying foul about their favorite app getting the corporate treatment, and only time will tell exactly how Facebook is going to utilize Instagram in the future.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/with-instagram-deal-facebook-shows-its-worth/

Kraftwerk’s Eight Night Residency at MOMA

Kraftwerk, who are considered one of the most legendary and influential electronic groups of all time, finished up their 8 night residency at MOMA this week and original member Ralf Hütter gave a rare interview with The New York Times discussing the group’s legacy and what you can expect from them in the future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/arts/music/talking-to-ralf-hutter-of-kraftwerk.html

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1257

New Chromatics Album Kill for Love

Since the mid-2000s Chromatics have been perfecting their amazing blend of neo-italo disco sounds coupled with icy John Carpenter synths and subtly emotive vocals. Their new album Kill for Love was released at the end of last month and it’s quickly become one of the most sought after and critcally acclaimed albums of the year. Check out the interview with Chromatics mastermind Johnny Jewel on how he developed his group’s retro but still surprisingly modern sound.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16452-kill-for-love/

http://pitchfork.com/news/45098-johnny-jewel-talks-symmetry-drive-music-glass-candy-and-chromatics-lps/

9. Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?

It’s been building for a while and it culminated this week with the purchasing of Instagram; the inevitable Facebook backlash is upon us. Recent studies also show that Social Media and Facebook could actually be making us lonely instead of bringing us together as the initial intention behind Social Media. This article from The Atlantic looks into the interesting phenomenon of how Social Media and Facebook affects loneliness.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/8930/#.T43S_uEN9OU.twitter

10. New Online Dating Site Tawkify uses Klout Scores to make matches

Online dating has been given a Social Media twist with the new dating site Tawkify that incorporates your Klout scores into fixing you up with other singles. Its part matchmaking, part Social Media, and an entirely new techie way to link up potential romantic matches.

http://corp.klout.com/blog/2012/04/klout-gets-romantic-tawkify-com-is-using-klout-scores-to-find-you-an-intriguing-match/

http://tawkify.com/

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Deconstructing Grimes: Will Her Internet Fame Last?

posted April 13th, 2012 & filed under Serious Stuff, Trends

Since signing with record label 4AD, Canadian electronic musician Grimes aka Claire Boucher, has become the new indie darling with tons of glowing reviews everywhere from Pitchfork, Stereogum, The New York Times, and even landing the cover of avant garde fashion magazine Dazed & Confused. Her most popular tracks include the singles “Vanessa” and “Oblivion”

Photo by John Londono

She encompasses a lot of the familiar tropes you might find in indie-electronic musicians. Of course, with this comes the criticism from Hipster Runoff and other music bloggers who are already questioning how much sustenance her musical output can really maintain. Is it just a matter of time before she’s trending alongside Lana Del Rey’s poses, or can her indie buzz stand up over time?

1) DIY Generation and her early Internet Buzz

Grimes is part of the DIY generation and most of her early buzz came from Internet blogs instead of from shows she was playing. In an interview with Exclaim.ca she talked about the first Grimes release Geidi Primes, a hand-packaged cassette limited to 30 copies, but also offered as a free download in January 2010 by Arbutus Records. Boucher describes it as “just a record I made that only 20 people knew about,” and soon thereafter blogs like Gorilla Vs. Bear were quick to pick up on it as “an essential go-to late night jam.” For a while she recorded her own albums using Apple’s GarageBand until she started using keyboards, synthesizers, and other effects tools. All of her internet buzz led her to open in May 2011 for Lykke Li on her North American Tour and the following August, her debut album was re-released through No Pain in Pop Records.

2) Her unique sound, style, and aesthetic

Her entire aesthetic and unique ambient, vintage Sci-Fi sound and sometimes wordless vocals sets her apart from other electronic musicians, and it doesn’t hurt that her tracks are extremely catchy. One of the most popular song off new 4AD album Visions is “Oblivion” which combines an 80s electro backbeat and ambient synths with 50s style girl group almost doo-wop harmonies for a really interesting sound that’s both completely futuristic while also evoking the best pop music of the past. Her style also appeals to the fashionista set with her eerie, hippie-goth, futuristic sort of look. She’s also leveraged her fashion fanbase by creating a Tumblr so fans can emulate her look, in addition to her completely raw Twitter feed where she personally engages with tons of fans and shares her every unfiltered thought.

3) Will she fade into Internet oblivion?

Her rise within the indie scene has also created some comparisons to Lana Del Rey, not as much stylistically, but they’re compared more for their quick rise and buzz within indie circles In an article for San Diego City Beat, writer Seth Combs created an algorithm of sorts which calculates that it takes an average of 35 days for an artist’s buzz to turn into backlash, and cites different artists like Odd Future and Del Ray as starting off huge but eventually dissipating just as quickly.

He definitely has a point where the online indie sphere has an inherent timeline in place to give an artist early compliments, only to half-heartedly retract or diminish them later, which is something Pitchfork has almost been built on, but as Combs states in the article, even though Grimes exists in the same indie sphere as someone like Del Rey, their overall career trajectory is worlds apart. Grimes has produced and wrote every song she’s ever released while although Del Rey co-wrote every track on her debut Interscope album, she’s didn’t produce the actual music for any of the tracks. Also, Grimes had been releasing music for over two years and courting a slow building buzz on different indie tastemaker sites before she crossed over to a more relevant indie position. Del Ray’s ascension was so meteoric that the backlash was almost built in just for that notion beyond whether or not her music even deserved the negative press.

via Dazed & Confused

It also seems like Grimes has a more diverse array of tools at her disposal that can sustain the short attention of the indie glitterati. She’s using bits and pieces of warm pop and eclectic electronic sounds from different eras that are entirely familiar but at the same time distinctly her own. Her influences include everything from medieval music, to volatile industrial and noise stuff, to hip hop, and in the Pitchfork interview she said her favorite singer is Mariah Carey “because her voice sounds utterly groundless. It’s not even a human voice; it almost sounds mechanical.”

That’s what really makes her music so substantial right now and why it stands out amongst the other way over-saturated indie-electronic music genres. Grimes takes so many of the best aspects from ambient, new age, R&B, idm, and pop music, and creates a new sound that’s completely her own, but still so familiar that you almost feel like you’ve heard it before. It’s easy to compare two artists with substantial indie cred but when you really take a look at why they’ve become popular, it’s easier to get an idea of what will happen to their careers in the future. It almost doesn’t matter how much fame builds around an artist, some sort backlash will eventually happen. It’s really up to them to determine how that initial buzz will affect the rest of their career.

Resources:

Pitchfork

http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/8774-grimes/

http://pitchfork.com/features/directors-cut/8783-grimes-oblivion/

The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/08/fashion/claire-boucher-known-as-grimes-mines-beauty-from-the-dark-side.html

Complex

http://www.complex.com/music/2012/04/who-is-grimes

Fact Magzine

http://www.factmag.com/2012/02/27/grimes-visions/

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimes_%28musician%29

Hipster Runoff

http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/topic/grimes-claire-boucher

Exclaim.ca

http://exclaim.ca/Features/OnTheCover/grimes-accidental_pop_star/Page/2

San Diego City Beat

http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego//article-10233-how-long-will-grimes-be-indie-musics-new-it-girl.html

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South Park and the Evolution of the Internet Meme

posted April 4th, 2012 & filed under digital trends, Serious Stuff, social networking, Trends

Last week’s episode of South Park took a satirical spin on the history and evolution of memes, and in the process came up with some hilarious and elaborate explanations for why memes exist and evolve over time. According to South Park, the first recorded meme appeared on the hieroglyphics of the pyramids, and from there they’ve been changing and rapidly spreading over time, only to be left with the modern day examples that are rampant all over the Internet. Of course South Park’s take on memes is more satirical in nature, but in all satire there’s some morsel of truth revealed, and they made some interesting and astute comments on the world of memes, and especially how and why they exist on the Internet.

via i raff i ruse

Simply stated a meme is a concept, idea, image, or behavior that spreads quickly through culture, and although they’ve existed for hundreds of years, the term was first coined by biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, as a concept within evolution to explain the spreading of cultural phenomenons. Since then memes have become a known and studied concept within the realm of modern culture, but the real evolution of memes took off with the expansion of the Internet. There have even been empirical scientific studies done that aimed to show why certain memes are successful online and others become digital debris.

South Park mocked this scenario by replacing old memes with new ones in increasingly absurd scenarios. First it was “Faith Hilling”, then it became “Taylor Swifting”, then it was “Breading” and “Reporting”, which expanded into a new take on “Oh Long Johnsoning”, and then when those became trite and passé, they started combining the most recent trends together into an all new mega-meme, but what is it about memes that gives them such a short shelf life?

via LOLVirgin

The Internet and Social Media have created such an instantaneous culture that has only added to our collective short attention spans. Everyone is always trying to get more and more done in a shorter amount of time, including frivolous things like entertainment and keeping up with trends. Memes are almost a shorthand for cultural concepts that can encompass a wide range of ideas in a very small and precise way, and when that’s coupled with the infinite diversions and short shelf life of Internet content, it only makes sense that our interest, no matter how large at first, will eventually be waning. The more memes compete with each other for our attention, the less time we have to focus on them, and the easier it is to become bored with their concept.

via icanhascheezburger

So why are certain memes more successful while others fall by the wayside? Why does the classic meme prank of Rickrolling have more viral sustenance then say something like breading, which seemed like it arrived almost as quickly as it disappeared? Partially it’s due to the older memes that arrived when Social Media was in its infancy had less competition, so if someone made one that was successful, it definitely stuck around for longer and became more ingrained into Internet culture. It seems like there’s so much competition now that memes have to really cut across all demographics and tastes to really maintain any sort of Internet presence.

There’s also the intangible entertainment value of memes which is sometimes just a random factor. The right timing, the right combination of graphics and slogan make a certain meme a success the same way a television show in the right time slot gets renewed but a higher quality one with more competition and lower ratings will get cancelled. Overall memes have become such a fascinating and integral part of the Internet and they’re definitely one of the best ways to get an accurate grasp of our culture at any given time, from caveman paintings to the virtual web of the future.

Here’s a list of some of the most notable Internet memes of the last 15 years (in no particular order)

1. Keyboard Cat

2. Numa Numa Dance

3. LOLcats

4. Chuck Norris Facts

5. Randall the Honey Badger

6. Oh Long Johnson

7. Chocolate Rain

8. Double Rainbow

9. Based God

10. People of Walmart

11. Dramatic Chipmunk

12. Rickrolling

13. Diet Coke and Mentos

14. Planking / Owling / Breading

15. Star Wars Kid

16. Epic Fail!

17. Scumbag Steve

18. Nyan Cat

19. Tebowing / Bradying

20. Dancing Baby

References:

Net For Beginners

http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/weirdwebculture/tp/The-Best-Internet-Memes.htm

Know Your Meme

http://knowyourmeme.com/

http://knowyourmeme.com/blog/meme-review/best-memes-of-2011

South Park

http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s16e03-faith-hilling

Nature

http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/120329/srep00335/full/srep00335.html

Mashable

http://mashable.com/2009/05/25/youtube-video-memes/

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Hilling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

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Are Human Billboards the Next Big Thing? A look at Italian Vogue’s Haute Mess

posted March 26th, 2012 & filed under marketing/advertising, Serious Stuff, Trends

via Fashionista

There’s been quite a controversy these last two weeks about the recent Vogue Italia “Haute Mess” cover story. The photospread featured flashy clothes and over the top hairdos inspired by urban culture and was criticized for its racist undertones by a myriad of websites and blogs, including Jezebel, Fashionista, and New York Magazine, which also ran an interview allowing editor Franca Sozzani to explain her vantage point and conception behind the photos.

via Fashionista

Beyond the fact that the editorial could definitely be viewed as derogatory, what was really surprising is how Vogue Italia exactly replicated images from various blogs such as No Way Girl and Yum Yucky without giving proper attribution or even referencing them as inspiration. If you look closely some of the images are nearly IDENTICAL, and basically too similar to have happened by accident. I understand in the age of the Internet that almost everyone pulls references from various online sources, but creating content that isn’t original and is simply recycled is just wrong, and it only breeds laziness.

Another interesting component in the editorial that peaked my interest was their use of a variety of corporate logos. Some of the women were completely branded and incorporated them into their overall style and aesthetic. Since 2008 I’ve been following the trend of people using logos as a fashion statement, and I had created a project in which companies could pay for models to be branded in their signature logo and color scheme from head to toe. I had the idea after seeing a surging trend of tattoo advertising, where individuals would tattoo logos in their bodies as a way to earn money.

via The Next Great Generation

With brands wanting to be more and more a part of our lives, and combined with the massive reality TV phenomenon of the last decade, it won’t be long until “regular” people are paid by brands to advertise their products. Seeing these over the top “ghetto hairdos” made me wonder how long it’ll take for this trend to actually come full circle. I really think that in the very near future it won’t be surprising if some of the younger demographics start wearing brands for sponsorship value, both as a way to earn money, and possibly for the ironic detachment of embracing corporate interests instead of rejecting them which was the common stance in previous generations.

Here are some other examples of people embracing corporate logos:

This is an interesting blogger who claims he’ll wear your brand for money:

http://vonahn.blogspot.com/2009/02/ill-wear-your-clothes-for-money.html

A woman wearing an all Louis Vuitton suit

http://nowaygirl.com/latest-fashion/everything-louis-vuitton/

The Mike Judge film Idiocracy predicts that people will be sponsored by brands:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/

Artist Ryder Ripps and his fascination with the brand Under Armour

http://ryder-ripps.com/UNDER_ARMOUR/

http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/blog/wtfashion-trend-net-artists-wearing-under-armour

References:

Vogue Italia

http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/cover-story/2012/03/over-the-top

Jezebel

http://jezebel.com/5891683/new-vogue-italia-story-pokes-fun-at-poor-blacks-and-latinas-seems-kinda-racist/gallery/1

http://jezebel.com/5894844/vogue-italia-editor-invites-everyone-who-thought-cover-story-was-racist-to-seek-psychiatric-help

Fashionista

http://fashionista.com/2012/03/vogue-italias-haute-mess-editorial-racist-or-not-the-debate-continues/

New York Magazine

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2012/03/franca-sozzani-talks-about-her-haute-mess.html

No Way Girl

http://nowaygirl.com/

Yum Yucky

http://www.yumyucky.com/2011/03/gallery-of-ghetto-fabulous-edible-hair-dos.html

Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/managing-focus/tattoo-advertising-brands-that-permanently-market-on-your-body/

The Next Great Generation

http://www.thenextgreatgeneration.com/2011/04/would-you-tattoo-your-favorite-brand-on-your-body/

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The Weird Hip Hop Movement

posted March 9th, 2012 & filed under Fun Stuff, insightful, just because, Miscellaneous, Trends

Jel & Doseone of Themselves and Anticon

Throughout the last year or so a new hip hop movement has emerged that many critics and fans of the genre has deemed “weird hip hop”. With their nonstop release of free mixtapes, weekly YouTube videos, and a new more accepting audience with an eclectic taste, weird hip hop has really become an underground phenomenon that’s bursting from every corner of the web. Beyond the relatively young and more tech savvy artists, weird hip hop has had a long and elaborate history in its rather organic and experimental evolution. We’re going to give you a little primer on the most important artists within the movement and exactly how they fit into some of the most exciting and next level music that’s being released.

Cam’ron

If Cam’ron was white and from Portland, there would an endless amount of students writing their Graduate thesis’ about him instead of Beckett. Cam’ron and his Dipset compadres effortlessly cram as many Theater of Absurd non sequiturs and bon mots into a 3 minute song that makes Endgame look like Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. He weaves complex narratives and nonsensical witticisms from intricate syncopated homonyms, self-created inside joke slang, and tongue twisting alliteration, all while maintaining the most astute anti-hero / stand up comic persona that’s ever been put on record. He’s from Harlem but his Dada overtones are straight out of the marrow bones wafting out of every Paris brasserie.

Essential Listening: Come Home With Me, Purple Haze, Diplomatic Immunity, Boss of All Bosses

E-40

E-40 has been recording and releasing music longer then most of us have had fully developed ear drums. He personifies the authentic, never contrived brand of west coast experimental gangsta rap that is seen as an absolute pinnacle within the genre. From his use of extremely off kilter flows / cadences, and his creation of the some of the most innovative and commonly used slang has made him an absolute legend within the genre. He’s probably one of the most original and inimitable rappers to ever come out of the west coast gangsta rap canon.

Essential Listening: Breakin News, Grit & Grind, Revenue Retrievin’

Wu Tang Clan

The Wu Tang Clan has been creating some of the most innovative and absolutely avant garde east coast rap music since their inception in the early 1990s. From their use of eastern philosophy, martial arts metaphorical life lessons, and some of the most obtuse and abstract slang ever put to record, they’ve always been ahead of the curve compared to their mainstream counterparts, while at the same time being able to crossover and attain mass fandom. Every member contains their own amazing idiosyncrasies, but Ghostface Killah has some of the most avant garde and wtf rhymes that have ever been uttered. You could spend months just dissecting their catalogue and you would only be able to grasp a small portion of their prolific output.

Essential Listening: Wu Tang Clan – Wu Tang Forever, Ghostface Killah – Ironman / Supreme Clientale, Gza – Liquid Swords, Rza – Bobby Digital in Stereo

Freestyle Fellowship

Some might argue that Freestyle Fellowship doesn’t necessarily fit in with some of these other groups, but their progressive and next level records have decidedly laid the groundwork for every contemporary MC that might mildly pass within the “weirdo” conglomerate. They have some of the most mindblowing flows / cadences that have ever existed in rap music, which were very often based on the scatting and improvisation commonly associated with Jazz music. Every single member has their amazing individual flourishes, and especially Aceyalone and Myka 9 are two of the most important MCs as far as the legacy of their influence. Everyone from Bone Thugs to Anticon would have never had a blueprint if wasn’t for what Freestyle Fellowship was recording over twenty years ago.

Essential Listening: Freestyle Fellowship – Innercity Griots, Aceyalone – All Balls Don’t Bounce / A Book of Human Language, Myka 9 – 1969, Project Blowed

Anticon

Anticon took the blueprint laid out by Freestyle Fellowship and the entire west coast underground and expanded upon it into absolutely unheard of territory. For the last 15 years Anticon has released the most experimental and progressive hip hop that has probably ever existed in the genre. Besides the releases on their own label, if you sought out the solo albums and group affiliations of each member, there is an endless array of records one more mind-blowing then the next. Even if the collective never released another album, their catalogue will always be known as one of the most forward thinking and next level discographies in possibly the entire hip hop genre.

Essential Listening: Anticon – Music for the Advancement of Hip Hop,

Affilated Members & Groups: Clouddead, Why?, Sole, Doseone, Buck 65, Awol One, Circus, Radioinactive, Themselves, Deep Puddle Dynamics

Outkast

Southern Rap has always really had a special place in experimental and progressive hip hop. Over the last decade or so it’s really become more popular and radio friendly, but there’s so much innovation and raw energy behind so many artists that could easily be seen as the origins of the weird hip hop movement. Outkast has been releasing some of the most otherworldly and highly listenable rap music for the last nearly twenty years. Way before southern rap was accepted as a genre staple on the east coast, Outkast was making music that they wanted to hear, without contemplating if their fans would understand it. They’ve effectively created an amazing formula for themselves incorporating some of the best aspects of the diverse hip hop landscape; the raw 808s of Miami bass music, the experimental synth lines of Bounce and electronic music, and some of the most interesting flows and cadences that have influenced generations of Southern Mcs. Not to mention “Hey Ya!” by André 3000, is probably considered one of the best pop songs ever recorded; they can really do it all and make it seem effortless.

Essential Listening: Aquemini, Stankonia, ATLiens, Speakerboxxx / The Love Below

Kool Keith

No mention of weird hip hop is really complete without talking about Kool Keith. He was almost similar to a golden era Lil B before the Based God was even able to lace up his Vans. From his early output with the Ultramagnetic MCs, to his increasingly strange solo albums, Kool Keith is a rapper who never ceases to amaze. Just a short listen of his outer space gynecologist concept album “Dr. Octagonecologyst” to his amazing smooth R&B 808-centric “The Personal Album”, you’ll begin to realize his catalogue is just as diverse and outlandish as the multiple personas he creates for nearly every album. He would have been right at home with Dali and Ernst in the Surrealist movement, eating snails out of a conch shell while coming up with non-sequiturs assembled from discarded napkin fragments.

Essential Listening: Dr. Octagonecologyst, The Personal Album, Black Elvis, Sex Style, First Come First Served

Lil B

Lil B has just as many fans as he has detractors, but no matter what you think of him, his massive online fanbase and prolific output has become one of the most substantial catalogues in experimental rap music. From his creation of the “Based” genre, a philosophy that incorporates free association rhymes gathered from your subconscious, he’s taken the innovation of the last 30 years of hip hop, put it all in a Cusianart and out comes the most amazing smoothie that appeals to even the most discerning of palettes. Through his innovative and steadfast approach to Social Media, he’s garnered a massive cult following that crosses all cultures, ethnicities, and demographics. He’s making some of the most progressive and experimental music that’s ever been released in any genre, while completely utilizing every tool within the hip hop canon. He’s abstract like Rothko, a maximalist like Hirst, with a touch of the tongue in cheek humor of Warhol or John Waters to boot; every song he releases is innovation in its purest form.

Essential Listening: The Flame Series, Angels Exodus, Rain in England, The Bitch Mob Series, Illusions of Grandeur, I Forgive You

These are a few other important artists or labels that need to be mentioned. They’re all just as impressive in their amazing experimental releases:

Company Flow – Funcrusher Plus, EL-P – Fantastic Damage

Anti-Pop Consortium - Arrhythmia, Fluorescent Black, Airborn Audio, Shopping Carts Crashing

Busdriver - Jhelli Beam, Flash Bang Grenada, Temporary Forever, Fear of a Black Tangent

Gucci Mane – The Burrprint, The Movie, The Cold War

Fake Four Inc – Ceschi, David Ramos, Awol One, Myka 9, Factor, Busdriver, Sole and the Skyrider Band, Common Grackle

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What Does the Lana Del Backlash tell us about Social Media?

posted March 2nd, 2012 & filed under insightful, Miscellaneous, Trends

The last few months have definitely seen tons of new cultural backlashes emerge on the Internet, and none have been more interesting to watch and dissect then the majesty of Lana Del Rey. From her self-produced YouTube hit “Video Games”, Del Rey rose from a meager viral hit to an Interscope record deal in a matter of a few months. Almost as immediately as her video was reaching millions of views, the Social Media bandwagon began heralding her as the downfall of authentic indie culture as we know it. Not to mention her signing with a major label and subsequent poor / ill-prepared SNL performance, which eventually made the backlash movement delve into overdrive as she became a perpetual trending topic for all the wrong reasons.

One of the most important questions and cultural signifiers that’s raised within this indie-meme is does she really deserve such an onslaught of negative criticism, and how does the culture of Social Media change the landscape and sway the opinion of the masses? It seems that a lot of the discussion of Lana Del Rey almost sidesteps the actual quality of her musical output, and instead focuses on her aesthetic being sold to the masses under the guise of indie credibility.

People are used to the svengali wrangled boy bands and pop groups that have existed as long as popular music itself, but they aren’t as comfortable with being sold what seems like a pre-packaged all encompassing musician within the realm of the indie sphere. From her name change, to her earlier more mainstream oriented material, and the nonstop Instagram pictorials with her Real Housewives pouty duck lips du jour, and “gangster Nancy Sinatra” pandering, no matter how authentic or contrived the mélange actually was, it had literally every tastemaker and even their most uninformed underlings crying fowl.

Even Brian Williams, who wouldn’t even qualify as a Guided by Voices cool dad, jumped on the anti Del Rey bandwagon when Gawker released a snarky email he sent to their Media chief Nick Denton, but is all of this hoopla just the Internet overreacting as it always does? Sure maybe her image was a little too grungy polished, like the fashionistas who spend $3,000 to look homeless, but is her music really of such low quality too deserve such a massive indie-meme backlash?

Sometimes what happens especially with Social Media is these trends or anti-trends kind of snowball quickly accumulating muster from minute specks of gravel. Once Pitchfork picks it up, then it’s The Fader, then Gawker, and it eventually trickles down to every grassroots blog and Tumblr with an attaché RSS feed. Hipster Runoff, probably the all time most important meta-scathing hipster blog, even temporarily changed their name to the “Lana Del Report” and for a few days they had literally up to the minute coverage of every tiny revelation in the Lana saga, which was especially honed and perfectly articulated in their infamous Content Farm post that critiqued the way indie blogs feed off of alt-memes just to satiate their audience’s thirst for negative criticism and new culture to dissect and disarm.

Overall it’s really important to take a look at how Social Media can alter and affect the sway of public opinion, even in these micro-genres and indie circles. There’s definitely some aspect of Del Rey’s aesthetic and output possibly being contrived, but with the advent of technology and instantaneous sharing of opinions, these memes and their subsequent backlash can literally take form overnight. Sometimes it’s important to not formulate an opinion until the entire picture presents itself. The majority of this happened way before her major label debut was released, and then after it came out and was number one in 11 albeit mostly European countries, their was then the inevitable backlash to the original backlash, which goes to show how quickly these things can emerge and dissipate, just to make room for another indie-meme to be roasted over the coals.

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Trend Report: 2011 Holiday Forecast

posted December 7th, 2011 & filed under Serious Stuff, Trends

Wondering what your teen wants this Holiday season?

Here’s a list of the top Fall/Winter 2011 Teen Internet pop culture phenomenas to help you get them appropriate gifts based on the trends they follow.

Our teen’s wish list includes a variety of gift ideas from the freebies to some more pricey options.

1. Cyber Nostalgia & Vintage Reinterpretation

The Trend

This trend focuses on recycling elements from previous decades and giving them a new twist. Teens are latching on to memories of the past but doing so through the technology and culture of the future. This trend is reinterpreted in various forms from utilizing the aesthetic of the early 90’s Internet to leveraging fashion from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

Teen Profile:

- this teen is interested in a revisionist version of nostalgia

- they support this through appropriating pop culture totems and recycling / altering them through modern technology, social media, and new web culture

- they’re interested in creating a new point of view of pop culture history

- they’re using the unlimited bandwidth of the new Internet to appropriate the inherent nostalgia of obsolete mediums / trends (VHS, cassette tapes, vintage clothing, vintage tech culture from 80s – 90s, etc…)

WISHLIST:

Video Time Machine

Price: $1.99

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/video-time-machine/id438078438?mt=8

Your teen will now be able to travel back in time as often as they like by simply using this iPhone app.

Create your own Tee

Price: $18

http://www.christopherleesauve.com/shop/create-your-own/

This is a great online tool that enables your teen to create their own T Shirts using iconic figures. They’ll love to be able to choose their favorite iconic figures and create their very own unique tee.

POLAROID POGO – INSTANT PRINTER:

Price: $59.99

http://www.polaroid.com/en/products/polaroid-pogo/polaroid-pogo-instant-digital-printer

They never owned a Polaroid but they can now re-live the experience with this instant digital printer.

2. Mashup / Remix Culture

The Trend

Remix Culture is part of the New Web Tumblr aesthetic. It’s based on sampling everything the Internet has to offer and remixing and mashing it together. It extends from Video Collages of TV shows, Art installations, Fashion, Music and Movie sampling. It’s a genre that’s founded on the basic ideal of “borrowing” the best parts of every other genre to formulate a Frankenstein monster of unbelievable concentrated aural and visual grandeur.

Teen Profile

- by reinterpreting and repurposing pop culture, they’re able to create a more personal and visceral relationship with culture

- they take culture from every medium and sample it into a contrasting medium to alter the context / cultural history of the sample

- they’re more focused on the overall aesthetic of their final product instead of the actual content they’re borrowing from

WISHLIST:

Chanel Graffiti Drips Logo Crewneck Sweatshirt

Price: $29.40

http://www.spreadshirt.com/-C3380A8127416?gclid=CLn87uT8pawCFYHe4AodQSZM1w

Chanel revisited. Now they can effortlessly be the most stylish kid on the block.

TOKIDOKI BARBIE

Price: $50

http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/doll/tokidoki-barbie-doll-t7939

Now that’s a Barbie with some classic Harajuku style.

“BERNADETTE” BOW EAR BAND

Price: $135

http://gerlanjeans.bigcartel.com/product/limited-edition-bernadette-bow-ear-band

Re-visited 60’s bow with an urban twist, a must have if you want to make a statement at school.

3. Experimental Culture

The Trend

This trend is all about creating the next cutting edge culture with no boundaries. From the hyper sampling of culture a new hybrid is forming. Experimental culture is attained through rampant sampling and misappropriation both within online culture and in the real world through fashion, music, art, design, etc…

By not being aware or focused on the cultural canon that preceded them, Experimental Culture mashes together anything and everything to create a vast array of hyper-topical underground cultures
(e.g. Tavi Gevinson & The Style Rookie)

The combination of unlimited bandwidth, instantly accessible technology, and the development of avant garde culture over the last 60 – 70 years (since dada, anti art, and pop art from the 40s and 50s) has created the perfect set of variables / environment for a forward thinking teen to create innovative culture without having to take into account the cultural movements that have come before them

Teen Profile

- this teen doesn’t abide by the conventional standards

- they’re always looking for new ways to transgress cultural norms

- they rely more on their own aesthetic and cultural intuition then the standards and trends of their peers

- they innovate through not paying attention to trends and instead creating their own concepts from a blank slate cultural perspective

WISHLIST

Teen Vogue Haute Spot App

Price: FREE

http://www.teenvogueallaccess.com/1012/gotta1.cfm

If your teen always needs to know about the latest designer fashion trends, this app is a must have in their life.

MILO FOOTBALL HOODIE by A Bathing Ape

Price: $377

http://us.bape.com/

A solid Japanese streetwear hoodie to help your teen stand out from the crowd.

Domo: The Plush Bomber Hat

Price: $26

http://www.karmaloop.com/product/188748?VendorCode=DOM&green=64E6B650-D44C-5F08-BBF7-1B8EBE41EFD7

Be ahead of the curve by getting this textured bomber hat, a re-take on the classic vintage animal hats.

4. Identity Transformation–

The Trend

This trend bends the idea of online personas. It allows the creation of a completely new avatar, based on whatever characteristics the user wants to portray. Teens use their online personas to become super natural versions of themselves. By remixing their personalities with Internet culture, by enabling these teens are able to create virtual personas in any possible way they can imagine.

Teen Profile:

- this teen utilizes social media to expand on their own real world personality

- they’ll would either create a similar persona or accent to their real world personality, or something that completely contrasts it and is unrealistic in their real life

- each social media platform exists as a different layer that equates with their full persona / brand (videos on Youtube / Vimeo, music on Bandcamp / Souncloud / Last.fm, an altered or authentic personal history / ephemera on Facebook / Twitter, and cultural inspirations on Tumblr / Blogger / WordPress)

- social media is the first venue that allows teens to articulate an alternative persona / avatar that contrasts their real world vantage point, and they get to choose how similar / dissimilar their final product is.

WISHLIST:

HP’s Twynergy Twitter App