Tag: Mac Miller

Citizen Journalism Hip-Hop

On By spaceylifeIn Class Lecture, Hip-HopLeave a comment

In my journalism class, we discussed citizen journalism in society; Boston bomber witnesses on social media, the students in Parkland, FL during the school shooting, etc. It got me thinking about citizen journalism in reference to Hip-Hop. Although Hip-Hop journalism is a niche market, there have been only a few occasions of non-journalists with their phones on at a significant point of an artist’s life.  The main case that comes to mind is the death of XXXTentacion, which occurred this summer. The late rapper was shopping at a motorcycle shop in Florida, and a car blocked his path. The occupants of the car got out, stole his Louis Vuitton bag, and shot him. The first reporters on the scene were pedestrians, who heard the shots and came over. Video of him unconscious and bleeding in his car quickly took to Twitter, leading to speculation as to whether or not they were real. The videos of him in the car are graphic and viewer discretion is advised.

(XXXTentacion death videos)

It was not for another hour and a half that he would be declared dead by the county sheriff’s office. Some outlets such as TMZ and XXL broke the news of death then on twitter.

With the advancements of social media and the fact that a majority of cell phones have recording capabilities, it is safe to say that citizen journalism is going nowhere. However, the necessity for it in Hip-Hop community has yet to really be revealed. For one thing, the community of Hip-Hop itself is fairly connected. The media outlets that report on news in this community have enough connections to find out breaking news, usually before it drops anywhere else. One example is TMZ dropping the news of Mac Miller’s death in September.

Another argument against needing citizen journalists is that many rappers often break their own news. Most artists in the Hip-Hop community control their own social media accounts, interact with fans themselves, and posting their own content. Since social media can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection, artists are always able to stay connected to rebuke any false claims and share their thoughts with their followers. One example is when Vince Staples said in an interview that he thought the 90’s were overrated.

One Twitter user then tried to speak on music in north Long Beach, CA, where Staples is from.

On the other hand, simply because citizen journalism might not be necessary right now in Hip-Hop, does not mean that it should not exist. There are plenty of times where audience members are the only ones besides the artists who even have a clue as to what happened at a certain show or event. If Hip-Hop continues to grow like it has been for the last 10 years, it will be too big to not rely, at least a little bit, on citizen journalists.

How Social Media Changed Hip-Hop

On By spaceylifeIn Class Lecture, Hip-HopLeave a comment

As of 2018, Hip-Hop has become the most popular genre in the U.S., thanks to social media. To see this journey, we must go back to the “first” viral Hip-Hop song, “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” by Soulja Boy Tell’em.

This debut single was originally uploaded to YouTube in 2007 and gained a lot of traction, eventually peaking at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. The success of “Crank That” would open the door for other artists to utilize the internet and social media to gain fans and exposure with their music. One artist who would utilize this is Wiz Khalifa. Although having a good following and getting radio time, in 2009, Wiz Khalifa was still a relatively new rapper in the mainstream. Utilizing Twitter, he would interact with fans and collaborate by having producers send him beats. Some of them even made it onto one of his most iconic mixtapes “Kush and Orange Juice”.

Since then, many artists have used social media to collaborate with other artists, communicate with fans, and release new music, so much so that it is almost the norm. One platform that had a big hand in making that switch is SoundCloud. Founded in 2007, it is a platform that allows any artist to independently release their own music without the need for a label. The site is set up in such a way that artists with large followings, and artists with small followings, have the same exposure to those users who have not heard of them. This fair chance makes it so anyone can have a song “blow up” and suddenly their lives are changed forever. One example of an artist who was able to go from unknown, to doing shows internationally, Post Malone.

Post Malone uploaded the song “White Iverson” to SoundCloud in February of 2015, and went to bed. He awoke the next morning a sensation, being mentioned on Twitter by names such as Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller. From this, was able he to secure a record deal and both of his albums released are multi-platinum.

From left to right, Metro Boomin, Post Malone, and Quavo of Migos, pose with their platinum plaque for the single “Congratulations”

With so many different social media platforms, music can reach people from all over the U.S. and even the world. It has made it so any artist can reach listeners from all over, whether they are a rapper from Philadelphia with an Atlanta sound, or a 16 year old from South Florida. The easily accessible music and the ability to self-promote themselves through social media has launched artists to new heights, and made Hip-Hop the top genre in the U.S.