If there isn’t something I hate more than lists, it’s lists that reflect poorly on the work we as digital mavens deliver on the daily… No disrespect to The Source or their original Digital Power 30 list, but with the strategic placement of certain publications the validity and the weight is easily called to question. Without further adieu, here’s the REAL hip-hop/urban digital power 30 (in my opinion).
1. Rap Radar - YN (the retweet gawd) and Rap Radar have positioned themselves as the focal point of the hip-hop blogging industry. Every connect you want, they’ve got. Every artist you like, reads their site. Not to mention, as a rapper, you have not ‘made it’ until you have made it onto Rap Radar.
2. Complex.com - Never in my life have I seen a publication create so many lists…. But I’ll be damned if I try and deny that Complex isn’t digitally doing their damn thing. From their lists to their premiers to the original editorial, Complex is killing it.
3. HipHopDX – HHDX is the hip hop authority. A lot of the news stories your favorite blogs posts, originate here. Check the source and the source tags. HHDX is model we all follow.
4. Rapfix / MTV – Three names: Sway, Rob Markman and Rahman Dukes. They are digital journalism at it’s finest. If it happens in hip-hop, you can bet within 24 hours Rapfix/MTV has an exclusive directly from the horse’s mouth.
5. The Smoking Section – No where else on the internet can you get journalistic quality editorial, great commentary, high quantity posts on the daily. Hip-hop breathes for TSS.
6. Miss Info – From her strategic partnership with Vitamin Water to her abundant exclusives, Miss Info has created an authoritative niche for her brand in the hip-hop community.
7. HipHop-N-More – The role is self-explanatory, they cover everything hip-hop and more. Aggregating tons of quality content, laden with opinion, but still insightful and to the point.
8. Rap-Up - Rap-Up has created a home for hip-hop and R&B, featuring both popular artists and burgeoning artists, positioning themselves as a pillar in the digital community.
9. Worldstar Hip-Hop – Despite how I personally feel about Worldstar and their ‘contributions’ to culture, these guys have created some of the most potent content on any side of the interwebs. If only they use their power for good…
10. Global Grind – Misleading headlines galore, but still powerful. Copious amounts of content delivered daily. What other Russel Simmon‘s owned publication do you know can incite a riot off of a post’s title?
11. HipHop Wired
12. VIBE.com
13. Killer Hip Hop
14. Mr. World Premiere (Yardie)
15. FADER.com
16. 2 Dope Boyz
17. Live Mixtapes
18. Karen Civil
19. Rap Genius
20. Al Lindstrom
21. DatPiff
22. Bossip
23. Necole Bitchie
24. All Hip Hop
25. MediaTakeOut
26. The Well Versed
27. Nah Right
28. Fake Shore Drive
29. IllRoots
30. FreeOnSmash
