Hip-hop News Sites Suck
On my blog I misspell words and use bad grammar all the time. But this is just a blog, which started as a personal sounding board to work out ideas for future articles. I never intended to have any audience so I don't hold myself to much of a quality standard.
However, unlike my personal blog these professional hip-hop news sites need to be ashamed of the way they report unconfirmed rumors, steal content, and plague users with pop-up ads.
There's a lot of trash out there but I always considered SOHH's news site to be above the fray. Not so anymore. Today I spotted two sophmoric grammar mistakes on the same page. First, Rich Rock in an article about Kevin Liles' departure from Def Jam uses the word "literally" incorrectly. He writes:
"...Liles helped to build the Def Jam brand and was integral in the re-signing of LL Cool J to a new contract when the superstar emcee who literally built the label threatened to leave."
LL may have figuratively built the label, but I'm sure he didn't literally grab his saw and hammer and do work on their offices. On the left side of that same page under "Ya Heard!" it describes Common as a "prolific" artist. This word is commonly misused to mean "profound." Too Short, Tupac, and Jay Z had prolific careers, or in other words they made a lot of music. Period. The word doesn't mean anything else.
I admit these are small slips by SOHH, but dag...they're like the standard of online hip-hop right now yet their writing would only get a B in my English class. I can't wait until my blog fam finally gets this network going. At least then the online hip-hop world will have an alternative to the low quality that's out there.
February 12, 2004 in Commentary | Link Me | Related Searches | Related Music
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Holleration
Looks like this Grammar Nazi has quite the double standard. You've even got ads on this page, so you're probably making money off of this site, yet your typos are acceptable, while two of SOHH's have somehow undermind all credibility.
I personally believe that SOHH lost their credibility when they started trying to use slang in every other sentence of their articles. I've heard DJs yelling over mixtapes that make as much sense as some of their stuff. Maybe Whoo Kid's "Hood News" will put them out of business?
Note: you said that Tupac, et al had "profilic" careers. That's not even a word.
Posted by: No name at Feb 13, 2004 11:46:34 AM
It takes a real stand up guy to not add their name to a comment. Anyway, I agree with you, Diesel. Hip Hop news sites SHOULD be held to a highter standard. I guessing the writers their do get paid. If I write a piece for a print publication I expect to be corrected if I made some of the grammatical errors you pointed out in your entry.
However, I believe, even as bloggers, that we should attempt to raise our standards and continue to improve the quality of our writing. That's my challenge and I know I don't always get it right.
Posted by: METALFACE at Feb 23, 2004 9:47:42 AM
Agreed.
Shit, I even held myself to some standard by proofreading after writing - I doubt most sucker pro hip-hop journalists do the same.
Let me know about that network so I can feel motivated to just start hha from scratch, or something. Later.
Posted by: Jon at Feb 23, 2004 7:20:56 PM
whattup jon... madison...
well, the network is up and running.
http://www.stinkzone.com/blogship/main/
jon... good to see you back in the b-sphere. If you want to talk about writing entries directly into the network site, as opposed to pinging it from another site... let me know. That might save you some time and effort. I got the CC: between you and Madison. I'll hit you off with an email.
Posted by: eric at Feb 25, 2004 1:14:46 AM
You make perfect sense in that there needs to be a standard for Hip Hop journalism on all levels.
Although slang is natural and sometimes vital to the picture being painted, slang for the sake of slang is "wack".
Those references you pointed out reminded me of people I would come across that would come with so much slang I couldn't wait to walk away and mock them.
I mean, on the reals, you know, for real for real, that's wack. They need to chill all that frontin', cuz that wack sh*t ain't cool. They got me twisted, dog...for real! You feel me?!
What?
Posted by: hiphopcommentary at Mar 2, 2004 11:46:40 PM
Ay yo?
What do I have to do to be down with the network?
Holla at me.
Posted by: hiphopcommentary at Mar 2, 2004 11:57:25 PM
Im just sitting watching the VMA's and i had to turn the channel cause im just dissappointed that this generations thinks that these commercial rappers are the best. They rap with ABC lyrics. Its not like it use to be back then when everyone was creative. We have some sick underground emmcees that are so good with word play and creativity but no respect is handed to them cause they dont rapp about the major sins of the world which is woman, money, drugs and drinking. I cant even watch TV or vidoes no more cause all they do is show off there cars and houses on shows like cribs. Im dissappointed with the black folks in the commercial hip cause they think there doing something good for the community but all they are doing is destroying it but i would be considered a hater for saying this but its true cause no one raps about whats happening in the world or educated the kids but after all cooperations are controlling them with money which is understandable cause black folks have been selling out sense day one. People like Nelly, twista, R Kelly,and cash moeny boys are ridiculous. I would like to say thanks to them for selling out.
Posted by: Donald Wilson at Aug 29, 2004 7:42:07 PM
I think the game's so phony now because rappers rap and make videos about stuff they have now, which is the fronts the cars the women. but me personally i like and i write about stuff i do for real. i like kanye west because he made himself a legend off of lyrics that people are experiencing now. That is the kind of hip hop that inspires me as a writer. If i went commercial coming from Schenectady(Albany) NY i'm talking in my lyrics about all my cars or all my money because I DON'T HAVE IT and if i'm blessed i still won't have it because i'm a rapper that came up through handouts and sec 8 and i'll rap about it cause quite frankly to be honest i keep everything honest when it comes to my lyrics. but ppl will continue to buy it not necessarily because of what they're saying but because of the beat and instrumentals behind the lyrics. kanye raps about dropping out of school his accident and becoming successful. PPl really get hooked to his music becuase of his beats. so what i'm saying is no matter what ur saying keeping it real or not as long as that beat catches the listener's attention within 8 seconds on playing the song u can say whatever u want just look at eminem he makes millions from talking about his wife and kids
Posted by: Marco Mac at Nov 21, 2005 3:36:32 PM
c323t
Posted by: ma132zda at Dec 13, 2007 6:06:20 AM
Quite interesting fact about to misspell words and use bad grammar all the time,in start you should get problems,but grammar is not hard,can understand it easily.
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Posted by: Dissertation at Dec 26, 2010 11:48:14 PM
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