The infamous Perez Hilton of Hip Hop Mix Tapes has been arrested under the RICO act. You might be wondering what this has to do with New media. Well mix tapes are a form of ‘new media’ one of the earliest. They are hip hop versions of fast slinging hip hop that hasn’t hit the shelves yet. Mostly they have the support of the artists who are on them.
They are often sold at street corners by people asking if you like hip hop. Sometimes you can find them in stores. The RIAA doesn’t like them. As they cut down on record sales. So they say. The RIAA doesn’t believe you have the right to remix even your own content and distribute for sale. Whether its a no label operation or not. In fact the RIAA want 100% control over all music sales. Legal or underground. Prosecution like this is a sure sign they want to be known as the Grand Daddy of All Music Distribution.
In the world of hip-hop few music executives have more influence than DJ Drama. His “Gangsta Grillz†compilations have helped define this decade’s Southern rap explosion. He has been instrumental in the careers of rappers like Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne. He appears on the cover of the March issue of the hip-hop magazine XXL, alongside his friend and business partner T.I., the top-selling rapper of 2006. And later this year DJ Drama is scheduled to make his Atlantic Records debut with “Gangsta Grillz: The Album.â€
Source: NY Times
Originally posted on January 19, 2007 @ 3:06 am