Enjoy Hip-Hop Responsibly » General http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com official blog of Sphere of Hip-Hop Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:20:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 LMNO & Kev Brown – Ya Know music video http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2010/06/lmno-kev-brown-ya-know-music-video/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2010/06/lmno-kev-brown-ya-know-music-video/#comments Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:05:56 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=290

]]> http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2010/06/lmno-kev-brown-ya-know-music-video/feed/ 0 Stuff I Got In The Mail April 20 http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2010/04/stuff-i-got-in-the-mail-april-20/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2010/04/stuff-i-got-in-the-mail-april-20/#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:31:57 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=282 I figured I better get going on this again… Every day I get a small stack of CDs in the mail. About 98% of it is unsolicited, some good and some not so much. Some from secular and some from Christian artists. Either way it’s cool to see what’s going on out there.

In the “Stuff I Got In The Mail” category of the blog here I’ll be writing about those random projects I find in my mailbox. Don’t expect to see everything here that I get. I don’t have all day. Ha.

Sandbox Rebel sent me a CD called “Songs for Friends, Family & the Times”. It’s definitely on some indie rock tip with a bit more polish than normal. The vocals are alright. Nothing that says to me “Hey, I’m gonna listen to this a ton” or anything. One of the RIYL (recommend if you like) artists listed is Eminem. Not sure why that’s listed to be honest. Nothing on this album makes me think “rap”. 5/10

]]> http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2010/04/stuff-i-got-in-the-mail-april-20/feed/ 0 Pay to play http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2010/02/pay-to-play/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2010/02/pay-to-play/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:56:51 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=280 Hey you! Yeah… you. Come over here. I’ve got some air to sell you. Yeah, you can get it free on your own but you should buy mine. After all, it’s ministry.

Payola is an ugly part of the mainstream music scene particularly in radio. It has crept into media as well albeit to a lesser degree. If you place an advertisement we’ll guarantee an article or some sort of coverage. If you pay us for a “promotion” we’ll run your single 30-50 times a week even if music testing shows our listeners don’t like it.

Indies can’t compete with that most of the time. They can’t get enough face time to win over the gatekeepers in order to be in the prime spots.

All of this sucks, right? Greed takes the place of letting the best rise to the top. What people are left with is a bunch of over-compressed auto tune flavor of the moment crap.

The pay to play mentality has slowly crept into our scene. You don’t get supported unless you pay. It used to at least be about “we like and agree with your ministry style so we’ll support you but not them” in years past. Now it’s starting to become about money before service and support. Sure, we’ll support you but you gotta give us some money. Never mind how “good” your music is or the quality of what you’re doing. If you pay, you’re in. Unfortunately amongst Christians it’s easy to take advantage. People are naturally more trusting.

When did money become more important than building and supporting the scene? From my vantage point it’s been slowly creeping in for a few years. For the record, I have challenged a few people I’ve seen doing this. Yes, I do understand that “stuff” costs money. Fair enough but I think you have an idea of what I’m talking about.

This reminds me of why I got involved in our scene and it’s reinforced my passion for doing it the right way.

Sometimes the best things in life really are free.

]]> http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2010/02/pay-to-play/feed/ 1 Help Sphere of Hip-Hop to 1,500! http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/09/help-sphere-of-hip-hop-to-1500/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/09/help-sphere-of-hip-hop-to-1500/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:13:24 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=273 We broke the 1,000 barrier about 2 weeks ago. Thanks for the support.

Help Sphere of Hip-Hop get to 1,500 fans on Facebook. If you’re on Facebook, all you need to do is visit the Sphere of Hip-Hop Facebook page and click “Become a Fan” at the top of the page.

You can also Recommend the Page to your friends.

]]> http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/09/help-sphere-of-hip-hop-to-1500/feed/ 0 Daily Download: Cookbook and Uno Mas – Let It Go! http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/09/daily-download-cookbook-and-uno-mas-let-it-go/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/09/daily-download-cookbook-and-uno-mas-let-it-go/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:49:34 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=269 In case you’ve been snoozing… the newest feature at Sphere of Hip-Hop is a hot one. Almost every day of the week a new song is featured in the Daily Download. You can scope out the updates each day in the Sphere of Hip-Hop news section and also via subscription options such as iTunes or RSS.

It’s a great way to discover some new music and re-discover some old favorites. Check out a recent favorite of mine below. Let It Go! is my jam.

Cookbook and Uno Mas - Let It Go - free and legal music downloads

Upon release this was one of the most popular tracks on the album at radio. It quickly climbed to the #1 spot on over 50 stations across the USA and even more abroad. Real catchy track.

Artist: Cookbook and Uno Mas
Song: Let It Go!
Album: While They Slept
Label: ILLECT Recordings
Year: 2006

Purchase at: Sphere of Hip-Hop Store, iTunes, Amazon.com

Download: Cookbook and Uno Mas – Let It Go!
Subscribe to Daily Download via iTunes – RSS – direct download – stream

]]> http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/09/daily-download-cookbook-and-uno-mas-let-it-go/feed/ 0 Inbox is empty http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/inbox-is-empty/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/inbox-is-empty/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:26:00 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=260 Peep game!

My inbox is emtpy

]]> http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/inbox-is-empty/feed/ 0 Get some free albums from Sphere of Hip-Hop! http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/get-some-free-albums-from-sphere-of-hip-hop/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/get-some-free-albums-from-sphere-of-hip-hop/#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:54:58 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=257 Join the email list for Sphere of Hip-Hop Store updates. Why? If you were on the list, you will know about specials like this the moment they begin.

Subscribe to the Sphere Store email list at http://www.sphereofhiphop.com/email.htm

GET A BONUS ALBUM DOWNLOAD
We’ve run this special a few times in the past and everyone seems to dig it! For the rest of the month of August we’re giving away bonus album downloads with your purchases.

How it works…
1. Visit the Sphere of Hip-Hop store http://www.sphereofhiphopstore.com

2. Shop for CDs or Digital Music Downloads
a. Buy (3) album downloads and get (1) album download as a bonus. Buy (4) album downloads and get (2) album downloads!
b. Buy $30 worth of CDs (before shipping) and get (1) album download as a bonus. Buy $45 worth of CDs and get (2) album downloads!

3. Claim your downloads
a. Forward your Sphere Store receipt to store@sphereofhiphop.com
b. We’ll reply with a list of album downloads you can choose from
c. Make your selections by replying to that email
d. Enjoy the bonus beats and rhymes!

Easy!

]]> http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/get-some-free-albums-from-sphere-of-hip-hop/feed/ 0 Daily Download: Re-cap http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/daily-download-re-cap/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/daily-download-re-cap/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:35:18 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=254 In case you missed them, here are the last week’s worth of Daily Download features from Sphere of Hip-Hop. Sphere features many different artists and styles on the site and Daily Download is a new way to discover artists. Check each track out… you might find a new artist to love.

August 3 – 8

Monday: The Runaway – Good Times part 2
Tuesday: Peace 586 – Tree Trunx feat Propaganda
Wednesday: Cas Metah – Find Time feat. BC and Playdough
Thursday: Mr. J. Medeiros – Holding On
Friday: Illustrate, Spokin 11 and Minority – Let the Muzic Play
Saturday: YSG-Timothy – Bigger

Recently we featured tracks from many artists including:

4th Avenue Jones
Ajax Starglider
Freddie Bruno
Mars ILL
muzeONE
Rootbeer
Sareem Poems
Scribbling Idiots
Sojourn
Solseekers

]]> http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/daily-download-re-cap/feed/ 0 Help Sphere of Hip-Hop to 1,000! http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/help-sphere-of-hip-hop-to-1000/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/help-sphere-of-hip-hop-to-1000/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:34:56 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=252 Help Sphere of Hip-Hop get to 1,000 fans on Facebook. If you’re on Facebook, all you need to do is visit the Sphere of Hip-Hop Facebook page and click “Become a Fan” at the top of the page.

You can also Recommend the Page to your friends.

]]> http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/08/help-sphere-of-hip-hop-to-1000/feed/ 0 Daily Download is back! http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/07/daily-download-is-back/ http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/2009/07/daily-download-is-back/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:00:49 +0000 Josh http://www.enjoyhiphopresponsibly.com/?p=250 After a hiatus (about 3 years?) it’s back. Song of the Day is now Daily Download. I wanted to get this going ahead of our website refresh (coming soon) to work out all the kinks. My goal is to mix it up and keep it interesting. Some classics and loads of new exclusives. Stuff you’ll want to check out regularly and also tell your friends about.

Currently you can check the spot for updates, hit up the RSS feed and soon get the updates via iTunes. It’s free and fresh.

Check out the track for today…

Check it out at Sphere of Hip-Hop daily download.

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