SEO & Christian Rap Fusion

This video is of a Christian rapper (Poetic Prophet) who is discussing the importance of SEO for Christian rappers. The video is a promotional tool and establishes the "SEO Rapper" Charles Lewis as an expert in the SEO field. Charles works for a company called Poplabs, an online marketing firm. Even though the song seems humorous there is some very factual information being mentioned in the song. He discussed the importance of branding, site design, having a call to action, and creating an easy to use interface. He suggested that users should use Xml, Css, describe the doc types, check all browsers, title everything including pictures and content. He also discussed some things to avoid such as using graphics in moderation, staying away from incorrect color combinations, no tables, no background colors, no bold, and not to use italics.

I believe that SEO is very important in the Christian Hip Hop industry because there are so many artists and to stand out there needs to be a way where people can find them easily. SEO does exactly that, so I agree with Charles that if an artist wants to build their following they need to have all their websites and content online optimized correctly for search engines. To find more about the Poetic Prophet click here.

Resources:http://creativewebbiz.com/2008/08/07/seo-rapper-charles-lewis/

Christian Rapper Lecrae on Fox Business

Best Selling Christian rap artist was mentioned on Fox Business news this past week. Fox was doing an interview with CEO and founder of Tunecore, Jeff Price.Tunecore is a company that allows artist to get free worldwide distribution for their music. Generally distributors like Itunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, and others take a percentage from each single or album sold. Tunecore removes the middleman that takes the percentage and allows artist to pay Tune core $10.00 for a single, and $49.99 for an album to be distributed worldwide. After discussing the dynamics of his business Jeff mentioned artist like Jay-Z and Nine inch Nails use his services.Then he mentioned Christian Rap artist Lecrae who sold a million copies of his songs last year. This may seem insignificant that he mentioned Lecrae in a special about his business, but this is a huge step forward for the kingdom of God because its letting the world know that people want to hear truth in their music not garbage. Christian Rap is on the rise are you gonna catch the tide? To view the video click here.

West Coast Christian Rap is on the rise!

         
         The Christian rap genre years ago was not recognized on the level that it is now. Most notoriety of this genre was recognized on the east coast with pillars such as Grammy nominated rap group Cross Movement, Ambassador, Da Truth, and many others. On the west coast one of the most well known, Grammy nominated, Christian rap groups is called the Gospel Ganstaz. As of today the movement continues and artist  on the west coast are making the name of Jesus famous such as Transparent, Cj Emulous, Qheemed the Redeemed, Sevin, Believa, Q God Fear, Minister RMB, Bizzle, and Spec to name a few. Along with this movement of artist is the movement of media and distribution outlets arising such as House of Slap Radio, Breathe Life Radio, and West Coast Fiyah. Of course there are plenty more building the Kingdom of God, and new artist are coming out on the regular. One artist to break the mold and rep Jesus who is actually from Greenville, Mississippi but now resides on the West Coast is Mission.
         Mission is a Christian rap artist who is signed to Gospel Mission Records and is adding a new element to the West Coast repertoire with his Southern type swag and Cali twist. Mission has the aim to reach the youth who are enticed by this Hip Hop culture and influence them to Christ. The West Coast needs artist to step up for the Kingdom and, Mission is doing just that with his album debut called, "Main Event."This is Mission’s debut album, which features Super Producer Spec, and tracks produced by J Reez, as well as Lou Braga. This 14-track album is complete with the smash single “Kingdom Business” ft. J- Lane, “Can’t Be Stopped” ft. V. Rose. The album also features more mellow tracks like “Children of the King” and one of the fan favorites “Together With You”. The “Main Event” album is anticipated to be the hottest debut artist this year. To hear the single "Kingdom Business" go to Mission's Reverb Nation page. The "Main Event" album will be available on Itunes, Amazon and other digital outlets on July 12th. This is another advancement for the West Coast as well as major progression for urban Christian media.

Entertainment Law Today

            I chose to review 3 podcast shows pertaining to entertainment law this week including the Law and Video Podcast, Gordon Firemark  and Thomson CompuMark. These articles all dealt with generally the same topics pertaining to Trademarks, Copyrights, and intellectual property. In regards to the Law and Video Podcast the show discussed how trademarks mentioned the importance of understanding the copyright laws. On the show a lot of videographers, production companies and those starting out in business called in to ask legal questions to help them start out on the right course. One listener called in to ask about the use of The Star Wars Dark Vader character in his comedy shows. The lawyer mentioned to the listener that using known trademarks as a parody or satire is allowed as long as you do not use it to create a new work and claim it as your own.  I thought this was interesting that the use of a trademarks need to be verified on every level because a trademark is something that is legal property. To listen to the article click here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-law-and-video-podcast/id262391771

            The next article I reviewed is also from The Law and Video Podcast in which they interviewed entertainment lawyer, Gordon Firemark. As the show normally does they took in calls from people in the video production arena who have legal questions.  Firemark discussed the difference of fair use and copyright infringement. He stated that fair use is a law that looks at the purpose and intention of the content, so if the content is for educational purposes with no intention to profit, the material that is copy written or has a trademark can be used as long as the intent and motive is correct. That same content can become an infringement if the material content becomes excessive and utilizes the content in a way that becomes profitable then this can be a way of copyright infringement. To listen to the article click here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/trademark-copyright-law-forum/id264628681

            The last podcast that I listened to was a podcast from Thomson CompuMark.  The title of this podcast is called “How The Power of Branding Drives Trademark Law.” In this article there was a speaker who was discussing the different legal battles that go through the courts regarding brands of certain companies. For example there was a legal case with Mattel vs. a restaurant in Canada who used the name Barbie’s for the name of their barbecue restaurant. Mattel lost the case and the speaker mentioned that, “Mattel became too cocky.” They had this trademark and didn’t even want a restaurant to have access to use their name because they felt it was an infringement. This shows me that as the brand of a company become famous the more chances they will get into legal battles over trademarks. http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/room/view_article.asp?name=../articles/Mattel%20Sues%20Barbie.htm

To listen to the article click here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entertainment-law-update-podcast/id313301718

Legal Battles in the Media

        In the world of Television and online television there are plenty of issues that have litigation surrounding them. From copyrights, to signing waivers, and music video infringements, there are so many ways that one in the television industry could get into legal trouble. One must realize that in this business you have to trace your steps, dot your I's, and cross your T's, or else it could end up in a legal battle that could bring an organization down.
        Recently Viacom sued Google for having some of their content on the YouTube website without their permission and they demanded that YouTube give them documented numbers of those watching the shows, and all the ip addresses of the viewers that watch any content owned by Viacom. Google loss the battle and has to give Viacom this info. We can learn from this experience how important it is to require that all content used on websites have authorized permission. To read this article click here.
        Another interesting legal issue is the controversy for Grammy nominated rapper Nicky Minaj. MTV did a documentary and this documentary focused on the rappers story and in the video was a clip of a street drummer, Michael Savely who appeared in the MTV documentary without Savely's consent. Michael claims that he refused to sign a waiver and he was still seen in the video which represents a lifestyle contrary to his conservative way of living. Savely mentioned that he runs a street drumming business in which he teaches kids and the profanity and provocative dressing of Micky Minaj does not present a good image to Savelys clients who expect his trust. To read the full Article click here.
      There is a new trend regarding legal matters regarding the use of music in videos. Todd and Jeff Brabec discuss how things have changed and the procedures in which negotiations are made regarding music. This process entails keeping abreast with all the new technologies, marketing strategies, and media outlets. For instance TV producers should now ask for permission on all media platforms to use music because there are multiple ways in this world that people can view content. In the article it is suggested that producers use terminology that is all inclusive such as stating"All Media Licenses Excluding Theatrical." This will include music licenses on various platforms which will help avoid legal challenges and battles. To view the entire article click here.
     So we can clearly see the importance of understanding legal matters in the music television industry. This is another advancement for Urban Christian Media.

Refercences:
http://www.webpronews.com/viacom-wins-youtube-viewing-records-in-court-2008-07
http://www.billboard.com/news/nicki-minaj-mtv-documentary-provokes-lawsuit-1005103822.story#/news/nicki-minaj-mtv-documentary-provokes-lawsuit-1005103822.story
http://www.musicandmoney.com/articles/115-new-issues-in-television-music-licensing.html

DJ Wade - O Hits the 200th Epsiode Mark!

The Bible says that we must give honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7). Wade “DJ Wade O” Harris is long over due on his portion of honor. He has a Christian Radio show called “The Wade O Radio Show” which has been on air for over 3 years. Dj Wade O just hit the 200^th episode mark on March 12^th 2011. This is phenomenal for radio in general but, for Christian Radio geared towards Christian Rap, Christian R & B, and Reggae & Dancehall Gospel this is truly spectacular!

To give a little background on DJ Wade O, he got his start in radio doing a secular radio show at Howard University where he attended. He was djaying longside Nas, Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys, DJ Clue, Fabulous, DMX, Biz Markie, Mos Def, Baby Sham, Ashanti and Mobb Deep. There a came a point where he was fed up and was quoted saying,

“Despite that “worldly success,” I was spiritually bankrupt. I was never truly at peace. I knew I needed to make a change in my life, but I was scared. I didn’t want to miss out on all of the fun. I thought that when I finally grew up, then I would get serious about serving the Lord.In 2002, my life changed. A good friend gave me a book written by former hip‐hop superstar Ma$e entitledRevelations. Through Ma$e’s (now Pastor Mason Betha) testimony, I was reintroduced to Jesus Christ.”

Dj Wade O has one of the #1 most listened to Christian Radio shows in the world! He has a potential listener base of 6 million listeners; he’s syndicated on over 15 different online radio stations. Also he is syndicated on over 10 different live radio networks not including his 3 stations on Bridge FM in New York where the show is broadcast live 11pm- 1am every Saturday. He has over 45,000 podcast downloads each month and counting.

Not only is the “Wade O Radio Show” highly successful, it also helps spread the word out about Christian businesses, books, award shows, the newest CD’s, and the latest in news. The Wade O Radio Show has become one of the premiere information hubs for the Christian Hip Hop community. Sketch the Journalist is a part of the Wade O Radio show that gives the latest news around the globe in urban Christian media. The Wade O Radio show is a radio show that uses music and interviews to minister the gospel to the thousands that listen to the show. Congratulations Dj Wade O on achieving the benchmark of 200 episodes and may Gods continued blessing reside upon all you do. This is yet another advancement for Urban Christian Media.

To find more information about Dj Wade O and the Wade O  Radio show you can go to www.wadeoradio.com

Mouthpi3ce new album:The Flood

 

Mouthpi3ce is a Christian rapper that was born in Anniston, Al but was raised in Atlanta Georgia. Mouthpi3ce is not only a rapper, but a producer, minister, author, Husband and a Father. He brings the gospel through music in a way that people can relate to it. He has a way of captivating the listner with his lyrical flow and smooth melodies. Mouthpi3ce not only writes and produces his own music he sings alot of the hooks on his albums which is not a skill many are able to do well. Mouthpi3ce has a heart to empower marriages and also to reach those who are polluted with the secular music of today.

I came across Mouthpi3ce by first listening to the Wade O Radio show and heard him on this song called "Swagger Daddy" and ever since then I have been hooked to his music. I soon got every mixtape I could find from him such as "Lost and Found","The New Regime" with Dj Sean Blue, and plenty others. After that I purchased his albums like "Reborn Renewed, Reinvented", "No Grey Lines", and today I just bought " The Flood." The Flood is his latest project with some songs from his previous work but, it has some of his best work to date on the album. He has incredible work ethic and has released 3 albums in the last 8 months. His hard work, dedication, and passion should be noted and respected. I honestly think he deserves more credit and I believe that people will wake up and see the truth in his music and  ministry. I am yet to still review the album but  "What You On" (get your free download here:http://www.4shared.com/audio/ThYUNG5b/06_What_You_On.html) is a very deep and inspirational song that describes Mouthpiece's dedication and love for Jesus. If you havent purchased the album please do so by going to :http://mouthpi3ce.blogspot.com/

References:http://mouthpi3ce.com/about/