Greetings Family,
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It's your friendly neighborhood "Digital Drummer" again (smile)

Have you seen the latest example of New Media hype???

Ice T and Soulja Boy are going tit-for-tat on YouTube. Now before we get started, let me just say to all the haters out there, that the reason I'm reporting on this "New Age" version of media hype, is to demonstrate the power of the Net and how it has changed the marketing game.

It all started with Ice-T going off in a publicity video for his new mix tape Black Ice. In this YouTube promotional video Ice-T states (amongst other things) that Soulja Boy single handedly killed Hip Hop...WTF!!!

Now it's one thing for a 50 year old EX-rapper to diss a 17 year old phenomenon, but it is totally another for an established legend to stoop to this type of publicity trick to generate sales. 

I mean, shouldn't the music sell itself? Yes, Ice-T is right, when he lays out the history of Hip Hop and insists that an artist should put some type of effort into creating his art. 

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But the bottom line is that art is an expression of the human existence, and if anybody has been in a night club when a DJ drops Superman on the crowd...It is obvious (judging by the dance floor) that Soulja Boy has tapped into something that everyone can relate too.

All that being said, this YouTube beef is now turning into the video version of the 90's rap wars with each artist trying to out do the other and generate followers and fans for their generational position.

So far Soulja Boy seems to be winning, with over a million views of his response video. At last count, a simple search using the key words Soulja Boy Ice-T, generates almost 500 separate videos on the subject.

If you Google the same key words, you get over 200,000 posts on the subject, ranging from Rap icons like Snoop Dog to the international media and established Hip-Hop publications like XXL Magazines...you can't pay for this type of publicity

I've never been a fan of either Ice-T or Soulja Boy. And if the truth be known, Hip Hop was killed by corporate America, commercializing and bastardizing a truly original Black art form...of which Ice-T is just as guilty as Soulja Boy.

Remember Ice-T was one of the originators of Gangster Rap. Now what was worse for Hip-Hop, promoting gangsterism or sexism. Hmmm....ever hear of the pot calling the kettle black. 

But don't trust me...judge for yourself. It's all about Hype.

*** Warning These Videos Contain Mature And Profane Language ***

Original Ice-T Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHCN2bHp_7k

Soulja Boy's Response Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr8B2dnIvR4&feature=related

Ice-T Apologize - Sort Of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7FhIUuo6tE

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