Key Opinions With DDot Omen
DDot Omen is a blogger/Producer/Manager from the US. He is one of the leading voices within the online Hip Hop community who has played a significant role in establishing new music and artists over the years…and we don’t agree on much.
We don’t agree on much because we have our own opinions and perspective. In a space that is virtually lawless, where monetary value is governed by the highest ranking site or traffic, opinion is king. A respected opinion introduces the new new to a new audience… its a very simple but productive powerful dynamic.
The opinion carries more weight than any marketing campaign, it has a greater legacy than any spot play on a radio station or article in a disposable publication. It provides a historical reference point that tells the story of that moment.
Bloggers are like open source coders that loosely, but collectively document the culture. They are the unsung heroes that are constantly writing history. Because of their spontaneity and ability to post in real time, they overshadow but fuel the content for magazines and radio stations that still work on an archaic 9 to 5 time frame.
Like DJs they rarely get the respect that they deserve, they perform a thankless task that often goes unnoticed by the music industry and the artists that benefit from it. Established artists that were established thanks to a series of posts by a collective of online voices often ‘forget’ who helped build their fanbase or empowered their artistry to attract enough heat to get a deal.
So why do they do it? Out of love?
In some cases yes, but probably more out of demand. Fans are starved of a concise perspective and want some type of context. In an age where once relevant publications scrape for relevance via click bait and re-hashed tweeted instagram posts are passed of as news, agenda free articulate opinions are valued more than ever.
Whilst in the UK, I caught up with my good friend DDot Omen for the ‘HipHop Raised Me’ podcast where he broke down his own online journey, the impact of the net, and of course the current developing story/trending topic, Joe Budden.
Subscribe here for future episodes of the ‘Hip Hop Raised Me’ Podcast.
‘Hip Hop Raised Me’ the book will be out on October 6th via Thames & Hudson, and is available to pre-order right now, right here.
To coincide with the book, the official ‘Hip Hop Raised Me’ 3 x CD compilation album is out on October 7th and available to pre-order. Tickets to the ‘Hip Hop Raised Me’ show are available to purchase now via www.gigsandtours.com.
