Word: hipped
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Dash's new business plan fits him like a Roc-A-Fella hoodie. This fall he started Roc Music, the first hip-hop company to produce rock, alternative and R. and B. He's flipping the turntables: over the past decade, pundits have lauded rap for "going mainstream" and finding suburban skater punks far from the smoked-out city neighborhoods where the music was founded. With Roc Music, Damon Dash is formally inviting rock into the hip-hop world. "I've had 20 albums go gold or platinum," he says. "Why can't I have that in rock, soul...
These days Dash spends most of his hours building up his less controversial film business. Death of a Dynasty, a hip-hop-industry spoof that Dash financed, produced and directed, will be released soon. Dash Films will shoot State Property 2, a revenge drama, in February. The pressure sometimes is evident. When Artie (Choke) Alston, a cameraman, shows Dash some backstage scenes on a laptop one recent afternoon, Dash doesn't hide his displeasure. "Everything gets done half-ass with you," he says. Choke then sits on a windowsill, staring at his feet. Dash is hard not only...
Diversification is part of a hip-hop mogul's DNA. Russell Simmons, the godfather of urban marketing, and Sean (P. Diddy) Combs have set the standard. To really make it in the $5 billion rap business, you have to mix more than beats. You have to be into fashion, movies and maybe even a Broadway play. Simmons founded Def Jam records and runs Phat Fashions, a $263 million clothing line, and produced Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. P. Diddy, a star recording artist, also runs Bad Boy Records, a $325 million clothing line and two restaurants...
Prissy pop acts like Britney Spears and 98º are on today's syllabus. Dash wants his people to know that although Roc-A-Fella will move beyond hip-hop, the company won't lose any edge. "This pop-music thing, it's starting to bother me," he begins. "Everything that's hot, it's going pop. What sells now is this bulls___." His cell phone interrupts. Dash spends 10 minutes jousting with a colleague. "It's not my fault that your company owes me $85,000," he says. Dash flicks the phone shut and continues. "We have to come...
...criticism of Dash for pushing liquor to kids. Dash sees a double standard. "We're not saying kids should drink it," he says. "We're saying, 'Hey, kids, you can start a business.' Is it a negative thing when someone else starts a vodka company? As soon as hip-hop does it, there's criticism. It's really funny...