Before I begin, allow me to apologize for the previous article posted on this blog titled “The Greatest MC of All Time”, or some such nonsense like that (authored by my boss Craig), which many of you had to painfully endure. As someone who actually knows the Hip-Hop industry in its current incarnation, I felt it necessary to respond.

If you were to truly look at the biggest and most revered Rap/Hip-Hop artists of the CURRENT generation, the names you would constantly hear are Jay-Z, Eminem, Kanye West, and the widely misunderstood Lil Wayne. As you can see, the elderly gentleman (by “elderly gentleman” of course, I refer to “MC” Craig) – who made the feeble, yet valiant argument for Rakim – is a little out of touch and unable to connect with the “new school”, or new generation of the hip-hop industry of today. In a world where the biggest names of the genre are beginning to push the age of 40, (like Craig), there has been a void, an evident disconnect between these artists and a younger audience.

Before we can actually get into an educated discussion of things, some framework and foundation should clearly be established, so sit back, as “Hip-Hop 101” is now in session.

First and foremost, the definition of “Hip-Hop” is too inclusive of a term, and should not be used to consider all of the artists who are currently compiled into the genre; however, for lack of a better term I will use it henceforth. For the most part, fans of the real genre would consider most of what is on the radio to be some fusion between pop, house, and rap. Real “Hip-Hop” occurs in waves. These waves reflect whatever sound is “hot” at the moment and are often circuitous. Therefore artists, regardless of their geographic location, must try to reproduce that sound in order to evolve with the changing times. For a while the New York gritty sound monopolized the genre until the industry became overly saturated with it, and the time came to move on to something new (#ontothenextone as real hip-hop heads would say). Texas had its short run as did E-40 and the “bay area” sound. However the next big wave that took over – and the one most prevalent today – is referred to as the “Southern Movement”.

The Southern Movement was something fresh and new, something that everyone – from kids to grandparents – could take part in. No longer was hip-hop about the harsh realities of street life, about being a thug, and about being angry (often referred to as “Gangsta Rap”). The focus shifted more towards dancing, partying, and having a good time.

Coupled with the plummet of record sales, and the leaking of songs prior to their intended release en masse, Hip-Hop began to see a lot more “one hit wonder” type artists. These artists would achieve one, two, sometimes even three popular songs, but lacked longevity and would quickly fade away into obscurity. Some became more household names such as DJ Unk while others such as The Pop It Off Boyz and the G5 Boys were known only by there one contobution to the dance floor. Nevertheless it seemed as though everyone was hitting the drawing boards in an effort to come up with the new gimmick and dance to cash in on this craze.

It was in 2006 that Souljaboy first appeared on the scene, a 16 year old that had written and produced the smash hit “Crank Dat”, with its subsequent dance that swept the nation. Everyone from Regis to Oprah to YOU (yes YOU) felt the craze and the desire to scream out “YUUU”. The song exploded and was even called the electric slide of the new generation. It held no boundary. Regardless of race, age, or economic standpoint, anyone and everyone could be seen on YouTube participating in the dance, often in very unconventional settings. Lawyers were “crankin dat” in the office, the mailmen was “yuuu-ing” while delivering mail, and even an entire second grade class(teacher included) were doing “the souljaboy” in what should have been their instructional time. Yet Souljaboy had no intention of merely becoming the average southern one hit wonder, and seizing the popularity of YouTube, Myspace and other social networking sites, he was the first in the Hip-Hop world to utilize them to connect with his audience. Fans and haters alike could watch him doing his everyday tasks while – through the internet – his following began to grow at alarming rates. Suddenly kids had an artist of their own, someone from their generation that was taking over the industry and was putting it in the crippler crossface. Although he was never a lyrical emcee, each single released had the same success. Presently, there is no song that girls in the Hip-Hop club scene get more excited to hear at a party than ‘Donk’.

As is often the case in the “Hip-Hop world”, once you become too large of a star, others try to diminish your shine. Soulja’s success put the older artists in a state of frustration, confusion, and anger. They asked “Who was this kid that didn’t have to say anything lyrically to gain such a large following?” Everyone from Ice T to Nas has felt his impact. Chants that “Hip-Hop is dead” were repeated in song after song, while Nas even used it as an album title. Ice-T began to post videos on YouTube telling the child prodigy to “eat a d*ck” and that he was the reason for the demise of a once reputable genre. While there were many others who played their role in changing the direction of the hip-hop, artists began pointing fingers at Soulja. They were clearly and visibly upset that they no longer had the same influence and that the sound they brought them their fame, notoriety, and success was the process of transformation. Simply put, older artists were now the ones forced to get back to the drawing boards.

After about two years of struggle trying to find his place in an industry dominated by an older generation who, largely, did not want him to survive, Souljaboy’s track record is what made other’s within the hip-hop community take notice. Whether they liked him or hated him, his music reached and moved the masses. Soon some of the biggest stars within the industry began knocking down his door to be on remixes to his smash hits. Everyone from Lil Wayne to Young Jeezy and everyone in between felt the need to hop on the “Turn My Swag On Movement” and bless the record with a verse of their own. It could be heard on every college campus, at every stepshow, at every party, and was quickly becoming the hip-hop anthem for 2008. “Kiss Me Through The Phone” was in heavy rotation on both the hard hip-hop radio stations and the pop/mainstream radio. The Birdwalk had the children and the adults up and dancing again to another Soulja jam. Hate it or love it he was here to stay.

You see, Hip-Hop is not just a genre of music, it is a culture that transcends barriers of color, creed, and socio-economic status. While there will be many people who disagree with this my views in this blog posting, those who are truly immersed and fluent in the culture and language of Hip-Hop know my statements to be true. Readying for his third studio release, Souljaboy has remained consistently on top of the charts, relevant in both club and radio, and remains one of the biggest artists on the web with millions of visits with each video he posts. Whether you hate to love him or love to hate him Souljaboytellem’ is here to stay and has truly earned the title: Leader of the New School.

Nate “H.B.K.” Jones
Cutting Edge Entertainment’s resident Hip-Hop expert

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

P.S. PRETTY BOY SWAG IS THE HOTTEST UNDERGROUND SONG OUT RIGHT NOW! & ALL THE WAY TURNT UP IS THE HARDEST SONG IN HIP-HOP STREETS

I used to be on YouTube.  That statement in itself probably makes very little sense to most folks that would typically be reading this – my professional blog – so perhaps it needs a better explanation.

Most people know YouTube as a place where you can see funny videos of anything from pet tricks to practical jokes, or you can search a recent news story or music video.  Just under that outer epidermis lie other videos… Runaway viral videos like Chocolate Rain and Numa Numa, Sneezing pandas and laughing babies while others even more bizarre like Chris Crocker would even find their way on to The Jimmy Kimmel Show.

But if you go even farther into the depths of YouTube – and you know where to look – you may just find the strangest thing of all… a community.  All over YouTube there are people who call themselves ‘vloggers.’  The term vlogger is the viral term for the video equivalent of a blogger, except instead of (or in some cases in addition to) writing a blog, they just turn on their webcams or video cameras and talk.  If a blog is a written web-log then a vlog is its viral video equivalent, and there are hundreds if not thousands of these video bloggers on YouTube, getting in front of the camera and talking about everything from religion, to politics, to what kind of toothpaste they use.  The sky is the limit in the YouTube community, and some would say that without the vloggers and the vlogging community, YouTube wouldn’t be where it is today.  I spent a great deal of time interacting in this peculiar yet unique community, and have made friendships that I expect will last for years to come.

Enter Big Joe Smith.

Big Joe was hired at YouTube in March of 2006, prior to the Google buyout   I had the chance to catch up with him on twitter a few weeks ago and asked him if he would be willing to do a phone interview, to which he emphatically agreed.  I knew Joe through my work with the katiesopinion project on YouTube but hadn’t actually ever had the chance to sit down and ‘break bread’ with him (a BigJoe-ism) so I was grateful for the opportunity.  Joe’s role with YouTube – and the last official title he held before leaving to work for Google – was ‘People and Blogs Manager/Community Specialist,’ and what that essentially meant was that Joe was YouTube’s liaison to the community.

Craig: So Joe, tell me when you first got hired at YouTube, did you actually interview with Chad Hurley or Steve Chen?

Joe: No I initially interviewed with a woman who liked my resume, but she did bring Chad in and told him she wanted to hire me.

Craig: So obviously he said yes?

Joe: Pretty much, he said “He seems like a good guy” and the rest is pretty much history.

Craig: So how big was YouTube at the time you were hired?

Joe: I was number 27, or 28… somewhere around there.  It was pretty intimate back then.

Craig: So what would you say was the most significant difference from the time you were hired to the time you left?

Joe: Well I would say the size, but more so the amount of videos being uploaded, the opportunity to catch new content as it was uploaded was far greater.  It was much easier for the staff to hand-pick videos for front page features back in the day.  It was also a lot easier for the staff to pick out who was who in the YouTube community.  Everything was pretty much ‘real,’ or so we thought until lonelygirl15.

Craig: So I always imagined that the staff all had their own favorites, and that played a hand in who got featured, was that the way it was?

Joe: Nah not really.  The company was pretty small then so when someone found a video that was really good we could all take a look at it.  I remember one time in particular when a vlogger named ‘renetto’ put up a vlog about another user named geriatric1927, who was an older man from the U.K.  We all gathered around a monitor to watch it and when it was done I looked over at one of my co-workers who was in tears. I think that’s when I first realized how powerful and impactful these vlogs could be.  I mean a guy doesn’t just break into tears in front of his co-workers unless he’s truly moved.

Craig: So it sounds like it was really a cool job and you really loved what you did yeah?

Joe: Hell yeah.  YouTube allowed me  the opportunity to travel quite a bit, and meet some really interesting people.  I really felt connected to the people in the community especially after meeting so many of them in person.  I went to a lot of the YouTube gatherings and was really able to get to know the people behind their videos, and for the most part they were some really great people.

Suddenly in the middle of our phone conversation Joe breaks out into laughter

Joe: Sorry man, some lady just walked by wearing a YouTube t-shirt.  I always find that shit to be so funny.

Craig: I bet.

Joe: So yeah, I really felt in touch with some of these folks man, I really liked them and my job started becoming less like a job and more like an obligation.  I really cared, maybe a little too much.  Some of the videos were so real… so honest.  Hell, some even brought me to tears and I’m a damn grown man!  I mean I really cared about the community there and that was part of my frustration.

Craig: What was the frustration Joe?

Joe: Well, it had alot to do with the way I was brought up.  I was always taught to help people any way I could, it’s how I was raised and it’s really instilled in who I am.

Craig: Help people how?

Joe: Well my job as the community specialist had a lot to do with helping to get people featured, and I think I was able to do that pretty well.  I had about an 85 to 90 percent rate of success, but it was always that 10 to 15 percent that I just felt like I couldn’t help that got me so frustrated.

Craig: So when did you actually leave YouTube?

Joe: July of 2008. On my last day my co-workers joked “The King of Content has left the building.”  You know I never really told anyone when I left, you’re getting some pretty exclusive shit here Craig.

Craig: Hey man, I appreciate it.  So why was it all so hush hush?

Joe: Well to be honest I just didn’t want to answer all the questions.  It was really hard for me because I was really attached to the job… I really cared.  I just needed that break.

Craig: I know how you feel.  When Katie moved to Los Angeles it was a much needed breather  for us as well… sometimes YouTube could be all consuming.

Joe: (laughing) Yeah, I think someday some people are gonna need some YouTube anonymous support group.

Craig: So I understand you’re working for Google directly now… what exactly is your job title there?

Joe: I work in the Google checkout risk analysis department, essentially I deal with investigating fraud… It’s a much different kind of job.  The product is called ‘Google Checkout’ (checkout.google.com). Check it out man, safest way you can shop online.

Craig: So on a lighter note, what would you say were some of your most significant and memorable moments looking back at your time with YouTube?

Joe: Oh man there are so many… hmmm…  well, one was definitely when I got a video called ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas‘ featured.  It wasn’t that video so much as the follow-up video by the guy who made it, a user by the name of zipster08.  He made a video just thanking us for featuring his video, and that really touched me.

Craig: I remember that video.

Joe: Another would have to be the 7.7.7. YouTube Gathering in New York City.  There was so much that was awesome  about that meet up, but I’m still amazed that it worked out to be so hugely successful in spite of all the drama it was shrouded in.  Do you remember all that craziness?

Craig: Oh I sure do, it was pretty lulzy*.

Joe: (chuckling at my use of the word lulzy) Yeah it was definitely lulzy, but it was really a big turning point for me, it was an opportunity to really get to know the people behind the videos they produced.

Craig:  So these were your most memorable?

Joe:  Well actually, the most memorable of all would really have to be the RickRoll on April 1, 2008.  I was behind that whole thing (laughing really hard).  We set it so no matter what video you clicked on the YouTube home page it took you to the YouTube RickRoll channel. In one day I RickRolled seven million people in nineteen countries… who else can say they did that?  We even cleared it with Rick Astley’s people. Good times man, that was alot of fun.  Check out the RickRoll channel on YouTube, www.youtube.com/user/YTRickRollsYou

Craig: (laughing) That’s awesome man.   So what does the future hold for BigJoeSmith?

Joe: Well, it’s my time now.  I wanna leave my mark on the internet.  I’ve been the behind the scenes guy for way too long, it’s my turn to throw my hat in the ring.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even try for YourTubeAdvocate. I’ve got alot to say man, and I haven’t even gotten started.

Craig: Ok so here’s a more personal question, so please don’t fault me for asking it… in our two plus years of doing katiesopinion we were among the 15% that didn’t get featured… so in all fairness instead of asking you why, let me ask you which Katie video you would have gotten featured if you could have?

Joe: That’s a no-brainer… ‘The Monologue‘ was by far my favorite katiesopinion video, and the one I really went to bat for.  Unfortunately it never made it past the gate, but I really tried man.

Craig: No worries Joe, we were well taken care of.  So what was it about that video you liked?

Joe: It was just so different.  It was a real shift in the stuff Katie usually put out, and it showed another dimension to her.  It really impressed me and I really thought it was something that deserved a feature on the front page.

Craig: So, being ‘the man’ at YouTube, and a champion for the ‘community,’ what would be your advice to people just coming on now and trying to gain e-fame?

Joe:  I would just tell them to keep it real.  I’m all about keeping it real.  I know all the ins and outs and I truly believe in just being positive and getting on camera and expressing yourself.  It’s going to be a lot harder than it was in the old days, but anything is possible.  I’d also advise them to have a thick skin.  If you can’t take the negative withthe positive you really should find some other less public outlet.  YouTube isn’t a place for the – for lack of a better word – butt-hurt**.

Again Joe and I share a laugh at the term butt-hurt, knowing it’s such a YouTube-ism

Craig:  So what do you think the future holds for the YouTube community Joe?

Joe: Craig man, the community is not about YouTube, YouTube is just the platform that aids the community’s interaction, but it doesn’t determine your community.  There are communities all over the Internet, and I see lots of YouTube peeps popping up on twitter and facebook.  It also isn’t just one community, but lots of small communities interacting within a bigger platform.  Think of it like this… If you hang out with a bunch of your friends at a bar, and the bar were to close, would that mean the friendships were over as well?  Of course not.  A community – a ‘real’ community – is about people, and has nothing to do with YouTube.

*Lulzy – An Internet term often used to describe the humor found in the misfortune of others, very much like the laughs derived from slapstick-like situations.  “When the waiter dropped the plate of pasta all over my mother-in-law’s lap, I found it very ‘lulzy.’”

**Butt-hurt – An Internet term used to describe someone who is perceived as overly sensitive, or who complains about their perceived unfair treatment.  “The little boy acted very ‘butt-hurt’ when his mother told him he wasn’t allowed to have dessert until he finished his dinner.”

So there ya have it folks, some inside information about one of YouTube’s finest, and a man who had a hand in the development and growth of one of the biggest, best known and certainly most visited websites in the history of the Internet.   Keep your eyes out for Big Joe Smith, if I know people (and I do), I expect great things from him.  Be sure to check out the links below to his blog, his twitter, and his YouTube channel.

And a big thanks to Joe for taking the time out of his vacation to speak with me.

-Craig Sumsky

 Where to find Big Joe Smith on the internet…

Big Joe’s blog/website – http://www.bigjoesmith.com/

Big Joe on twitter – http://twitter.com/bigjoesmith

Big Joe’s YouTube channel – http://www.youtube.com/bigjoesmith

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

In early 2006, I received an email from my friend and co-worker Pedro Coelho with a link to a YouTube video.  The video was one of a series of videos titled ‘Ask A Ninja‘ in which ‘viewers’ wrote in asking all sorts of questions to ‘The Ninja.’  The short three to five minute clips were absolutely hilarious, and as new episodes, or ‘webisodes’ were released, Pedro would continue to send them to me… each one being just as clever and witty as the last.  This is how I first stumbled across YouTube.

Coincidentally, Sean Gallo, another good friend of mine had been discussing the idea with me of doing some sort of creative project.  I had known Sean since the second grade, and we had both been part of the Humanities program at Council Rock (the schools program for the gifted and talented).  Sean and I shared quite the common background in regards to the creative itch, and we both were searching for something… but we weren’t sure what.

It wasn’t long before Pedro and I included Sean in our ‘Ask A Ninja’ loop.  The three of us worked together at Cutting Edge Entertainment and would sometimes sit together after a gig mulling over ideas and concepts into the wee hours.  We knew we wanted to do ’something,’ but what specifically we had no clue of.  Our think-tank just sat and thunk (or is it thank?), never quite coming up with a solid idea that we all agreed upon.

Enter Katie…

During one of our dead-end think tank sessions one late Saturday night/Sunday morning another Cutting Edge employee happened to return from a job as we began our musings… and that employee had no idea what they were getting themselves into.  Katie sat down with us, and began to rant to us about a date she had just had, and how all men – or ‘penises’ as she called us – were out for the same thing.  The three of us naturally felt inclined to defend our gender, but to no avail.  Regardless of what defense we tried to mount against her absurd theories, Katie was quick with a retort which not only justified her theory, but was in some twisted way arguably correct.  We laughed together for hours trying to shoot down her ideas but no matter what she stuck to her guns.

It was just before sunrise when the three of us looked at each other,  then at Katie, asking “Hey Katie… Have you ever heard of YouTube?”

In June of 2006, Pedro, Sean and I, calling ourselves ‘The Big Wheel Gang’, unleashed the character ‘Katie Sah’ on to the unsuspecting internet.  Katie was the ultimate  misandrist (man-hater) in an internet dominated by uber-geek guys who would come to love to hate her.  Katie herself has said that if it weren’t for the ‘haters’ on YouTube, she would never have achieved the notoriety she has attained.

Over two years and millions of views Katie’s antics have become almost reknown.  Her love for Kelly Clarkson and The Philadelphia Eagles, her male-bashing hijinx and her backwards fashion tips (“Don’t wash your hair girls, just put baby powder in it.”) are all trademarks of a character – and partially real person – known as Katie Sah, the ‘Poison Ivy’ of YouTube.  Katies personae is part of the YouTube sub-culture and will not soon be forgotten.

Katie and The Big Wheel Gang  have produced over one hundred viral video clips (vlogs) for YouTube, while also appearing on DIRECTV’s ‘The Fizz’ as well as doing viral videos for companies like Cactus Tube Amps and Coors Light. The katiesopinion channel on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/katiesopinion) currently has over 20,000 subscribers and is a part of the YouTube partnership program.

Although the katiesopinion project is not officially finished, Pedro left the team in mid 2007 to be replaced by ‘Crazy E,’ or Eric the Drummer.  In the summer of 2008 Katie moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, California, and The Big Wheel Gang have gone back to brainstorming…

-Craig

http://www.cuttingedgedjs.com

Factoid: The katiesopinion episode ‘The Philadelphia Eagles‘ which was produced in September of 2006 has the director of the episode listed as ‘Broccolihead.’  In fact, Broccolihead is none other than Justin Guarini, who directed and edited the episode.  If you listen closely during the closing credits, you can hear Justin singing the Eagles fight song ‘Fly Eagles Fly.’

The katiesopinion channel on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/katiesopinion

If you are interested in finding out how to create your own viral video and optimize its visibility on YouTube, contact The Big Wheel Gang through Cutting Edge Entertainment.  craig@cuttingedgedjs.com

 In the last two months more than a dozen people have asked me about Brianna Taylor, a former Cutting Edge employee who appeared on the most recent installment of Mtv’s ‘Real World.’  The answer is yes, she did work here for about two years before and after her stint on American Idol.  Unfortunately she didn’t get as far as our first Cutting Edge American Idol contestant Justin Guarini (another former employee), but she certainly has the voice and the talent.

Another former employee (and the greatest choreographer I have ever known), Mike Gamble, is currently in the heat of competition on NBC’s ‘American Gladiator.’  So far, Mike seems to have things very much under control… as he typically does.  Since I know Mike personally I am confident that he has more than a good chance of winning, but my gut also tells me that the show – and the outcome – are already taped and simply waiting to be aired.

Naturally, having semi-famous former employees is nothing new at Cutting Edge Entertainment.  Our first foray into pop stardom was with Angela Trimbur, who was one of the original competitors in the Mtv show ‘Popstars (2),’ as well as on the Mtv show ‘Road Rules.’  Also, Monica Devlin - who still does work for us from time to time – was a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader for four years, serving as captain of the squad when they went to the Superbowl and also cheering in Hawaii at the Pro Bowl.

One of my most recent discoveries has been that former dancer Lyndsay Chauveau is working at the Lincoln Center in New York City for none other than Wynton Marsalis, one of my all-time favorite Jazz artists.  Lyndsay has promised that I can meet Mr. Marsalis in the fall if I make the trek to N.Y.C., so I look forward to taking in some cool jazz in the near future.

Lastly, and I think one of the most interesting and unique ’semi-celebs’ from Cutting Edge, is Katie Sah, known on YouTube as ‘katiesopinion.’  Katie is what some might call an e-celebrity, with over 15,000 subscribers to her videos on YouTube and over a million video views.

Is Cutting Edge Entertainment a star-maker? Hardly.  It’s a simple formula… hire talented people and they inevitably do remarkable things.

-Craig

www.cuttingedgedjs.com