Lil Hennessy on Tumblr

a link to what my semester project currently looks like can be found here

I've decided to use Tumblr as a hosting site for now because of their user friendly interface, and the ability to access its features on mobile devices. Also, community generated themes are abundant, and they are all customizable. I would like my prospective blog to feature a two column layout, one for my title and menu, and another for all the content. The content will be featured in a traditional blog layout; new posts appear at top while old material recedes towards the bottom of the page. I have a basic knowledge of web design that I believe will be helpful in sculpting how I want my final product to look and function.

Semester Project Proposal

Hip Hop Blog: "LIL HENNESSY"
  
Using my DJ name as the title for my website, my blog will feature writing and information based in the local and global hip hop community. I will use this platform as a way to discuss events relevant to this subculture. Between news and reviews, my writing style will feature an element of subjectivity that gives my blog a more personal feel, as opposed to being an objective news-only outlet. I feel that if executed correctly, this blog will add a a new dimension to my personality as a DJ, serving as a platform to promote my own music as well.

Local Hip Hop News

• New Artists: Chicago has an newly emerging context for young artists in hip hop culture. with new rappers, DJ's, and producers constantly appearing on the scene, there is always an abundance of new artists to report on. I will be using this platform to discuss the material they release, and keep track of their creative developments, whether they be solo or collaborative.

• Tours & Shows: There is also an abundance of venues, promoters, and event planners in Chicago's hip hop scene that plan and throw local shows as well as host regional tours that pass through the Midwest. posting about these events will add a practicality to my blog, and enhance its purpose as an information hub for those interested or involved in Chicago's hip hop culture. 

Global Hip Hop News 

• Album Releases & Reviews: Aside from reporting on local artists, I'd like to feature a series strictly for reviewing new albums that are relevant to the broader global hip hop community. These reviews will be written based on a number of specific criteria:
  
  
  • No star, or numeric rating system: In order to make a review more about my listening experience, as opposed to whether I think it is "good or bad", leaving out a rating system will allow me to discuss both pros and cons
  • Producers: Which entities, corporate, local, unnamed played a hand in producing the beats and sound of the album? What styles or elements did these production teams add to the sound of the release.
    
  • Artist development: Reviews will feature comparisons between an artists material that predates what is being discussed. This will create a context with which an audience can understand how a rapper or producer's style has changed over time, at least since their most recent release.
    
    

Live Broadcast Module

• Aside from being a place to access hip hop news and information, I want my site to feature a module with which to feature a media player where my live internet broadcasts can be streamed through. This way, if a viewer is on my blog at a certain time of day, their experience will be accompanied by my live DJ presence. these broadcasts will be scheduled, so that if a viewer is reading while I am not on air, they may have the chance to plan to tune in to my next broadcast.

"Drama"

• Hip hop culture is notorious for being a hotbed of controversy. Rumored gang affiliations, beefs or rivalries between rappers, and personal issues coming to the light of common knowledge, are all popular trends those in the culture tend to follow. Reporting on these will not be a primary focus of my blog, but be more of a way of attracting a potential audience. Following these ongoing dramas may give people a reason to return to my blog.

First post! I check a blog called Rap Up daily to keep up with important news regarding the hip hop community. Aside from my interests in photography, I am a DJ, and an avid music enthusiasts. This blog stays up to date with important record and mixtape releases. This is especially important so that I can source new material to incorporate into mixes I may be working on. Aside from release information, Rap Up is also a good source for gossip and news regarding important figures, or upcoming figures in the broader hip hop circle. Their writers are incredibly talented, and present their information and news objectively.