EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s been said that when it comes to this here rap game, rap blogs are the new streets, breaking music and news faster than a bootlegger getting an edge up at the local barbershop. But if that’s the case, then who’s running these here new streets? To find out, VIBE hit what the old heads used to call the digital superhighway and scooped up the 50 best rap blogs in the land. Then we ranked ’em according to power, influence, and straight up dopeness. To find out who’s running the game, pick up our The Real Rap Issue (June/July 2009) on newsstands May 19, or keep coming back to VIBE.com, where we’ll drop the top 50 in descending order, 10 by 10, until we unveil the Web’s No. 1 rap blog on Friday, May 8. We’ll also be interviewing five of the hottest bloggers in the game to find out what it takes to put a pot in play and get it bubbling to the top. As the headline says: THIS IS WHAT IT LINKS LIKE!
Dallas Penn is not an old man, but he’s certainly an old soul, and his website, DallasPenn.com is the exact same way. Less focused on giving shine to who’s next or rap's flavors of the month, Penn is way more comfortable playing the role of wise man, shredding today’s young stars when they forget their history, and applauding the ones who recognize the game’s forefathers.
In addition to DallasPenn.com, his “Internets Celebrities” (internetcelebrities.com) series – a collaboration with Rafi Kam of Ohword.com – has garnered a cult-like following with its satirical YouTube bits about everything from grocery shopping at Bodegas to the crazy creation of G"hetto Big Macs". His commentary on DallasPenn.com focuses primarily on the East Coast boom bap he grew up on as a young kid in New York City, he also blesses his readers with streaming audio of the music hip hop samples, groups like the Ohio Players get as much shine as Wu-Tang Clan. In other words, Dallas Penn is old school and so is DallasPenn.com. Class is in session.
My Name and Age: Dallas Penn (“for real, for real”), 30-something
My Site: DallasPenn.com
My City: New York City
My First Post: DallasPenn.com officially launched during Hurricane Katrina
My Inspiration: Nahright.com, Unkut.com, Dailymathematics.com, Crunktastical.com, and of course, ByronCrawford.com
My Soundtrack:
Doom: For my boom bap dinosaur rap.
Mos Def: For my backpack rap.
Kid Cudi: For my frat pack rap.
Game Rebellion: for my punk rock hybrid rap
Das Racist: My favorite group right now, for my retard rap
My Motivation: The weblog is an extension of my need to communicate with as many people as possible. I love to discuss serious issues with levity and irony.
My Hustle: The job that keeps the light bills paid is in construction project management doing architectural drafting and jobsite inspections. DallasPenn.com makes no money.
My Moment: The New York Times came looking to me for quotes. Thank God the NYTimes doesn't read my blog that often or they would have known how I despise them.
My Claim To Fame: George Bush invented the "Internets". Dallaspenn.com made the "internets" popular.
My Dilemma: Keep the reader engaged and interactive. I want to feature posts that each reader brings into their own circle of influence.
My Goal: Edutainment on the internets. DallasPenn.com is the antithesis of the mainstream media. I am determined to break through the spin and propaganda to speak to people about issues that will both inform and entertain.
My Craziest Comment: Ernie Paniccioli, who is a famous and reveredurban culture historian who becomes a curmudgeon when discussing the recent hip hop trends.
My Advice: Jump out the window like Ron Browz, but NOT like Erick Sermon. Speak about the things that you love and believe in. But mostly, just believe in yourself. People will dig that.
Click on page two to see the full list of 40-31.
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