A Hip -Hop History Lesson
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THE LATEST NEWS FROM HIP -HOP BY BRIAN GARRITY »INTERNET RADIO PLANS A Hip -Hop History Lesson DAY OF SILENCE Internet radio With Rap Under Fire Again, Will Industry Fallout Repeat Itself? supporters are planning a "day of silence" in Maybe this sounds familiar: Hip -hop, coming off a Delores Tucker, chairman of the Na- protest over the new year of declining sales and bemoaning a lack of new tional Political Congress of Black royalty rate structure superstar talent, sees its problems further mount as Women, helped ante pressure on Time recently upheld by the a firestorm of media controversy swirls around its Warner and WMG by attending a Copyright Royalty lyrical content and video imagery. shareholders meeting and denounc- Board. On May 8, all Major label groups are accused of profiteering ing the company's support of hip -hop. participating web - from racial, sexual and socio- economic exploitation. The current flap over hip -hop casters will not air any With a variety of watchdog organizations on the at- comes at a sensitive time for publicly content for the day. The tack and fears of legislative intervention looming, traded companies like WMG, which initiative is being organized by the Radio the recording industry attempts to police hip -hop has made building its urban music ef- and Internet Newsletter. content in an effort to find the "delicate balance be- forts a priority under the leadership Internet radio operators tween artists' rights to express themselves and the le- of CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. and U.S. and supporters contend gitimate concerns of parents and corporate respon- recorded music CEO Lyor Cohen, and that the higher royalty sibility." Complaints by artists of the potential for a is attempting to pursue a merger with rates will cause most chilling effect on creativity follow. EMI. Should the scandal intensify and online radio stations to Only the year isn't 2007 -it's 1995. And Warner spook investors, that could cause a go out of business. Music Group (WMG) -which had already been taking dip in the company's already fragile A release by THA DOGG POUND was the »>EMINEM heat for years for so- called "gangsta rap" releases tipping point of an earlier media firestórm stock price, which in turn could cause EYES DETROIT by Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, and hardcore re- over hip -hop, in 1995: problems for its consolidation strat- VENUE leases like Ice -T's Body Count via its lnterscope/Death egy, analysts say. Sources have confirmed Row -unit -sees the issue come to a head in the media to be seen. In a bid to mute the genre's current critics, But Hilary Rosen, former chairman /CEO of the that rapper Eminem is with a pending release from Snoop crew the Hip -Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), a group RIAA and now an industry consultant, says there is a negotiating with Live members Tha Dogg Pound. led by Def Jam Records co- founder Russell Simmons key difference between earlier hip -hip content con- Nation to lease and As the current public debate and NAACP head Benjamin Chavis, is recommending troversies she helped guide the music business operate the 818 - over racially charged and sexist that the recording industry and broadcasters voluntar- through and the current one: In the current crisis there capacity St. Andrews content in hip -hop rages (see ily bleep and /or delete the words "bitch," "ho" and the is no one record company or artist that has emerged Hall in downtown opinion piece, page 4), it is im- "n word" from songs. The recommendation follows a as a focal point of criticism. Detroit. Live Nation, portant to remember that con- widely reported meeting of the leaders of the hip -hop Still, Rosen warns that hip -hop remains an easy which owns and troversies in a genre that special- community in the wake of the Don Imus controversy. target for politicians and culture critics and that its operates the hall, would not comment, but izes in controversy are cyclical and to Of course, radio and MTV already police such con- ability to avoid the threat of regulation and further reports say the deal be expected. But should media scrutiny of the issue tent to a large extent, and labels often release "clean" media criticism will hinge on its ability to lead the would give Eminem intensify, it is also noteworthy that such situations and "explicit" versions of hip -hop and rap albums. conversation by asking hard questions about itself. control of the venue's can also have serious implications for the power dy- But HSAN CEO Chavis says more can be done. He So far labels are yet to announce support for liquor license and day - namics in the music business, depending on how argues that there is no consistency or standard used HSAN's recommendations or suggest other meas- to -day operations. Live companies react to public pressure. in editing clean versions of records. ures. And no further meetings involving label heads Nation would retain In the last major go- around on hip -hop content, "It's not banning," Chavis says. "It is deleting, bleep- have been scheduled. property rights and now more than a decade old (though certainly there ing and removing those from clean versions, which the "Those who want to batten down the hatches and booking control. have been numerous other smaller controversies music industry is supposed to do anyway." wait for this to blow over can achieve that. Because »> NO PROFITS since), the issue wouldn't go away until WMG parent The Rev. Al Sharpton, for his part, has pledged to it will," Rosen says. "But those who want to see new IN SIGHT FOR Time Warner made the fateful decision to rid itself buy stock in companies that release and broadcast progressive values move into this area will view this SANCTUARY of its 50% stake in Interscope Records -a move that hip -hop, in order to put additional pressure on the as an opportunity." British indie Sanctuary has haunted WMG ever since. industry to better police lyrical content. Group warns that its What it will take to quiet the current dispute remains That approach has precedents as well. In 1995, C. Additional reporting by Mariel Concepcion. recorded product division "continues to suffer," adding that it would not achieve overall BY LEILA COBO profitability until 2008 or later. In a trading update to the London Stock Exchange, Sanctuary said SMALL LABELS WIN BIG its merchandising and artist services divisions Indie Artists, New Styles Dominate Billboard Latin Awards "continue to be successful," and that its In a year awash in reggaetón still comprises more than 50% two awards each -including trading stays in line with and pop, the big winner at the of all Latin music sales. But it maverick urban bachata group management's 2007 Billboard Latin Music also highlighted the possibili- Aventura, which records for an- expectations. Awards was a romantic regional ties open to new labels and new other indie, Premium Latin. Mexican singer with both youth acts at a time when the Latin The Billboard Latin Music Compiled by Chris M. and adult appeal. music industry is undergoing Awards aired live April 26 on Walsh. Reporting by Antony Bruno, Mariano Barba, who records dramatic changes. the Telemundo network from Alexandra Cahill, for small indie Three Sound Indeed, no big acts domi- the BankUnited Center in Jonathan Cohen, Brian Records, and who was a virtual nated this year's winners list, Miami. Finalists and winners Garrity, Larry LeBlanc, unknown until last year, took which often reflected alterna- are determined by their per- Todd Martens, Mitchell home four awards including tive marketing and unconven- formances in the Billboard Peters and Reuters. Hot Latin Song of the year for tional styles. Following Barba charts. For a complete list of "Aliado del Tiempo." in sheer number of wins was winners, see billboard.com; For 24/7 news and Barba's win underlined the pop phenom RBD, which won for more Billboard Latin Mu- 1_ analysis on your iJ mobile device, go to: continued importance of the re- three awards. Beyond that, sic Conference coverage, see m o b i l e. b i l l bo a rd. b i z. gional Mexican market, which nearly a dozen acts took home page 10. 8 BILLBOARD I MAY 5, 2007 www.americanradiohistory.com.