Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Tron-Inspired Light Cycle
The Lithium-power, Tron-inspired Motorcycle | The Smoking Section:
Florida-based start-up Parker Brothers Choppers and Evolve Motorcycles bring a bit of Hollywood to life with the creation of the Light Cycle, a totally-electric motorcycle modeled after the legendary Tron vehicles. The video highlights how green and eco-friendly the vehicle is, but f*ck, saving the environment is the last thing that I’d be thinking about when whipping around on one these. Gadgets like this exist to remind us that, even when your Xbox flashes the “red ring of death” or your computer craps out, technology is still very, very awesome.
Florida-based start-up Parker Brothers Choppers and Evolve Motorcycles bring a bit of Hollywood to life with the creation of the Light Cycle, a totally-electric motorcycle modeled after the legendary Tron vehicles. The video highlights how green and eco-friendly the vehicle is, but f*ck, saving the environment is the last thing that I’d be thinking about when whipping around on one these. Gadgets like this exist to remind us that, even when your Xbox flashes the “red ring of death” or your computer craps out, technology is still very, very awesome.
Friday, October 28, 2011
DJ TechTools | Dress for Success: Marketing Yourself as a DJ
DJ TechTools | Dress for Success: Marketing Yourself as a DJ
So you’ve spent years practicing your skills, you’ve got the tunes, and you think you’re ready to hit the big time. No matter how talented you are, every DJ needs to carefully examine their marketing strategy in order to be successful. Due to the increase in digital DJ technology, today there are more DJs than ever before. It takes more than just good music and tunes to stand out in today’s music industry, and you’re going to have to carefully develop a solid marketing strategy in order to succeed.
What’s In a Name?
Choose your DJ name wisely; if you’re just starting out as a DJ, it’s a good idea to choose a great name right from the get-go. If you’re not sure what your name should be, have a brainstorming session with your friends, and get creative. Your best friend may come up with the perfect name for you! While many well-known DJs go by their first and last names, other DJs prefer nicknames or names that have personal meaning to them.
Once you choose a name, do a google search to ensure that no one else has the same name. You don’t want to run into any legal issues when you’re just beginning a new career. Make sure your name is relatively easy to pronounce and spell. The more complicated you make it, the more the likelihood that a promoter will mis-spell your name on a flyer or an emcee will incorrectly announce it on the mic.
Creating a Logo
These days, many of the most successful DJs have branded themselves with great logos that are synonymous with their names. Unless you’re a multi-talent and a vector graphics wizard, you should consider hiring a professional graphic designer. Your logo should inspire trust, admiration and loyalty, and be instantly and uniquely recognizable.
While it might cost a little to hire a professional designer, a logo is an investment that you will be able to use for many, many years to come. You’re going to be using it on all your mixtape covers, tshirts, stickers, website, and business cards, so it’s a good idea to have it done right the first time. Logos really make a DJ stand out from the rest on flyers and give you the professional edge that many promoters are looking for.
We actually wrote an older full article on chosing a DJ name and DJ logo back in 2009!
Picture Perfect
Dada Life Promo Photo
You’re going to need some amazing photos to use to promote yourself as a DJ. This is where having a great creative team really comes in handy. First of all, you’re got to choose how you’d like to present yourself to the industry, in terms of personal style. Take your time to carefully consider how you would like to be perceived, and make sure that the images you choose complement your musical style. It’s helpful to begin to build relationships with local designers and stores at this point in time. Think of ways you can be creative, and help to cross-promote each other on your online media and/or at shows.
A Promo Photo of Yours Truly
Once you’ve got your look down pat, practice posing behind your decks (or with your Midi Fighter), and then search for a good photographer in your area. Before the photoshoot, send them a few reference photos that you like, so you’re both on the same page about the final result that you’d like to achieve. Make sure to bring some tunes that you like to the shoot, to keep the energy high on set. Have the photographer (or a photo editor) edit the photos afterwards to make them shine even more.
Klaas's promo photo could use some help.
Why invest in photos? Becuase if you want the club to make you the headliner, you will need some photos to go on the flyer! Imagine this:
- Club: Hey DJ Spin Steady Ruckazoid we want you to headline our new club “Crunk”, all I need is a hi-res photo for our flyer by end of day.
- DJ: Ummmmm.. I dont have any photos, will my facebook profile shot work?
This is a super bad look! You should always have a great photo that is perfect for flyers- as well as a website and bio ready to go.
Strong and Steady Wins the Race
Now that you’ve got your logo designed, and photos edited, you’re ready to build and create your promotional materials; including mixtape and track covers, PDFs and business cards. Before you have any media designed, consider your target market, (ie. fans) and think about the imagery that is likely to attract their attention. Consistent promotional materials that use the same color scheme, and branding helps to develop a familiarity between you and your fan base, and will make you appear more professional and organized to the industry. (Hopefully, resulting in landing more gigs!) Bring your promotional materials out on a consistent basis to the world and watch your rep grow bigger.
In addition, you should consider building an electronic press kit with all of your materials in it!
Dressing the Part
When you perform, your audience will want to see you looking similar to the way you appeared in your promo pics . Keep this in mind when you select your outfit for your performances ; if show up looking drastically different than you appear in your photos, you may confuse (or disappoint) your audience. (Unless, of course, you’re like Lord Finesse and you ‘come with more styles than fashion designers’) Clothes don’t necessarily ‘make the man’ but they sure are a good start!
As annoying as it might sound to have a “outfit” keep in mind that people need memorable things to grab onto that make an artist memorable. This could be your hair, clothes, a performance routine or anything really that makes you special. The point is to keep it consistent, even after you are bored to tears with the flaming turntable trick the audience will still eat it up.
Mind Your Media
Social Media is an incredibly important way to promote yourself as a DJ and artist. The best news is, there are a wide variety of tools that are free and easy to get started with. At the very least, you should have a Facebook Page, a Twitter Account and a blog that you use to regularly communicate with your fans. Aim to use your social media to inspire and engage people. Post up regular news about your new tunes, shows, photos, videos and interesting facts about you that fans may enjoy. There are millions of musicians and DJs nowdays – give people a good reason to love you!
One of the main things a club is going to ask is, “how popular is this DJ?” Well, thanks to social media you can actually have a real answer backed up with some serious marketing firepower. By building your social media base, a new DJ is also building their most valuable asset: a reliable way to pull in fans.
Good websites that will help you to market yourself online include: Topspin, Next Big Sound, andReverbNation.
Make it Big In the Biz
Get yourself some DJ cards printed and carry them with you all the time. When you meet new contacts, be polite, and professional, and give them your business card. If promoters like you personally, (and you’re able to fill up their venue) opportunities will be presented to you. Think of ways you can help to advertise yourself at shows; maybe it’s as a simple as a laptop sticker or wearing a tshirt with your logo on it, or perhaps you have a few ingenious promotional ideas up your sleeve!
If you play your cards right and put some thought into your marketing plan, you can turn what you love to do into a fulfilling career.
A note from the editorial desk: long-time DJ TechTools readers will recall that we’ve covered more other elements of promotion in the past. For a refresher, peruse the links below!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
The Best External Hard Drives You Should Consider Buying [Gadget Corner]
The Best External Hard Drives You Should Consider Buying [Gadget Corner]:
Ah, the external hard drive. This unsung hero of the gadget world can be found on almost any geek’s desk, usually tucked away behind a monitor or stuffed in a drawer. Yet it’s of great importance, as it’s often used to back up critical data or store a library of music, videos and photos.
There are plenty of drives available, but most of us only need one or two, so let’s narrow down the choices and see which are really worth your money.
This simple, portable hard drive offers 500GB of storage for a price of about $60 at most online retailers.
Features are few. The drive is a slower 5,400 RPM model, and USB 2.0 is the only connection option. With that said, this drive is quite portable, as it weighs about 160 grams and is under .7 inches (or 18mm) thick.
You’ll receive better value for your money if you pay a bit more, but if enhanced connectivity or better drive speeds are not a concern to you, this simple option will do the job.
There are many options for people who want over a terabyte of space, but most are specialty solutions that become extremely expensive. At $249.99, this 4TB option manages to offer jaw-dropping capacity without a wallet-shattering price tag.
It’s more than just a big lug of a drive, however. It offers USB 3.0 as standard, and optional FireWire or USB 2.0 adapters can be purchased if desired (though I don’t know why you’d want to downgrade to USB 2.0). It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac OS X. And as if that weren’t enough, it’s a pretty fast drive, as well.
Yes, the price tag of $249.99 may sound like a lot, but you actually receive far more capacity per dollar than you would with the budget-minded 500GB Seagate drive previously recommended.
All external drives are excellent ways to back up data, but not all drives make it equally easy to do so. One company that’s long had a leg up on the competition in this area is Clickfree, which ships its hard drives with custom firmware and software designed to make backing data easy.
The C6 even has the ability to image an entire PC hard drive, including the operating system, which means a computer can be completely restored from this drive if anything tragic happens to it. Otherwise, the Clickfree C6 is a fairly typical portable drive. It’s thin, it’s light, and it offers USB 3.0 as its sole connectivity option.
You do pay for the convenience of this drive. The 1TB portable version is $139.99, which is a fair bit more expensive than similarly equipped drive with less impressive (or any) backup features. Also, Mac users should be warned that this drive is allergic to computers designed in California.
Most of us will never place our external hard drives under much stress. Maybe the cat will tip it over – and that’s about it. Yet external drives are appealing to some people because of their portability, and if you are indeed going to be moving your data all over the globe, in a range of conditions, you’ll want a drive that won’t go belly-up.
That drive is the ioSafe Rugged Portable. Machined out of aluminum, this drive is watertight, chemical resistant and encases the mechanical drive itself in a shock housing that reduces the severity of impacts. The company that built it has even shown a demonstration video in which the drive was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun and survived.
A plethora of variants are available from 250GB to 1TB and varying “Data Recovery Services” that are offered by ioSafe to retrieve your data at no charge if the drive should somehow break. Mac users will have to purchase a version specific to that operating system.
All of the ioSafe drives are expensive, but did you think for a moment that a shotgun-proof external drive would be cheap?
Do you think there’s a drive that should have been listed here? Let us know in the comments!
The Best External Hard Drives You Should Consider Buying [Gadget Corner] is a post from: MakeUseOf
Ah, the external hard drive. This unsung hero of the gadget world can be found on almost any geek’s desk, usually tucked away behind a monitor or stuffed in a drawer. Yet it’s of great importance, as it’s often used to back up critical data or store a library of music, videos and photos.There are plenty of drives available, but most of us only need one or two, so let’s narrow down the choices and see which are really worth your money.
Best Budget Drive: Seagate 500GB Portable External Drive
This simple, portable hard drive offers 500GB of storage for a price of about $60 at most online retailers.
Features are few. The drive is a slower 5,400 RPM model, and USB 2.0 is the only connection option. With that said, this drive is quite portable, as it weighs about 160 grams and is under .7 inches (or 18mm) thick.
You’ll receive better value for your money if you pay a bit more, but if enhanced connectivity or better drive speeds are not a concern to you, this simple option will do the job.
Best Massive Drive: Seagate GoFlex 4TB External Drive
There are many options for people who want over a terabyte of space, but most are specialty solutions that become extremely expensive. At $249.99, this 4TB option manages to offer jaw-dropping capacity without a wallet-shattering price tag.
It’s more than just a big lug of a drive, however. It offers USB 3.0 as standard, and optional FireWire or USB 2.0 adapters can be purchased if desired (though I don’t know why you’d want to downgrade to USB 2.0). It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac OS X. And as if that weren’t enough, it’s a pretty fast drive, as well.
Yes, the price tag of $249.99 may sound like a lot, but you actually receive far more capacity per dollar than you would with the budget-minded 500GB Seagate drive previously recommended.
Best Backup Drive: Clickfree C6 Portable External Drive
All external drives are excellent ways to back up data, but not all drives make it equally easy to do so. One company that’s long had a leg up on the competition in this area is Clickfree, which ships its hard drives with custom firmware and software designed to make backing data easy.
The C6 even has the ability to image an entire PC hard drive, including the operating system, which means a computer can be completely restored from this drive if anything tragic happens to it. Otherwise, the Clickfree C6 is a fairly typical portable drive. It’s thin, it’s light, and it offers USB 3.0 as its sole connectivity option.
You do pay for the convenience of this drive. The 1TB portable version is $139.99, which is a fair bit more expensive than similarly equipped drive with less impressive (or any) backup features. Also, Mac users should be warned that this drive is allergic to computers designed in California.
Best Durable Drive: ioSafe Rugged Portable (Any Size) External Drive
Most of us will never place our external hard drives under much stress. Maybe the cat will tip it over – and that’s about it. Yet external drives are appealing to some people because of their portability, and if you are indeed going to be moving your data all over the globe, in a range of conditions, you’ll want a drive that won’t go belly-up.
That drive is the ioSafe Rugged Portable. Machined out of aluminum, this drive is watertight, chemical resistant and encases the mechanical drive itself in a shock housing that reduces the severity of impacts. The company that built it has even shown a demonstration video in which the drive was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun and survived.
A plethora of variants are available from 250GB to 1TB and varying “Data Recovery Services” that are offered by ioSafe to retrieve your data at no charge if the drive should somehow break. Mac users will have to purchase a version specific to that operating system.
All of the ioSafe drives are expensive, but did you think for a moment that a shotgun-proof external drive would be cheap?
Conclusion
External hard drives may not receive the attention of tablets or smartphones, but there have been huge improvements in their quality over the years. Drives like the ioSafe Rugged Portable are stunningly durable, while the capacity of the Seagate GoFlex 4TB should satisfy even readers addicted to torrenting HD videos.Do you think there’s a drive that should have been listed here? Let us know in the comments!
The Best External Hard Drives You Should Consider Buying [Gadget Corner] is a post from: MakeUseOf
Friday, October 14, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Jay-Z Says Lil Wayne Diss Songs Are "Just Sport" | The Smoking Section
Jay-Z Says Lil Wayne Diss Songs Are "Just Sport" | The Smoking Section
Jay-Z took the usual coy route when asked his thoughts on Lil Wayne’s “kidnap your b*tch” line heard in Tha Carter IV’s “It’s Good” and all the assorted verbal jousting between the two emcees. Hova tells MTV, “”That’s sport, that’s rap music. Nothing is going to change but the participants. I don’t even see why that’s news.” Again, the ’90s are over so don’t expect to see anyone bumrushed on stage or physical bloodshed to occur. Wayne’s already presuming there won’t be repercussions but I’m willing to bet $5 Jay pens an offhand response during a R&B feature or future remix appearance.
Jay-Z took the usual coy route when asked his thoughts on Lil Wayne’s “kidnap your b*tch” line heard in Tha Carter IV’s “It’s Good” and all the assorted verbal jousting between the two emcees. Hova tells MTV, “”That’s sport, that’s rap music. Nothing is going to change but the participants. I don’t even see why that’s news.” Again, the ’90s are over so don’t expect to see anyone bumrushed on stage or physical bloodshed to occur. Wayne’s already presuming there won’t be repercussions but I’m willing to bet $5 Jay pens an offhand response during a R&B feature or future remix appearance.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
N4 4-DECK DIGITAL DJ CONTROLLER AND MIXER
N4 4-DECK DIGITAL DJ CONTROLLER AND MIXER:
Four Decks of Control. Are you ready?
Featuring four decks of software control plus a built-in mixer that can be used with or without a computer, N4 is designed for DJs who want powerful capability in a lightweight, portable package. N4 is a complete DJ controller that has everything you need to perform at your highest level: large, touch-sensitive platters, four decks of software control with loop and effects controls, a built-in USB audio interface and a comprehensive mixer section with EQ and gain controls. N4 comes with both Serato DJ Intro software and a 4-deck version of Virtual DJ LE.
Built-In Mixer
N4 is built for flexible control of virtually any music source. You can use its built-in mixer to bring external sources into your mix including turntables, CD players and MP3 players: choose in an instant to switch from controlling 4 decks of software to controlling 2 decks of software plus 2 channels of external source.
Timecode Capability
With the ability to use time code, N4 sets a new standard for 4-channel controllers in its class. In addition to its four decks of MIDI software control, you get the ability to use CD players or turntables to control your advanced DJ software by employing turntables with time-coded vinyl or CD players with time-coded CDs.* Turn N4 into a four-platter controller by adding on two controllers or two turntables like the NDX900 Controller or two TTXUSB turntable.
Essential Elements
Of course, N4 comes equipped with an intuitive layout of faders, knobs and buttons that feel great, provide the right amount of resistance and are built to withstand abuse. Each deck is outfitted with standard DJ tools including a pitch fader with key-lock control, looping controls, and effect and sampling controls. Four Video Fade selectors are also on-board to give you video mixing capability when using Virtual DJ.**
Built-in USB Audio Interface
N4 is Class Compliant: plug it in to your laptop, load the software and you're ready to go. N4 enables USB recording of all your analog and digital sources. Whether you're using four decks or software or combining software and externals sources from N4's mixer section, your entire performance can be recorded, saved and posted to your website or social media. For your live audience, N4 has balanced XLR outputs, giving you a solid, professional connection to virtually any sound system.
Start taking control with N4 from Numark.
'via Blog this'
Four Decks of Control. Are you ready?
Featuring four decks of software control plus a built-in mixer that can be used with or without a computer, N4 is designed for DJs who want powerful capability in a lightweight, portable package. N4 is a complete DJ controller that has everything you need to perform at your highest level: large, touch-sensitive platters, four decks of software control with loop and effects controls, a built-in USB audio interface and a comprehensive mixer section with EQ and gain controls. N4 comes with both Serato DJ Intro software and a 4-deck version of Virtual DJ LE.
Built-In Mixer
N4 is built for flexible control of virtually any music source. You can use its built-in mixer to bring external sources into your mix including turntables, CD players and MP3 players: choose in an instant to switch from controlling 4 decks of software to controlling 2 decks of software plus 2 channels of external source.
Timecode Capability
With the ability to use time code, N4 sets a new standard for 4-channel controllers in its class. In addition to its four decks of MIDI software control, you get the ability to use CD players or turntables to control your advanced DJ software by employing turntables with time-coded vinyl or CD players with time-coded CDs.* Turn N4 into a four-platter controller by adding on two controllers or two turntables like the NDX900 Controller or two TTXUSB turntable.
Essential Elements
Of course, N4 comes equipped with an intuitive layout of faders, knobs and buttons that feel great, provide the right amount of resistance and are built to withstand abuse. Each deck is outfitted with standard DJ tools including a pitch fader with key-lock control, looping controls, and effect and sampling controls. Four Video Fade selectors are also on-board to give you video mixing capability when using Virtual DJ.**
Built-in USB Audio Interface
N4 is Class Compliant: plug it in to your laptop, load the software and you're ready to go. N4 enables USB recording of all your analog and digital sources. Whether you're using four decks or software or combining software and externals sources from N4's mixer section, your entire performance can be recorded, saved and posted to your website or social media. For your live audience, N4 has balanced XLR outputs, giving you a solid, professional connection to virtually any sound system.
Start taking control with N4 from Numark.
'via Blog this'
New Controller From Pioneer: DDJ-ERGO-V
New Controller From Pioneer: DDJ-ERGO-V:
Continuing with our pre-BPM launch coverage, we're following the announcement of Pioneer's entry into entry-level: the DDJ-ERGO-V. It's yet another all-in-one two deck controller with a built in soundcard, and has a feature set that caters to, you... Read more
Continuing with our pre-BPM launch coverage, we're following the announcement of Pioneer's entry into entry-level: the DDJ-ERGO-V. It's yet another all-in-one two deck controller with a built in soundcard, and has a feature set that caters to, you... Read more
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Scratch Live VS Traktor Scratch: The 2011 Update
Scratch Live VS Traktor Scratch: The 2011 Update: The last time we did a comparison between the two juggernauts of the DVS world feels like a lifetime ago. Considering that each side is sporting both new hardware and new software, it seems apt for us to revisit the debate and update the situation… On one hand, we’re not going to reinvent the wheel [...]
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Traktor Kontrol S2- Exclusive Look
Traktor Kontrol S2- Exclusive Look: Today Native Instruments announced a new installment in their DJ line of products, the two channel all-in-one controller called Kontrol S2. This is a more portable and streamlined version of the popular Kontrol S4, which condenses a four deck workflow into a very compact form, using decks C and D as always available sample/loop players. [...]
Friday, August 19, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Create a Great DJ Website, in Minutes
Create a Great DJ Website, in Minutes: "
In the landscape of promotion, there are now unlimited sites on which you can place material on about your work as a DJ. So when someone asks “what do you do?”, which link do you send them? Many DJs have signatures that look like library cards with 5 different links to Twitter, Soundcloud, Facebook, Myspace [...]
"
In the landscape of promotion, there are now unlimited sites on which you can place material on about your work as a DJ. So when someone asks “what do you do?”, which link do you send them? Many DJs have signatures that look like library cards with 5 different links to Twitter, Soundcloud, Facebook, Myspace [...]Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Child Abuse? Pageant Mom Gives Botox To 8-Year-Old Daughter!
Child Abuse? Pageant Mom Gives Botox To 8-Year-Old Daughter!: "
"
| 'San Francisco mother injects daughter with Botox for purely cosmetic reasons. ' |
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Double Platinum BBQ
Hi all,,
Invitations goes out to all to come kick back a relax with Double Platinum Ent and friends a they launch off the summer with the first of many enjoyable BBQ's...FREE food and drinks while you groove to the sweet sounds of music with Double platinum and guest DJ at the helm
Make it a date,,,,
Saturday May 14th,,,1216 Jefferson Ave Between central and Evergreen!!! STAN's Backyard
Invitations goes out to all to come kick back a relax with Double Platinum Ent and friends a they launch off the summer with the first of many enjoyable BBQ's...FREE food and drinks while you groove to the sweet sounds of music with Double platinum and guest DJ at the helm
Make it a date,,,,
Saturday May 14th,,,1216 Jefferson Ave Between central and Evergreen!!! STAN's Backyard
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Happy Birthday Zanie
Happy Birthday to the Kidd; he would be 28 today, still missing you Zanie R.I.P Kidd
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
R.I.P. Singer Nate Dogg. Passed Away Late Last Night At The Age Of 41 ... Throwback Music Video In Memory Of Him: Warren G (Feat. Nate Dogg) - Regulate
R.I.P. Singer Nate Dogg. Passed Away Late Last Night At The Age Of 41 ... Throwback Music Video In Memory Of Him: Warren G (Feat. Nate Dogg) - Regulate: "
| 'Singer Nate Dogg has passed away at the age of 41. According to family members, the singer passed late last night. While the cause of his death remains unclear the infamous hook singer had been recovering from two massive strokes he suffered over the past years.' - MTV.com  |
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Brooklyn Residents Oppose Hip-Hop Club; Claims Crime Will Soar
Brooklyn Residents Oppose Hip-Hop Club; Claims Crime Will Soar: "(AllHipHop News) A quiet war is brewing between residence in a Brooklyn neighborhood and the owner of a Hip-Hop club that will open in the area soon. A group of residents in the Park Slope have circulated fliers throughout the neighborhood, urging residence to protest the opening of Prime 6. Residents are attempting to have the owner of Prime 6 change from a Hip-Hop club to an Indie Rock venue. According to sources, residents in the area recently attended a board hearing to protest a liquor license...(read more)
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Rappers Assemble: If MCs Were Marvel Comics Characters
Rappers Assemble: If MCs Were Marvel Comics Characters: "
Words & Graphics by Alex Delarge of Liveagl.com
If you peel back the layers of most rappers and look past their jewelry, fast cars and outlaw outer shell, you’ll see that, deep down, they’re nerds just like the rest of us. Ghostface probably would much rather be reading an Iron Man comic than finger-banging a groupie right now. Just run up to your favorite rapper and talk about the newest X-Men story arc and he’ll surely high-five you and invite you to his tour bus to smoke tons of reefer and pour wine coolers on naked virgins. This love of comic books probably comes from the fact that many rappers grew up during the heyday of Saturday morning cartoons when so many comics were adapted to television. That’s why artists like Ghost and DOOM infuse so many of these cartoon clips into their work – it’s like they’re acting out their childhood fantasies on wax.
But what if these weren’t mere fantasies? What if our favorites rappers actually were Marvel Comics characters? We have an idea as to who each rapper would portray.
Jay-Z – Iron Man
Jay-Z is a bit of a tricky one but I think Tony Stark best fits his personality (sorry Ghost). When Iron Man is in his Tony Stark persona, he is extremely smart and charismatic like Jay when he’s Shawn. When both men “transform” into their alter egos, they possess an immense amount of power and ability. Tony and Jay also share a confident demeanor in their respective ability, whether it be Stark’s conviction in his powers or Jay’s in his rhyme style. To add one more point, Iron man is the leader of a superhero group who join forces and secretly work behind the scenes in the Marvel Universe. The group is called the Illumanti #jusssayin.
Kanye West – The Hulk
The obvious reason for this match is anger but remarkably there are more parallels. The humble and timid Bruce Banner represents Kanye during the earlier stages of his career when he was working with the Roc. Now Kanye is a force to be reckoned with much like the Hulk. The most interesting comparison is the regret both “characters” feel after their random, and sometimes tumultuous, outbursts. When Bruce Banner finishes his rampage as the Hulk, he tends to get remorseful. We saw the same reaction with Kanye during that infamous VMA incident.
Lupe Fiasco – Silver Surfer
Lupe and Silver are a great match due to their many similarities. Both characters board, both characters are extremely introspective and both spread a message of freedom and awareness: post-Galactus of course. In addition, Silver Surfer’s relationship with and eventual separation from Galactus can be compared to Lupe Fiasco’s label disputes with Atlantic Records being the gigantic planet-eating entity.
Nas – Namor
Namor is not as talked about as other comic book heroes since he was a popular hero during the Golden Age of the ’30s & ’40s. Now he tends to be a recluse and makes appearances only in certain story arcs. Nas really comes to mind when I think about Namor’s character because both men are well respected and have been around for a long time, but unfortunately, both men have become relics and walking clichés of themselves. However, all is not lost. Namor is the King of Atlantis and I would compare the Atlantis people of the comic world to hardcore Nas fans.
Lil Wayne – Wolverine
Lil Wayne as Wolverine might be unorthodox to some but they have many equivalent characteristics. Both had incredibly difficult childhoods as orphans, both needed to grow up fast and both have a ferocious work ethic. I would compare Wolverine’s mutant healing abilities to Weezy’s ability to bounce back so effortlessly from his legal woes. Wolverine is currently a part of a slew of factions and continuously joins story arcs and makeshift groups to aid other heroes. Weezy’s in the same boat as he has a bevy of features and groups he’s in.
Drake – Spider-Man
Drake is considered by some to be a “nerd” like Peter Parker because of his lack of experience on the street. But after his launch into super stardom Drake’s reality changed and Parker went through the same experience when he first became Spider-Man. As Spider-Man, Parker has grown a long list of enemies who tend to attack him sporadically: making him one of the most vulnerable heroes in the Marvel Universe. Drake, with his newfound status, is also vulnerable to rappers (both veteran and freshman) trying to oust him on a “friendly” competitive level.
J.Cole – Iceman
J.Cole literally froze the internet with his Friday Night Lights and has a very iced flow that’s sharp and calculated. In terms of origins, Bobby Drake really hid his abilities amongst his peers while J. Cole also kept quiet about his path to be an aspiring rapper. In many of his early interviews, J. Cole talks about how he waited until college to tell his close friends that he was trying to become a rapper. Bobby Drake joined the X-Men to become one of the founding members to the upstart group. Cole – alongside Jay Electronica – looks to be forming another upstart force in the form of the new Roc Nation. Still, choosing a lesser Marvel hero for J. Cole because he still has a lot to prove, especially with his upcoming debut album.
Eminem – Captain America
Eminem, a fairly young Caucasian man, can be seen as your typical American stereotype but he’s not exactly the role model Captain America is. However during the last Marvel story arc called “The Civil War,” heroes were pitted against each and Captain America was deemed as an outlaw and a fugitive by the government. After the event, he was thought to be dead and was gone from the Marvel Universe for a couple of years; a time that parallels the years when Em was on his hiatus on the road to recovery. Apart from the current stories though, comparisons between Eminem and Captain America exist because Marshall’s seen as a representative of Hip-Hop like how the Cap is the representative of Marvel superheros in many respects. You might disagree with the mantle I’ve given to Eminem, but he continues to remain on top of the pile with his sales figures.
Jay Electronica – Dr. Strange
Dr. Strange is the veteran of Marvel relying on ancient magic wizardry in place of brute powerful force. The initial reason for the match was age; both Strange and Jay are powerful but are in the older category of their respective worlds. However with age comes wisdom and both have proven their ability to be wise in various circumstances. Jay Electronica has a more mature and observant style of music and Strange is often regarded as an overseer/mentor in the Marvel Universe. Additionally, there has been a Dr. Strange movie in production limbo for years with a slim chance of it ever being released. You can draw that comparison directly to Jay Electronica’s debut album. Hopefully, it doesn’t stay in this stage for the same period of time.
Nicki Minaj – Rogue
Nicki matches well with the invulnerable chick from X- Men. Rogue is known for her super-strength and flying ability. But she was actually born with the power to absorb other people’s personalities and gifts. That’s to say the multiple personalities she’s garnered are as artificial as Minaj’s hind parts. Many don’t know exactly how Rogue got her powers, although it’s widely held they were gained during a fight with Ms. Marvel. An inexperienced Rogue went up against the formidable foe and permanently drained Ms. Marvel’s powers and memories. Interestingly enough, Lil Kim is claiming Minaj stole her identity and ran with it. It makes for an interesting comparison whether you believe Kim or not.
Rick Ross – The Thing
The Thing or Ben Grim is the brute member of the Fantastic 4 and he’s known for his popular phrase “It’s clobbering time.” In terms of comparison, Ross and The Thing are big. But I can also picture Rick Ross spitting “It’s clobbering time!!” in any rhyme. Apart from size, both have “bawse” in their blood. While growing up The Thing, then Ben Grim, joined and eventually became the leader of the notorious Yancy Street Gang in lower Manhattan. Though neither of them are currently in the crime game, at one point or another, both where the big bosses (according to Ross.)
Raekwon – Power Man a.k.a. Luke Cage
Luke Cage was the first Black hero to have his own series. His streetwise origins could probably enable him to be a rapper in his own right. However the comparison to Rae is due to both men sharing their home base in New York. Plus C.R.E.A.M. can also be considered the origin story for Luke Cage as well. Luke Cage is a lesser hero in Marvel like Raekwon’s identity in Hip-Hop but both men are widely respected by their peers and true fans.
Ghostface Killah – Iron Fist
Iron fist is the kung fu hero of the Marvel Universe. So it only makes sense that he would be compared to a Wu-Tang member. Fist and Ghost look completely different but I know Ghost would be more Iron Fist than Iron Man mainly because I could actually see Ghost wearing Iron Fist’s mask. The other reason for the choice is the duo both make up (Iron Fist and Luke Cage, Ghost and Rae). Apart they are pretty strong. When both are reunited with the other member, their potential is uncanny.
50 Cent – Nick Fury
This is more of a point to 50 Cent’s leadership and influence. G-Unit was once in the upper echelon of Hip-Hop camps (alongside the ROC, Bad Boy, Ruff Ryders, and Murda Inc.) and the military inspiration for this crew makes it comparable to Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D team. 50’s presence in Hip-Hop culture has definitely diminished in the past year. But with his recent influence on the stock market, he proved that he still has some relevance in the world of money-making. After Fury’s Secret War, the general had to take his fight underground, going under the radar to achieve his goals. Fiddy, since his stock has fallen a bit, has taken a guerrilla approach to his releases, dropping mixtapes and random cuts to take him back to his roots.
André 3000 – Archangel
Warren Worthington III is known to be an untroubled, free spirited playboy who is charming and stylish. He’s literally “fly” with angelic wings on his back giving him the ability of flight. Minus the mutated wings, that same description could be a direct press kit for 3 Stacks. Although the Angel has been through a lot in his life, he still retains that elegant and grace that Mr. Benjamin possesses in his impeccable rhyming ability. Worthington can change from Angel to Archangel at will now just like Dré can transform from crooner to an MC that will tear a beat to shreds.
Well that’s it folks, the list of 15 has come to an end. If you feel that there are some important Marvel MC mashups missing, by all means please add them via comments.
This post was written by Alex Delarge of Liveagl.com (Live A Good Life). Follow Alex on Twitter, @alexofliveagl.
Words & Graphics by Alex Delarge of Liveagl.com
If you peel back the layers of most rappers and look past their jewelry, fast cars and outlaw outer shell, you’ll see that, deep down, they’re nerds just like the rest of us. Ghostface probably would much rather be reading an Iron Man comic than finger-banging a groupie right now. Just run up to your favorite rapper and talk about the newest X-Men story arc and he’ll surely high-five you and invite you to his tour bus to smoke tons of reefer and pour wine coolers on naked virgins. This love of comic books probably comes from the fact that many rappers grew up during the heyday of Saturday morning cartoons when so many comics were adapted to television. That’s why artists like Ghost and DOOM infuse so many of these cartoon clips into their work – it’s like they’re acting out their childhood fantasies on wax.
But what if these weren’t mere fantasies? What if our favorites rappers actually were Marvel Comics characters? We have an idea as to who each rapper would portray.
Jay-Z – Iron Man
Jay-Z is a bit of a tricky one but I think Tony Stark best fits his personality (sorry Ghost). When Iron Man is in his Tony Stark persona, he is extremely smart and charismatic like Jay when he’s Shawn. When both men “transform” into their alter egos, they possess an immense amount of power and ability. Tony and Jay also share a confident demeanor in their respective ability, whether it be Stark’s conviction in his powers or Jay’s in his rhyme style. To add one more point, Iron man is the leader of a superhero group who join forces and secretly work behind the scenes in the Marvel Universe. The group is called the Illumanti #jusssayin.
Kanye West – The Hulk
The obvious reason for this match is anger but remarkably there are more parallels. The humble and timid Bruce Banner represents Kanye during the earlier stages of his career when he was working with the Roc. Now Kanye is a force to be reckoned with much like the Hulk. The most interesting comparison is the regret both “characters” feel after their random, and sometimes tumultuous, outbursts. When Bruce Banner finishes his rampage as the Hulk, he tends to get remorseful. We saw the same reaction with Kanye during that infamous VMA incident.
Lupe Fiasco – Silver Surfer
Lupe and Silver are a great match due to their many similarities. Both characters board, both characters are extremely introspective and both spread a message of freedom and awareness: post-Galactus of course. In addition, Silver Surfer’s relationship with and eventual separation from Galactus can be compared to Lupe Fiasco’s label disputes with Atlantic Records being the gigantic planet-eating entity.
Nas – Namor
Namor is not as talked about as other comic book heroes since he was a popular hero during the Golden Age of the ’30s & ’40s. Now he tends to be a recluse and makes appearances only in certain story arcs. Nas really comes to mind when I think about Namor’s character because both men are well respected and have been around for a long time, but unfortunately, both men have become relics and walking clichés of themselves. However, all is not lost. Namor is the King of Atlantis and I would compare the Atlantis people of the comic world to hardcore Nas fans.
Lil Wayne – Wolverine
Lil Wayne as Wolverine might be unorthodox to some but they have many equivalent characteristics. Both had incredibly difficult childhoods as orphans, both needed to grow up fast and both have a ferocious work ethic. I would compare Wolverine’s mutant healing abilities to Weezy’s ability to bounce back so effortlessly from his legal woes. Wolverine is currently a part of a slew of factions and continuously joins story arcs and makeshift groups to aid other heroes. Weezy’s in the same boat as he has a bevy of features and groups he’s in.
Drake – Spider-Man
Drake is considered by some to be a “nerd” like Peter Parker because of his lack of experience on the street. But after his launch into super stardom Drake’s reality changed and Parker went through the same experience when he first became Spider-Man. As Spider-Man, Parker has grown a long list of enemies who tend to attack him sporadically: making him one of the most vulnerable heroes in the Marvel Universe. Drake, with his newfound status, is also vulnerable to rappers (both veteran and freshman) trying to oust him on a “friendly” competitive level.
J.Cole – Iceman
J.Cole literally froze the internet with his Friday Night Lights and has a very iced flow that’s sharp and calculated. In terms of origins, Bobby Drake really hid his abilities amongst his peers while J. Cole also kept quiet about his path to be an aspiring rapper. In many of his early interviews, J. Cole talks about how he waited until college to tell his close friends that he was trying to become a rapper. Bobby Drake joined the X-Men to become one of the founding members to the upstart group. Cole – alongside Jay Electronica – looks to be forming another upstart force in the form of the new Roc Nation. Still, choosing a lesser Marvel hero for J. Cole because he still has a lot to prove, especially with his upcoming debut album.
Eminem – Captain America
Eminem, a fairly young Caucasian man, can be seen as your typical American stereotype but he’s not exactly the role model Captain America is. However during the last Marvel story arc called “The Civil War,” heroes were pitted against each and Captain America was deemed as an outlaw and a fugitive by the government. After the event, he was thought to be dead and was gone from the Marvel Universe for a couple of years; a time that parallels the years when Em was on his hiatus on the road to recovery. Apart from the current stories though, comparisons between Eminem and Captain America exist because Marshall’s seen as a representative of Hip-Hop like how the Cap is the representative of Marvel superheros in many respects. You might disagree with the mantle I’ve given to Eminem, but he continues to remain on top of the pile with his sales figures.
Jay Electronica – Dr. Strange
Dr. Strange is the veteran of Marvel relying on ancient magic wizardry in place of brute powerful force. The initial reason for the match was age; both Strange and Jay are powerful but are in the older category of their respective worlds. However with age comes wisdom and both have proven their ability to be wise in various circumstances. Jay Electronica has a more mature and observant style of music and Strange is often regarded as an overseer/mentor in the Marvel Universe. Additionally, there has been a Dr. Strange movie in production limbo for years with a slim chance of it ever being released. You can draw that comparison directly to Jay Electronica’s debut album. Hopefully, it doesn’t stay in this stage for the same period of time.
Nicki Minaj – Rogue
Nicki matches well with the invulnerable chick from X- Men. Rogue is known for her super-strength and flying ability. But she was actually born with the power to absorb other people’s personalities and gifts. That’s to say the multiple personalities she’s garnered are as artificial as Minaj’s hind parts. Many don’t know exactly how Rogue got her powers, although it’s widely held they were gained during a fight with Ms. Marvel. An inexperienced Rogue went up against the formidable foe and permanently drained Ms. Marvel’s powers and memories. Interestingly enough, Lil Kim is claiming Minaj stole her identity and ran with it. It makes for an interesting comparison whether you believe Kim or not.
Rick Ross – The Thing
The Thing or Ben Grim is the brute member of the Fantastic 4 and he’s known for his popular phrase “It’s clobbering time.” In terms of comparison, Ross and The Thing are big. But I can also picture Rick Ross spitting “It’s clobbering time!!” in any rhyme. Apart from size, both have “bawse” in their blood. While growing up The Thing, then Ben Grim, joined and eventually became the leader of the notorious Yancy Street Gang in lower Manhattan. Though neither of them are currently in the crime game, at one point or another, both where the big bosses (according to Ross.)
Raekwon – Power Man a.k.a. Luke Cage
Luke Cage was the first Black hero to have his own series. His streetwise origins could probably enable him to be a rapper in his own right. However the comparison to Rae is due to both men sharing their home base in New York. Plus C.R.E.A.M. can also be considered the origin story for Luke Cage as well. Luke Cage is a lesser hero in Marvel like Raekwon’s identity in Hip-Hop but both men are widely respected by their peers and true fans.
Ghostface Killah – Iron Fist
Iron fist is the kung fu hero of the Marvel Universe. So it only makes sense that he would be compared to a Wu-Tang member. Fist and Ghost look completely different but I know Ghost would be more Iron Fist than Iron Man mainly because I could actually see Ghost wearing Iron Fist’s mask. The other reason for the choice is the duo both make up (Iron Fist and Luke Cage, Ghost and Rae). Apart they are pretty strong. When both are reunited with the other member, their potential is uncanny.
50 Cent – Nick Fury
This is more of a point to 50 Cent’s leadership and influence. G-Unit was once in the upper echelon of Hip-Hop camps (alongside the ROC, Bad Boy, Ruff Ryders, and Murda Inc.) and the military inspiration for this crew makes it comparable to Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D team. 50’s presence in Hip-Hop culture has definitely diminished in the past year. But with his recent influence on the stock market, he proved that he still has some relevance in the world of money-making. After Fury’s Secret War, the general had to take his fight underground, going under the radar to achieve his goals. Fiddy, since his stock has fallen a bit, has taken a guerrilla approach to his releases, dropping mixtapes and random cuts to take him back to his roots.
André 3000 – Archangel
Warren Worthington III is known to be an untroubled, free spirited playboy who is charming and stylish. He’s literally “fly” with angelic wings on his back giving him the ability of flight. Minus the mutated wings, that same description could be a direct press kit for 3 Stacks. Although the Angel has been through a lot in his life, he still retains that elegant and grace that Mr. Benjamin possesses in his impeccable rhyming ability. Worthington can change from Angel to Archangel at will now just like Dré can transform from crooner to an MC that will tear a beat to shreds.
Well that’s it folks, the list of 15 has come to an end. If you feel that there are some important Marvel MC mashups missing, by all means please add them via comments.
This post was written by Alex Delarge of Liveagl.com (Live A Good Life). Follow Alex on Twitter, @alexofliveagl.
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