So You Want To Keep This Website Going

The moment both of you have been dreading is here. It's high time I address just exactly what the hell this blog is, what it was supposed to be, what it could be in the future, and how we can get there together. I know that what you mostly care about is what's going to change over here at HHID, but I have to tell you a story first.



Once upon a time, back in 2007, I started Hip Hop Isn't Dead as a way to keep my writing skills sharp in between projects. Although album reviews, especially those centered around hip hop, were in plentiful supply, I figured I could jump into the fray with my own style (read: honesty, sarcasm, and honest sarcasm) leading the way. A fanbase generated around me, which I'm forever grateful for, as it meant that there was clearly an audience for music critique that wasn't afraid to point out just how goddamn silly all of this was in the first place.

The basic concept I started with was to review artists by looking at their entire body of work, charting their growth, their regression, their influences, and how they ended up influencing the younger class. I did so through track-by-track reviews to not just provide running commentary in the event that you may have been listening to the album in that moment, but in the hopes of discovering unsung gems, both for my playlist and yours. This may have been too good of an idea, or perhaps it's just in my nature to bite off more than I could chew, but instead of finishing up with an artist's back catalog, I'd jump to an altogether unrelated rapper, group, or tangent and start the process all over again. This has led to a lengthy list of topics in the sidebar, but only a handful of rappers and groups whose discographies I've actually completed. I've lost the plot, as they say.

So. What I'm doing with Hip Hop Isn't Dead is reconfiguring just whatever the hell this has morphed into over the years. First things first: I have to get back to the project, I have to finish what I started, even if it's only for my own well-being at this point. What this means is that there won't be any more flights of fancy on HHID, no more random artists thrown into the mix just because. And, of course, by "no more" I mean "I reserve the right to do whatever the fuck I want", but ultimately I need to focus on the project in order to see it through. You may read that as "oooh, Max is trying to end the blog," and you wouldn't be wrong: this thing isn't sustainable, and everything ends eventually. Keep in mind, though, that this project will take me quite a while to get through, since the artists on my permanent list keep continuing to release albums for some fucking reason. Who's on this permanent list? Stay tuned, as I plan on posting that very soon, because if you're anything like me, you like knowing what you're getting in to.

Does this mean Max is done with the RandoMax Radio mix posts, the random articles about Billboard charts and the XXL Freshman Class of 2012? Nah. But it does mean that the output on HHID may slow down a bit (he says, having just come back from a month-long hiatus that lasted for almost two months). How can you combat this? Leaving comments helps: HHID was always designed to function as a way for like-minded hip hop heads to discuss music. Sharing blog posts with your followers on social media (I really have to get that Facebook page back in order) is another good way to help out. You can always engage directly with me over on Twitter @hhid_Max. Submitting a Reader Review is another idea: sometimes the best way to have a conversation about your favorite album is to start it yourself. The email address remains the same: max.hiphopisntdead@gmail.com is how you go about pitching me your ideas. No blind submissions, please. I don't want to waste your time or my own.

So what now? Well, the format of the "project" has been getting on my nerves for several years now. There are artists and albums I wanted to discuss with you two that I couldn't fit into the schedule for whatever reason, and I'm fucking tired of it.

So there's a new site. With a catch, because of course there is.

Hip Hop Is Done is my new hub for album reviews (and, eventually, other shit) that didn't really fit into what I was trying to do with Hip Hop Isn't Dead. (Hey, look at that, they have the same initials!) It doesn't imply that I think rap music is over, nor does it mean I'm done with our chosen genre: instead, I'm continuing my search for unsung gems, except without any arbitrary restrictions created by 2007 Max hindering my progress. What this means is that I can write about whatever and whoever the hell I want, and I can follow whatever whims I wish.

And there is a fee to read these articles. It is a Patreon page, after all. I'd been looking for a way for you to support the site directly, as these Amazon links pay jack shit, and hope and believe three dollars a month is sufficient for those of you who want to continue helping me out. That's like buying me a cheap cup of coffee every month, and in return you get exclusive access to write-ups for reviews that won't end up published at home base.

(As of right this very second, there are two reviews waiting for your eyes - a look at Dan the Automator's soundtrack for the video game NBA 2K7, and my thoughts on Freddie Gibbs and Madlib's Bandana, with more planned to follow very soon.) (EDIT: Since this post's publication, a write-up for the DJ Muggs and Roc Marciano collaboration KAOS has also appeared on the Patreon. I'm just saying.)

I have some interesting ideas for running series on Hip Hop Is Done, including some topics that have fascinated me for a while, but never really fit in here, such as:

- producer/artist collaborative efforts (see: the aforementioned Bandana)
- producer-based projects featuring as many of their friends as possible
- soundtracks
- label samplers crew projects
- a series looking at the albums in DJ Khaled's catalog, but a single track at a time, as those projects constitute one long, incoherent playlist anyway
- something I'm cleverly calling "Drink Coasters Revisited" (details remain a mystery)
- a series running complimentary to the DJ Khaled thing that focuses on a similar gambit, but from a different perspective
- other stuff

Also, the very title Hip Hop Is Done allows me to flex on over to different musical genres as needed, which will greatly help me if/when I get some of my other ideas off of the ground.

To sum up: Hip Hop Isn't Dead isn't dead, but will refocus its efforts and realign its vision, with the slack being picked up by Hip Hop Is Done, my Patreon site that will provide longtime loyal supporters with bonus content that will hopefully continue the conversation. RandoMax Radio is still very much a thing that exists (is there another Producers Guild entry coming soon? Probably), so you should also subscribe to that, as well. (You can follow @RandoMax_Radio on Twitter if you want to keep up with those posts.) So this isn't bad news: ultimately I want to provide much more content. I just have some annoying habits, such as the need to eat and have a roof over my head, that must be met in order for that to happen, so I hope you find it within yourselves to help a guy out who has made you chuckle at your phone screen since 2007. The Amazon links will remain, too, in case you two think of me when doing your holiday shopping online.

Read/review/subscribe and share with anyone you know that may appreciate my ramblings, and who knows, we might be able to turn this fucker into something interesting.

Thank you for your consideration, and thanks for reading!

-Max (@hhid_Max)