Beats 'n Bytes: Here's 10 Things You Need To Know in Hip-Hop + Tech
Okayplayer's 'Beats 'n Bytes' is here to keep you at the front of all things hip-hop and tech. Check out some of our latest discoveries of New York Social Media Week in 2017.
Legends of The Summer shot by Yusuf Muhammad.
Editor's Note: This story was originally published in February 2017 and has been updated to include more tech updates from our Beats 'n Bytes series in 2017.
Greetings Techsters!
It’s Social Media Week here in New York City and the digital scene is buzzing all about it. Okayplayer was on site all week learning about some of the biggest upcoming tech innovations in the music industry, with hip-hop always on our mind.
We're always excited about the latest tech innovations in hip-hop, and our 2017 Beats n Bytes series had a collection of some of the biggest.
Here is our Beats 'n Bytes round-up of ten things you need to know about hip-hop and tech this week.
--
Jay Z is planning a VC fund. Here’s how his investments are doing.
Jay Z is getting serious about investing in startups with plans to create his own venture capital firm with long-time partner and Roc Nation co-founder Jay Brown. They plan to focus on seed investments in young startups.
Spotify to Host Podcast about Hip Hop Exec Chris Lighty
The music streaming service announced Thursday three new podcasts that all look at a different facet of the music industry, from TV's top music moments to the career of hip-hop executive Chris Lighty, who died in 2012.
Snapchat has started selling its Spectacles camera glasses online
Starting Monday, Snapchat will also sell its camera-equipped sunglasses on its website. Anyone in the US can order a pair of the $130 glasses, which record 10-second video clips and connect to the Snapchat app.
Frank Ocean Debuts Radio Show on Apple Music Featuring an Interview with None Other Than Jay Z
Frank Ocean returns to the spotlight after his announcement of “Blonde Radio” - his first Beats 1 Radio Show. The first episode features Ocean interviewing Apple Music’s enemy Jay Z about music accessibility and how streaming has made music consumption more inclusive.
The Nokia 3310 is Officially Back
Nokia is planning on tapping into our nostalgia by resurrecting the classic 3310 phone. The phone possesses basic web browsing capabilities, a 2.0 megapixel camera and an updated version of the addicting game Snake.
Backseat Freestyle: Russell Simmons & T-Pain Present Spotify's 'Traffic Jams' in New York City
Traffic Jams is a video series by All Def Digital and Spotify that pairs one rapper and one producer — who have never worked together before — and drops them in the backseat of a SUV in rush-hour traffic. The mission: create a brand new song on-camera before arriving at a venue and then perform that song live.
Big Sean Awarded Key to City of Detroit
Big Sean was awarded the key to his native Detroit at a ceremony Saturday afternoon, with the rapper honored for his contributions through the Sean Anderson Foundation. "The mayor said he's given it to three people... Stevie Wonder, Berry Gordy, and me. I'm the youngest person to receive this," Big Sean said.
Drake’s ‘More Life’ Spends a Second Week at No. 1, Boosted by 253 Million Streams
Last week Drake set a new streaming record on the music charts, and even with a big drop in Week 2, he is still surpassing the old record — his own.
MTV Launches 'My Super Sweet 16' Casting Call on Musical.ly
MTV is reviving mid-2000s hit My Super Sweet 16 with the help of a modern day social network. The cable net has partnered with Musical.ly, an app for creating and sharing short, looping videos set to popular music, to cast an upcoming episode of the forthcoming series.
It’s Not Their Pop Idol, but a Bot. Fans Cheer Anyway.
For celebrities who already use Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat to lend a personal touch to their interactions with fans, the next frontier of social media is a deliberately impersonal one: chatbots, a low-level form of artificial intelligence that can be harnessed to send news updates, push promotional content and even test new material.
--
Jesse Kirshbaum has been in the trenches of the music business, specializing in securing talent for concerts, tours and endorsement deals for his various clients and brand partners internationally. He founded Nue Agency (a creative agency, recently named to Inc Mag's 500 list as the 3rd fastest growing Media Company in America) to sit at the center of culture, brands and technology. He is the host of Hot 97’s new web series Hot In Tech, an authority in Music Tech culture, news and events. Jesse is also the executive producer for both the hit digital series #CRWN and The Annual FlashFWD Awards, which honors premiere stars in Music Tech. @JesseKay on Twitter & Instagram.
