Photo of DeAndre Jordan and DJ Khalid courtesy of Twitter.
Hi Again,
Welcome to my second rendition of Beats & Bytes for Okayplayer. Every week, I scour the interwebs and give you five things you need to know within the intersection of hip-hop + technology.
My day job is that I run a cultural marketing firm specializing in helping brands utilize music + technology to better connect with their consumers. It’s called the Nue Agency and, as you can imagine, it’s never a boring day working with so many creative brand executives and artists. We really believe that tech is the savior to the music industry, but we can save that for another conversation unless you want to talk about in the comment selection below.
I also host a series for Hot 97 called Hot In Tech where I premiere the newest tech products and interview some of the most dynamic personalities in the tech industry.
Anyway, here is what’s buzzing online this week in hip-hop tech. See you next Monday!
Leave us a comment in the section below or hit us up on Twitter @NueAgency.
Wale, Eminem and many more invest in SockX a Sneaker Marketplace
The sneaker exchange StockX launched about a year about but just closed an all star round of investors. The idea is that StockX can connect buyers and sellers using a live bidding system similar to how individuals buy shares on a sock market.
Maluma on Shirtless Selfies, Being 'Real' & the Secret to Netting 20 Million Instagram Followers
“Sometimes I post something unwittingly that connects with women,” says Maluma of his popularity with the ladies. “But I never think, ‘OK, let’s take a shirtless picture for the girl". Some of the tactics that Maluma toldBillboard that helps drive traffic to his social media.
Spotify-Backed Startup Raises $22 Million, Wants to 'Kill Bad Background Music'
Soundtrack Your Brand, the Spotify-backed streaming service for businesses with a mission to "kill bad background music," has announced a $22 million investment round as it eyes expansion to the U.S. and beyond.
Tidal Appoints Elliott Wilson To Newly Created Editorial Director, Culture + Content, Hip Hop
In its latest push to secure subscribers and exclusive content, Tidal has appointed two industry veterans, Tony Gervino and Elliott Wilson, to newly created roles.
NBA Slam Dunk Contest Features Drone Assisted Dunk
The dunk content was on another level this year. Here is a break down of how a drone assisted previous champ Aaron Gordon on his nasty dunk on Saturday. The night’s big headliner, DJ Khaled also assisted on a dunk while DeAndre Jordon jumped over him and his turntables, grabbed the ball out of his hand and slammed it in. The crowd went wild and Khaled of course, live snapped the whole thing.
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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 third 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. Follow him @JesseKay on Twitter + Instagram.
