EPMD's "Please Listen to My Demo" reflected the spirit of bootstrapping contextualized within a Hip Hop group's experience to obtain a recording contract https://goo.gl/fhBG6w.

Parrish and Eric, two youth from Brentwood, New York found their claim to fame during Hip Hop's grounding years.  Their experience is not unlike the entrepreneurs of the tech age.  However, what they have is the success of making it happen.  Now, how do you make your's happen.  What is the pitch that is going to catapult you to the level that confirms you have arrived?  What format do you use to sell your idea?  When is the right time?  These are the questions that budding entrepreneurs need to answer.  During our last class, we examined and provided function for The Business Model Canvas.  Through the process we were able to examine the intent of the course by learning to appreciate the process that allows it to flow in order to achieve intended outcomes.

To help prepare each student for the Ghetto Genius Hack of their business model canvass I would like you to document in your post the following items about your business or idea.

Value Factor (why is it needed)
Customer Segments (targeted demographic)
Customer relationship (building and/or maintaining capacity)
Channels (Marketing strategy)
Cost structure
Key resources (tools to do the work)
Partnerships (who is at the table)
Revenue streams (monetization opportunities)

Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None): Expanding and launching new ventures based on peer group or cultural capital disruption.

Doggystyle Album Cover

When Snoop recorded "Ain't No Fun" he was paying homage to the culture of authentic activities shared by African American males in the hood.  Then the culture of Hip Hop was used to promote that behavior on an international scale.

In the Big Payback, Dan Charnas was able to capture the varying degrees of the culture and how it was used to escalate opportunity in a variety of industries that had been historically inaccessible to African Americans and other people of color.  Higher Education is no different.  Universities that are PWI (Predominately White Institutions) have been in the driver seat of determining what is considered valuable knowledge and have structured gatekeeping processes to maintain those environments.

Iovine and Dr. Dre

However, technology and the entrepreneurial opportunities that have emerged as a result of new technology advancements have begun to challenge the "traditional" or "good ol' boy networks. Those networks have excluded many individuals from gaining access to the opportunities that well funded research based institutions can offer.

Apple and BEATS are a contemporary example of a shift in the culture.  Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have suggested that their academy at USC is steeped in disrupting how institutions of higher education are not preparing students to be the driving force of innovation.

Why is this important and what are we disrupting with this course? Your blog assignment is to examine the role of this class as a point of disruption at Illinois and create a strategy to extend the brand on campus, nationally, and internationally.  I would like you to:

1. Write a new description for the course within the context of what you have learned (you may want to examine the description on Technology Entrepreneurship's website).
2. Identify and lay out a new marketing and promotion strategy to introduce the class to untapped student groups. 
3.  Be prepared to present an on the spot action plan in class to email and invite select indivuals to class to promote the course.  Also explain why you have selected these individuals and how they will aid in disruption. 
4. Uncover the cool factor of this course and how do we exploit it?

It’s All A Dream: Discovering the sweet spot to build and sell your entrepreneurial venture.

These two men are the original gangsters of disruption and bootstrapping in Hip Hop.  Russell Simmons had vision and hustle. Rick Rubin had space, place, dope beats, and the imprint to start it all, Def Jam.  Def Jam Records became the launching pad for many aspects of making it big in the Hip Hop game.  We witnessed Russell and Rick's story come to life in the movie, Krush Groove. They are the professors we looked to for the next trend in Hip Hop.

(Def Jam original imprint)

However, at a certain point Rick and Russell decided it was time to cash-in and follow their independent paths to additional success. Russell started Rush Communications and started Def American records to extend his production interest into metal and grass-rooted Hip Hop artistry. The readings point out how the new communications structure Carmen Ashhurst developed for Simmons provided him with an opportunity to extend his brand beyond selling records.

(Def Comedy Jam Poster)

Opportunities in broadcast, artist management, and advertising were the more immediate ventures. Eventually, fashion, finance, and wellness became part of Simmons burgeoning empire. Lyor Cohen, became the man to cement many of Russell Simmons ventures with branding deals that generated multiple revenue streams. Some of those new revenue streams involved the selling of the imprint in order to reinvest in Rush Communications and extend capital to new projects like joint ventures with upstarts like Jay Z and Dame Dash.

In your comments I want you expound on Russell Simmons success and ways that he extended his ability to move the crowd beyond music and entertainment. Was his sweet spot becoming a multi-millionaire by selling his company or was his sweet spot gaining political and economic influence as a cultural industrialist and philanthropist that challenge the conditions that caused Hip Hop Culture to exist?

Things you should know

It's important to recognize that entrepreneurial opportunity is not about brick and mortar spaces or even starting a business from scratch.  Entrepreneurship is about the having the vision and ability to capture opportunity where there is none. Hip Hop is about not only creating cool content, but also rebranding a concept, activity, or venture and making it cool again by "remixing it." You should walk away from this section with knowledge such as:

1. Understanding the limitations of your business venture is necessary in order to create an effective exit strategy.
2. Having an effective exit strategy can lead to new opportunities to strengthen your existing venture or provide you with the leverage to walk away from a situation that is no longer a beneficial component of your vision.
3. Having the ability to create and execute a plan offers unique branding opportunities to be the authentic product or voice for an emerging market.
4. Know what you and your venture are worth. Hence, hiring an appropriate business assessor will provide you with the information you need to be an informed player in the game of negotiations. 
5. Being smart and fearless is the best strategy for getting and staying in the game. 

Brand Building: how to culturally engineer new ventures and revenue streams by keeping it “100.”

Urban Playground Authentication

Authenticity or "keepin it 100" is huge in Hip Hop. Hence, cultural practices are a critical part of understanding what drives consumers to connect with a product to the point that they purchase it.   In the assigned reading for this section of the course, we bare witness to examples of Hip Hop entrepreneurs finding opportunity in areas that extend beyond the immediate instigators, practitioners, and consumers of the culture.

How did individuals like Sean Combs, Sean Carter, Steve Rifkind, and Rza leveraged the success of

Sean "Jay Z" Carter and the ROCA WEAR Brand

their music with vision that penetrated the fashion, movie, sports, automobile, and food industries? What do they possess that may be in your spirit to shine with an idea you have or a venture you are currently building?

The Mighty WU-TANG CLAN

I would like you to glean from this section and understanding of how to connect your spirit with the resources you have to make something happen, in the immediate, with the vision necessary to keep it moving.  You should leave this section of the readings with an understanding and ability to discuss in your commentary how

• Hip Hop was used to connect with the sports and fashion industry.
• individual personification in Hip Hop provided individuals with the ability to use their "swagger" to build brands.
• new methods in marketing and promotion emerged as a result of Hip Hop, and give examples of how corporate America has used those methods to market products.
• you see the spirit of Hip Hop in variety of products.  Please provide examples.  
• bootstrapping was used to kick off or extend an artist's brand.  Give an example. 

What is Hip-Hop?

Hip-Hop is a way of life, and as a way life, it involves doing.

The culture is a mere derivative of its primary enactors -- while those who are less participatory, can be classified as mere consumers and appreciators. The latter group provides Hip-Hop with its power. Yet, Hip-Hop’s inventiveness lies in the hands of the folks who use the visual and performative arts for cultural, political, and/or economic purposes.

This said, Hip-Hop is the Silicon Valley of music. It harbors and produces innovation -- that's how the culture keeps an edge and widening appeal. When young people of the 70’s grew discontent and bored with Disco, they played and mixed the breaks (as opposed to the entire song). Soon, they spoke over the records. Some were clever -- using rhyme and wit as elements to enhance their disc jockeying.

Later, Hip-Hop’s dedicated technicians nuanced the sound; their inquisitiveness propelled them to strip records of their pop-influences, focusing on the drums and hard synths (like, Def Jam pioneer Rick Rubin). Participants used the platform to evolve cadences and flows. Some influenced urban fashion trends, deepened the market-permeation of luxury brands (e.g., cars and liquor), and used Hip-Hop to backdoor their way into affluent art spaces such as the MOMA and New York Fashion Week. And now, as the foreman of youth culture, Hip-Hop has influenced technology, especially sound engineering; respectively, HTC, Tidal, and Samsung have mediated Hip-Hop culture or led efforts inspired from Hip-Hop’s biggest names. Point in case: Hip-Hop is entrepreneurship, and that gives it many arms to serve the needs of the people that wield it.

When you think about it -- it’s quite astonishing and brilliant: Hip-Hop was birthed from the ghetto (that was generally neglected by comfortable working/middle/upper class Americans and public institutions) -- and it was done through the efforts of young people! It’s a prime example that there is, in fact, genius in the ghetto; innovation in the streets; and power nestled in the minds of Black folks (and largely, people of color).

Please provide me with your interpretation of the word, Genius. Please use any form of media to help illustrate your interpretation.

How I Define Ghetto and its Context within Hip-Hop

When I hear the term “ghetto” the first thing that comes to my mind is an image of poverty and a sympathy of disenfranchisement. In America, this image is grounded in the impoverished black and brown communities in most great cities, especially in my hometown of Chicago. I think of neighborhoods like Humboldt Park and Englewood where ghetto is usually synonymous with little opportunity, constant violence, and a general sense of desperation. People are often found doing what it takes to survive with what limited resources the have.

            Unfortunately, I do not think most people have much sympathy for those who live in such neighborhoods. Most Chicagoans who don’t live inside these neighborhoods have virtually segregated themselves physically and mentally from a lot of the issues concerning these communities. This only aids to the sense of desperation and lack of hope that most black or brown communities in these areas have towards their chances of mobility. Sadly, most people I’ve met treat these areas as a “lost cause”, often speaking about the terrorism and violence that occurs in these areas as if they were occurring in a different country or continent as opposed to 15-20 minutes away from their doorstep. I think that if most people realized the potential of those who live in these communities, they would recognize that they have much more to offer than what most of the media and politicians portray.

I think the rise of hip-hop and many of the stories described by Charnas help positively steer the narrative of what the ghetto means to American culture and enterprise. The countless stories of intuitive DJs, resourceful artists, and ingenious businessmen help counter the stereotypes of limited talent and genius in these areas. I believe all Americans have such potential but the opportunity to exercise such talent is unfortunately limited to those with access. I find it a very intriguing question to ask if hip-hop would exist if there were no ghetto. That’s difficult to say, but I certainly can’t argue that the motivation behind all facets of hip-hop is clearly based on countering the establishment and fighting the oppression that many in the ghetto face. Since black people in America have typically been the most marginalized and coerced by society, hip-hop seems like a logical backlash, through artistic expression, of those who want to overturn or bring to light the conditions of the ghetto. Hip-hop has certainly shaped the perception of the ghettos of America but I believe it is much more a reflection of what’s occurring and not a symptom--as some media outlets (i.e. Fox) would like to present.

This has unfortunately set up hip-hop, especially in its music, to be one of the easily more exploitable forms of entertainment in recent history. Many involved in the music are generally more concerned about a big pay day then seriously cultivating the art. While this has pushed hip-hop to the top of pop and sales charts, many are dissatisfied of the storylines of the music today. Those from poor backgrounds usually don’t have the foresight to capitalize on the genius and value they are able to produce without education. I’m certain Dre could have started his own audio company without Iovine and would have found immeasurable success anyways, but the lack opportunity to study business or engineering probably kept Dre boxed in to thinking he was just a musician and not a brand. Although this narrative is changing it has led to some grave mishandlings of wealth from some of the most iconic artists of our time as described by Charnas. The cut-throat nature of the corporate side of hip-hop has had a profound effect on its rise to popularity but the backdrop of the impoverished ghetto is inseparable to its identity.

How would you define Ghetto?

When you think about the term "ghetto" what is the first thing that comes to mind? When you have an image of the ghetto, who and what do you see?  Please describe.

What is Hip-Hop?

We've talked about the essence of hip-hop in class, what it's really about. Many things have been said: Hip-hop is a business. Hip-hop is a culture. Hip-hop is about the next. Hip-hop is about truth, authenticity and keeping it real. It is hard to say what hip-hop truly is.

From the historical perspective, hip-hop is comprised of four key stylistic elements: rapping, DJ'ing, break dancing, and graffiti drawing. This perspective does not follow the recent trends in hip-hop unfortunately. Many contemporary hip-hop artists have strayed away from these roots. It can even be argued that these artists are not actually hip-hop even if mainstream society considers them to be.

So how else can we look at hip-hop? I believe it is important to look at it from an evolutionary perspective. Certain elements will grow over time from their roots, and other elements will fade out over time as they become less relevant to the current times.

While this may upset those loyal to the foundations of hip-hop, it is necessary for hip-hop to stay alive by re-inventing itself to become the next time and time again. Every time it is the new next, it has to be something different than what it used to be. It's evolution keeps it relevant and alive.

So what is hip-hop? It's hard to say. At its foundation it is a way of life about creating meaning and expressing it. Beyond that, I believe it will keep changing and find a new way to create meaning and express it. Some will make it a business; others will make it a hobby. Some will think of the next; others will stay with the past. Hip-hop is ultimately what you make it to be, and the possibilities are endless for those willing to seize them.

What is Hip Hop?

According to wikipedia -

Hip hop or hip-hop is a sub-cultural movement that formed during the early 1970s by African-American and Puerto Rican youths residing in the South Bronx in New York City.

It is characterized by four distinct elements, all of which represent the different manifestations of the culture: rap music (oral), turntablism or DJing (aural), b-boying (physical) and graffiti art (visual).  

But is this all to Hip-Hop? I don’t think so… I think the real question is what does Hip-Hop mean to me, to us, to the world of technology.

Let’s examine this case by case.

What Hip-Hop means to me?

Hip-Hop, for me has been about fighting oppression. Just fighting oppression. Oppression comes in many forms, like evil it has many faces. It has a face of racism, it can have a face of hating someone different, it can have a face of disliking disruption (In the case of the movie 8-mile), or it could have a face where in young, smart, college students are asked to leave businesses to “The grownUps”.

Hip-Hop is about fighting oppression, overcoming the challenge of oppression to make you a stronger individual. It’s about survival in a cut-throat world, but it is also a way to leverage aggression and angst into a never-die attitude and fight for your rights. It helps humans evolve into more enlightened beings.

This is what Hip-Hop means to me.

What does Hip-Hop mean to me in the context of the World Of Technology?

Hip-hop to me in the world of technology means two things.

Firstly it means to disrupt technology, to remind people that dogmas are meant to be broken. It means to create breakthrough technologies cause you have  a different sense of viewing the problem than the “Experts” in the field, and giving big corporation who are prisoners of “The Innovator's Dilemma” a run for their money.

Secondly, it also means that art and technology intersect at many points. In terms of culture and reminding us that the sole purpose of technology is to help the beings of this world lead happier, more fulfilling lives and not the other way round. It reminds us that “Hey! We are engineers and we need to find  feasible solution to this problem so we can make the life of a fellow human-being easier!”

Simply put - Hip Hop is not just music. Its a way of life.

What is Hip-Hop?

Hip-Hop is a conglomeration of rap, DJing, graffiti, fashion, dance, visual arts, creative expression, political activism, and commerce. Although this might encompass much more than the 4 essential elements emphasized by its founders, the overall culture of hip-hop has grown astronomically since its inception and their personal view on what it consists of. Charnas takes it upon himself to add two crucial elements: style and marketing--but even those additions cannot encapsulate what it has become today. It can no longer can be categorized into such countless distinctive elements so I would rather define it by the philosophy that created it: hip-hop is the art of taking nothing and making it into something.

In response to the title of this class, most people would almost immediately ask, “What is Hip-Hop entrepreneurship?” Personally, I feel the two terms are practically redundant. Virtually every element of hip-hop represents or is birthed from an entrepreneurial principle and experience. Namely, the creation of hip-hop music is what I consider the element most steeped in entrepreneurial spirit. I recall a documentary I watched on the rise of Run DMC and the pop culture explosion of rap music. The infamous DJ Grandmaster Flash details how even in the middle-class neighborhood of Hollis in Queens, NY the local high-schools didn’t have the well equipped music programs that many white schools had access to. Since traditional music instruments were often much too expensive, they instead used turntables and found records with the same instruments and replayed their snippets to get the familiar sounds they otherwise couldn’t get.

Sampling, as it is now known, has since evolved into the de facto way of recording music nearly all pop music--and primarily rap. It allowed an entire generation of musicians who wanted to explore sound to do it at a hundredth of the cost. That technology has since disrupted the entire field of music, allowing bedroom musicians to produce entire albums with solely a computer and microphone. I would argue that hip-hop, at least in an economic sense, has almost single-handedly transformed the music industry more than any other genre. Its rapid ability to innovate and adapt is what I believe has kept it from turning it into another fad genre. Coincidentally, during class we mentioned the breakout success and immediate fall of Disco. The reason disco failed is because as the music became overly commercialized and homogenous in a time where it could not afford to. The originators who traditionally drove the genre’s creative development, urban black youth, couldn’t afford to put out another tacky disco record that lacked distinctiveness in an era of studio time that cost thousands of dollars per hour and expensive distribution. Not to mention the necessity of knowing the right executives and movers. They were literally priced out of the industry and as disco became more commercialized it lost its distinctiveness and crashed only to be replaced by the next fad, flashy pop and hair rock. If the technology and practices surrounding disco had evolved at the rate of music today, it would likely still exist.

Hip-hop music and the technology that accompanied it, made the ability to produce music completely democratized, in the same fashion that the home computer made word processing and cross-country communication an affordable domestic convenience. The production of rap music especially throughout the 90s reflected how hip-hop had grown up in an era of living room studios and sound-proofed closets. Distinct styles had sprung up from different regions since the technology could be available cheaply and virtually anywhere. This allowed a multitude of distinct styles and genres, completely independent from its home of New York. Technology didn't just communicate its narrative, it created it. It is the first truly entrepreneurial music genre that reflects the innovative ability of impoverished youth who were able to build multimillion dollar enterprises and sub cultures with what little resources they had. This is even more evident today, with rap stars owning everything from the record labels themselves to clothing lines, liquor labels, audio companies, movie studios, and even fragrances. Overall, I think this has been a positive impact on the impressions of millions of black youth who now have a generation of successful black entrepreneurs and culture influences who now own a commanding role in our public discourse. They have helped elect presidents, shed light on public injustices, spawned multi-billion dollar industries--and did it all starting from the literal bottom.  Hip-Hop, especially rooted in its music, perfectly encapsulates the entrepreneurial spirit of innovation and excellence that has made it the worldwide dominant culture that it is today.