GOOGLE ANALYTICS FOR HIP HOP

MUSIC - 'The Hip-Hop Word Count (HHWC) is a searchable ethnographic database built from the lyrics of over 40,000 Hip-Hop songs from 1979 to present day. The database is the heart of an online analysis tool that generates textual and quantified reports on searched phrases, syntax, memes and socio-political ideas.

The idea to build the Hip-Hop Word Count came out of having hundreds of heated & passionate discussions about Rap music: Who was the best rapper of all time? Which rapper had the smartest songs? Which was the most popular champagne in Hip-Hop during 1999-2003? Which rapper uses the most clever metaphors? Which city's rap songs use the most monosyllabic words? Does living in higher altitudes create a natural proclivity for Gangster Rap?'

What intrigues us is the ability to search music lyrics for brand names and brand references. To be able to understand which rappers were talking about which brands at what point in time. You could easily take the data and see which car brands rappers talked about most frequently in the summer of 2004 in their lyrics, or which fashion brand was on the lips of the hip-hop community in 2006. Personally we would like to use it to track the rise and fall of particular alcohol brands in hip-hop; from Snoop's Seagram's gin (1993) to the clunky reference to Courvoisier by Busta (2002) and chart these references next to sales over time. We wonder whether these nods to the bottles on the top shelf have any long lasting effect on the fortunes of the brands?

Get over to Kickstarter and pledge now to ensure the HHWC gets full funding.

joes[a]fiend

LINOTYPE: THE FILM: TRAILER

FILM - "Linotype: The Film" is a documentary about Ottmar Mergenthaler's amazing Linotype typecasting machine and the people who own and love these machines today.

This film is about a machine from the past, but that does not mean this is a sentimental fact-film lamenting the loss of a technology. We are compelled to dig deeper, and find what the Linotype has to say about the present and future.

To make this film, we have extensively researched and talked with experts to learn as much as possible about the history of the Linotype and how the machine works. We’ve been able to talk to numerous people in the Linotype community, from small town printers to typesetters for national publications.

joes[a]fiend

GOING TO THE CHAPEL AND WE'RE...

... all sick of pop-up retail, I wish they'd just pop-off. Grand Opening is an innovative retail space in New York's Lower East Side that is always morphing into something new and exciting. The space has been a drive-in movie theater, art gallery and table tennis club.

This incarnation of the space sees it turning into a wedding chapel. The way G.O. is funding this venture is an interesting one. They are using a website called Kickstarter. The site allows artists, computer programmers, film makers, musicians, basically anyone with an idea/product that wants to kickstart their project and get funding for it.

The site allows you to tier the level of pledges, so with G.O. for example:

"PLEDGE $1 OR MORE: Have your name placed on the list of donors for the wedding chapel. Your name will be displayed on the wall in the chapel. Tell your friends to come by and witness your generosity, on view for the summer! The larger your donation the larger your name will be on the donor wall. $1 = 24 pt type. $5 = 120 pt type."

With various other offerings leading up to:

"PLEDGE $500 OR MORE: Reserve Wedding Chapel for a 1 hour wedding ceremony followed by a 1 hour reception with a DJ and photographer. Receive a CD of images and choose 5 8" x 10" prints"

However, if you don't raise the level of funding you set and the beginning of the process you get nothing. In G.O.'s case they are aiming to raise $3,000, if they raise $2,999 tough luck and they wont receive a cent!

Kickstarter is a greater way to gain funding for a project for while away few hours finding all sorts of interesting projects/people/ideas. Check it out - www.kickstarter.com

joes[a]fiend