Well if you aren't already familiar with him, I got the opportunity to chat with the head honcho of one of the more popular hip hop sites out here in the blogosphere. Meet Navjosh (we'll let you discover his full name on your own time). In this convo, you'll get to read his takes on blogging in general, the trouble that comes with it, the expansion of HHNM, the music game today, his favorite artists and more in this convo.
Enjoy!
I've watched HHNM grow over the past few years, but when exactly did you start up the website? Did you originally start out as a blogger somewhere else, or did you just hop in the game out of nowhere?
Well, I started on Blogspot in June 2008 and just started blogging out of now where actually. I used to follow a couple of blogs that were already popular and each time I visited, I used to feel I could do better than them. Fortunately or unfortunately, one fine day, my blogspot site got hacked which really left me disappointed since I started getting a few hits already. In December 2008, I launched my independent site hiphop-n-more.com and since then, have been working non-stop.
What makes HHNM different from many of the other sites out here in the same industry?
I think a few factors. I’m a musician. I have been playing percussion instruments since the age of 5 so music has always been my passion. I think I hear a song from a different perspective than most bloggers so my opinion on songs is often very honest and unique. I’ve seen readers appreciate that.
Another factor would be our consistency. We are a team of three who are always on the go and make sure our readers are up to date with as much information as possible.
One more thing that sets us apart is that we always verify our sources before posting anything. We avoid putting up unfinished music on the site and try to link to the source for every story.
When you first started blogging, how long did it take for your site to become a popular one amongst hip-hop web browsers around the world? (Because I know you're not popular just in the U.S.)
Can’t exactly say how long but I think it took us about 8-10 months to start making some noise on the blogosphere. Although our main focus is American Hip-Hop, we try our best to cater to our international audience by posting music & stories from prominent Hip-Hoppers around the world since this genre no longer has any boundaries.
What do you enjoy more; the blogging part or managing the website?
Oh, definitely the blogging part without a question (laughs). Managing the website and working behind the scenes can be a real pain sometimes but it’s something you can’t avoid.
Any long-term plans with HHNM? Are you going to keep it just as a blog, or do you plan on expanding it into something else?
No real long-term plans as of now. We’re just trying to establish our brand a little more. We are working as hard as we can. I started off without a co-sign or support from any label / artist / industry person so I feel we have achieved a bit already. There’s still a lot of scope so we aren’t stopping anytime soon.
If you could pick 3 words to describe the rap game today...
Umm.. that’s a tough one but to capture all moods, I would say: Lyrical, Experimental, characterless.
A lot of people claim that hip hop fell off, but do you think 2011 could have been a bounce back year?
Hip-Hop never fell off and probably never will. Since the time of Mozart, music has always gone through changes. It evolves, new trends come in, technology changes and sometimes it comes full circle. I think wack music makes a listener appreciate good music even more. It’s important to have artists making meaningless music around so we know what the value of true music is. Hip-Hop has a lot of variety these days and I’m definitely not complaining.
Who are your 5 favorite artists in the game right now?
Alright I’m gonna answer this as honestly as possible. Make note that these are my favorite who may not necessarily be THE top artists in the game right now. In no particular order: Kanye West, 50 Cent, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Drake.
Top 5 projects (mixtapes, EP's, albums, etc.) of 2011?
Wow, you’re making me think for sure. Ha. I would say, again in no order: Cole World: The Sideline Story, Section 80, Hell: The Sequel & 1977.
Which record label do you think will make the most noise in 2012?
It’s difficult to say to be honest but I somehow think Aftermath has bright chances.
What's your take on this whole Jeezy vs. Ross thing? Shit, what's your overall thoughts on TM:103 in general.
I don’t really have much to say about Jeezy Vs. Ross. It’s really whatever to me since I’m not finding it entertaining at all.
About TM103, damn, that situation sucks. I don’t dislike Jeezy but there’s no doubt that he’s finding it hard to make an impact since his last album release. I’m not sure what exactly is going on with his album but the way the whole situation is being handled by the team is sad. His album got pushed back from September 20th and there was no single announcement about the same. It was all left out in the open. If you aren’t releasing it on the given date, have the courage to announce & admit it. That’s just plain disrespectful to the fans. It was like, you are going to the store to pick up the CD and the guy tells you “Sorry mate, this album was not released today”.
Favorite producer(s)?
A few to name. I like Hi-Tek, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, The Neptunes, Black Milk, Jake One and Nottz.
What other websites do you like to visit when you're not on your own?
Because of my busy schedule, I hardly get the time to surf websites for pleasure but I often go to Rapradar.com. It’s a quality site plus they publish similar content to ours.
Which artists have you seem to grow friendships with during your few years of running HHNM?
I know a few of them. I wouldn’t like to name any but if you visit hiphop-n-more.com often and follow me on Twitter, you would definitely know some of them.
Ever thought about quitting the blog movement for something else? Or is this your niche?
I love to blog and I’m enjoying the success so far but blogging is not the only thing I do. I have other constructive activities that keep me busy throughout the day. I’m happy with life right now.
About how many hours of your day are spent doing stuff for HHNM?
I think I spend about 7 hours a day on the site myself. I have two other bloggers working with me: AK and Maher who take care of the blog when I’m not around. Together, we probably blog about 18 hours a day. That’s one of the reasons for our consistency.
There are a lot of people who seem to have taken the blogging route these days. What advice would you have for the young ones who are are probably reading this?
Do you really think I’m worthy enough to give advice to others? (laughs) But I can list a few points based on my experience: I think one needs to be passionate towards blogging in order to make an impact, network a bit, give proper credit to the sources of your blog posts and be honest in your opinion about music you post.
If you're fans of bloggers like Gotty (TSS), LowKey (UHTN), Elliot (RR) and more, than Navjosh should be right under them; if not on the same level when you mention the top bloggers in the industry right now.
I want to give Nav BIG thank you for taking time out of his busy schedule to do this interview with me. Be sure to start hitting up HipHop-N-More.com for exclusives when RTF isn't providing them, and follow @NavJosh on twitter for more updates.
By @WhatUpBP
