Jay Electronica’s relationship with his fans is very unorthodox and completely worth it.

My first direct message was from Jay Electronica in 2008, days after Christmas. I had just joined twitter and made the premature decision to follow every rapper on the network and Jay followed me back. Soon after, he sent a direct message—no words, just this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kGPhpvqtOc&feature=related

It was a YouTube link to a music video of “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins—I’ll leave delving into the implications of this message for my readers.

Later that year, I was unfollowed. But I wasn’t alone. It was “The Great Unfollowing of 2009.” Jay Electronica unfollowed nearly all of his fans, truncating his follower list to less than 200. A year later, high off the heels of announcing his signing to Roc Nation, he followed everyone back—sort of.

In the small hours of Nov. 15, Jay Electronica announced he would follow back anyone who hit him up. And they did. Jay Elect was the proud recipient of over 1500 mentions just an hour after the announcement. He has since followed about 1600 fans, a Dave Chappelle impersonator, Joe Budden, and me.

Jay Elect also opened his AIM and ichat (SN: Jay Electronica) to the masses and encouraged fans to submit their Blackberry chat pins—a common practice for the crescent city emcee.

But is it worth his time? Affording fans access to everything from your AIM screen name and twitter direct messages to your cell phone pin? In a word: yes.

Jay Electronica goes the distance, and his fans take notice. Amidst the flurry of “please follow me” tweets were tales of Jay encounters by super fans.

Katie P. (@KPappsmear), of Los Angeles recalls a few Blackberry messenger conversations last year. While holiday shopping, Jay Elect messaged her about being nervous as he was preparing for a performance.

DJ Critical Hype (@criticalhype) got a few direct messages as well. Despite being an emerging DJ, he kept the conversation fan to artist. Student, Reggie Noble (@kidnoble) did too. He remembers the conversation feeling less like a fan to artist transaction and more like a normal conversation. He was spoken to, “just as a person.”

The most remarkable fan story came from Kevin Cooper (@cooperkm89), perhaps the biggest Jay Electronica fan on twitter.

Cooper has a Jay Electronica shirt he likes to wear to shows. Inscribed on it the infamous line from “Exhibit C”— “Call me Jay Elec-Hannukah / Jay Elec-Yarmulke…”— but more on that later.

At Cooper’s fourth Jay show, the New Orleans rapper pulled him and a crowd of fans onto the stage while opening for Kid Cudi in October at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign).

“At one point during the show, Jay got back on stage and turned to me; And we proceeded to rap over his songs, face-to-face in center stage,” said Cooper chronicling his account.

“He was acknowledging that I knew all his sh*t, and that acknowledgment was much appreciated.“

But that wasn’t all. To security’s chagrin, Jay snuck Cooper backstage. No weed, no liquor, just talk. About music—fellow opener Chip the Rip and headliner Kid Cudi (whom Jay Elect had never met at the time). They even watched Cudi’s set together. Jay was intrigued by Cudi’s command of the crowd.

They soon after parted ways. Cooper could’ve joined Jay’s entourage for the night, but in fear of being a burden or exhibiting utter and complete stannery—he passed.

“I shook Jay’s hand, said great show once again. He asked, ‘Did you have a good time?’ To which I replied ‘Oh yeah!’ Or something else equally dull but spurred on by an awed star-struck state that had not yet dissipated,” said Cooper.

But wait, there’s more. Remember when Jay Electronica punched a concertgoer at a Disco Biscuits show in Chicago? Cooper does. And yes, he was wearing that shirt.

After what Cooper says were pleas by Jay to stop fans from throwing items at him, he punched a DB fan after being hit with a beer bottle. Everyone in the venue had turned against Jay Electronica.

Subsequently, Jay Elect spent the rest of his set rapping to a handful of his fans in the crowd. He even jumped passed the barricade for a proper introduction. And when it came time to perform “Exhibit C,” our boy Cooper was a star.

“He pointed directly at me and did the verse on my shirt,” said Cooper. “Basically reading the verse off of my shirt, so as to draw attention to it.”

“That was really cool of him to do.”

And on Nov. 15, Cooper got a follow.

Jay Electronica doesn’t have fans, but brand evangelists. He breeds them. It’s not enough to make music people enjoy. Artists who take the time to develop a relationship with listeners build a stronger fan base.

For a previously unsigned artist with a few sporadic releases, his following is remarkably strong. In the wake of Jay Electronica’s Roc Nation announcement, he gained about 3k followers and an additional 3k after tweeting about his following spree—he previously averaged a 450 daily follower gain and currently has a total of over 128k followers.

Prior to joining Roc Nation, Jay Electronica had garnered a magazine cover, a track ranked amongst iTunes’ top 10 selling hip-hop music downloads and “the most buzz worthy artist” title by numerous media outlets—success unprecedented by an artist with no formal projects released or a record deal.

There aren’t too many artists who really engage on Twitter but artists like Jay Electronica prove that tactics that bring music back to the fans yield results. At a time where the record industry is in a severe decline, new strategy is crucial to its turnaround—just ask Cooper.

“I still get excited thinking about it,” Cooper says. “I’ve seen Jay four times now, and I’ve learned that if you show your appreciation, he will acknowledge you and be grateful.”

“Yep. Jay Elect reigns supreme…over everything.”

—@SincerelyJane

This post was republished from social media and hip-hop blog, BornIn88.com, courtesy of the author.

Photo: culurebully.com

Should artists keep their political views out of the public eye? Kendra Desrosiers writes about the latest developments in Chicago emcee, Lupe Fiasco’s timeline.

Hell hath no fury like a follower scorned. After a flurry of anti-Bush tweets from Chicago bred emcee, Lupe Fiasco, fan Robert Nalette (@detroitrobbie) unfollowed him.

In response, Lupe Fiasco retweeted the announcement and soon after, the post was nowhere to be found. Nalette deleted it.

Fiasco didn’t have to respond to Nalette’s attack, he knew several of his 250k+ followers would. And they did. Nalette was the recipient of over 100 opposing mentions that ranged from polite disagreements to racial insults. The twitter bullying presumably became too much for Nalette and he activated the private setting on his account.

Nalette’s tweet was only up for minutes, just long enough for 38 twitter users to spread the word and contribute to over 9k impressions and reach over 8.5k people according to TweetReach.

And for four hours, Nalette was a twitter celebrity. He engaged the onslaught of Lupe Fiasco fans, made his timeline public once again and found camaraderie in a handful of supporters—he even gained a few followers.

But did Nalette have a point? Should artists make public statements about their political views? In a recent Facebook study, a researcher found that one of the leading reasons a user would unfriend another user are posts on polarizing topics such as religion and politics. For artists, a web following can make the difference in album sales and reach—especially in the case of Lupe Fiasco and his web petition—so in the interest of maintaining a strong fan base, it may be advisable for a musician to remain neutral.

Preston Mann (@Preston_Schmann), a college student and self-proclaimed conservative political activist also found issue with Fiasco bringing a political agenda onto twitter. He didn’t unfollow Lupe Fiasco, but he did engage.

Lupe Fiasco sent over a dozen mentions Mann’s way, each a RT with his response included. Like Nalette, Mann was flooded with even more mentions from Fiasco followers, but this time they were civil— for the most part.

As much of Nalette and Mann’s opposition pointed out, Lupe Fiasco has always been one for controversy and has long rapped about what many consider liberal extremist views. But if you can listen to “American Terrorist” you can handle the three-dozen political tweets Fiasco posted Friday, right? Not quite.

Opposition by conservative fans to Fiasco’s liberal views are to be expected to some extent, but some followers weren’t simply opposed, but offended.

Even followers with no clear opposition to Lupe Fiasco’s views had had enough.

Without access to Lupe Fiasco’s account, it isn’t possible to quantify fluctuations in his following, butTweet Effect does offer some food for thought.

According to Tweet Effect, a website that measures the impact of twitter updates:

The Tweet Effect statistics are inconclusive but do note a drop in a handful of followers with half of Fiasco’s responses to Mann, the other half however, were marked with significant gains. Also, according to Tweet Analyzer, Lupe Fiasco’s follower gains are inconsistent and frequently fluctuates between gains of 800-900 followers to 1400-1500 daily.

Typically, artists tend to see a consistent average in follower growth when external events like mixtape releases don’t come into play. Interestingly enough, before J. Cole (213,631) released his mixtape Friday Night Lights on Nov. 12, he and Fiasco (267,585) had comparable follower growth despite the fact that J. Cole has never released an album, is a considerably less popular artist and hardly tweets—something to think about.

Some think Lupe Fiasco hinders himself, especially on twitter and in the digital space. Sabotaging his own career by battling media outlets that help keep him afloat, reneging on project release promises, andcriticizing his record label, Atlantic.  Others consider Fiasco the underdog. Despite setbacks, Fiasco’s fan base remains intact, political agenda and all.

The issue of whether artists should maintain neutrality is heavily debated and the impact of taking a stance on polarizing issues has only been measured anecdotally.  Until we can quantify, there’s no telling.

At the end of Lupe Fiasco’s tweet rant this much was clear; if the left had an extreme, Tea Party equivalent, it’d be called Lasers with Wasulu at the helm and fans on deck.

-@SincerelyJane

This post was republished from social media and hip-hop blog, BornIn88.com, courtesy of the author.

Well you can’t say we didn’t call it! In accordance with “G.O.O.D. Fridays,” Kanye West dropped “Take One for the Team” featuring Keri Hilson, Pusha T of The Clipse and Cyhi the Prynce and marked the end of his “nice guy” public relations campaign. The Chicago emcee went from tweeting “Yo being nice is my whole sh*t now” back to rapping:

You know what?/ I figured out I’m not a nice guy/ I shook hands, kissed babies, gave it a nice try,” ‘Ye raps. “You know what?/ I hate pictures of other people kids/ I hate plastic couches in other people cribs.

And his trademark curt, lady musings:

Why every ghetto b*tch gotta smell like Love Spell/ Or that God damn cucumber Bath and Body Works?/ I can still smell the sweat the sh*t hardly works/ What about cool water that sh*t probably worse

So much for Mr. Nice Guy. Not sure how Keri Hilson fits into this one, what do you think?

Saul Williams is international. It’s been nearly 24-hours since the New York-bred lyricist dropped “Explain My Heart,” and the buzz has already reached foreign shores. The track is off his upcoming LP, Volcanic Sunlight and scheduled for an early 2011 release. Williams’ acting, poetry and writing exploits have afforded him an international audience for his burgeoning music career to flourish and fans around the world have already took to twitter singing the track’s praises. VS will be his seventh music project and mark the cusp of another decade of Williams’ signature hip-hop, poetry hybrid records.

“Explain My Heart” takes listeners on another journey deep into Williams’ subconscious. The futuristic tribal sound is intriguing; and as the conga drums transition to the hip winding, one-drop rhythm, the lyrics takeover. “Explain to me the price of a free soul”— Williams has never been shy to the abstract and philosophical and singing to a dance riddim is no exception.

“Explain My Heart” – Saul Williams | Download Here

- Amandla Baraka

Twitter has played host to many rap beefs and quarrels—remember 9^th Wonder and Phonte of Little Brother?— and this time rapper, Lupe Fiasco has bumped heads with popular rap blog, Nah Right and former producer, Prolyfic.

In an effort to convince Atlantic record executives to support the immediate release of Lupe Fiasco’s album, LASERS, he started a petition— according to Fiasco it has garnered 10,000 signatures. The unorthodox tactic gained the disapproval of some members of the entertainment industry including the head of Nah Right, Eskay, and Fiasco’s former producer Prolyfic who both took to the internet to share their thoughts on Lupe’s career.

Read the rest of Prolyfic’s tweets here.

Among Lupe Fiasco’s responses was:

When posting Lupe Fiasco’s latest release, “B.M.F. (Building Minds Faster,” on Nah Right, Eskay included some choice words:

But it didn’t end there; Lupe Fiasco (@Lupefiasco), NahRight (@nahright) and Prolyfic (@prolyfthegift) took to twitter and continued to voice their opinions on their public profiles.

Here are a few highlights, check their timelines for the extensive back and forth.

Try to keep up.

D.C. rapper Wale drops new tracks, “Basehead” and “Kini Big Deal.” 

Wale released two new tracks today, “Kini Big Deal” and “Basehead” via his Twitter. Be sure to download them both.

“Kini Big Deal” – Wale | Download Here

“Basehead” – Wale | Download Here

Nike Nando drops mixtape, U Know Nando?

DMV artist Nike Nando released his project U Know Nando?: The Mixtape this week via his Twitter. Make sure you check it out. While you’re at it, check out his blog.

U KNOW NANDO? – Nike Nando | Download Here

D.C. native Wale released the video for “My Sweetie,” a bonus track on his album Attention Deficit via his twitter. The video was directed by fellow DMV artist, Tabi Bonney and highlights and celebrates Wale’s Nigerian heritage.

Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz, and U2 team up to record song for the Haiti relief effort.

Musical superstars Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz and U2 joined forces to record a song that will benefit the victims of the tragic earthquake that rocked Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on Janurary 12, 2010. Swizz Beatz announced on Twitter that a song was in the works. Although the content of the song has not been released it has been recorded with contributions from all three stars.

Shouts to HipHopDX!

Sammie releases new EP, It’s Time. Tracklist and download link after the jump!

The R&B Prince released his new EP It’s Time via his twitter.

1.  Sexin in the Rain
2. Magic Show
3. Old Thing Back
4. Put it on My Tab ft. Trey Songz
5. It’s a Party
6. Out There
7. Wake Up
8. Slow Motion
9. Time Machine

Download here!

Rapper Wiz Khalifa releases new track, “Smokerface.”

Wiz Khalifa let this track out via his Twitter. Coated with drifty, melodic oohs and ahhs, Khalifa makes this addition to the growing collection of “Pokerface” covers worth listening to.

Shouts to 2DopeBoyz!

Yikes, looks like MTV is in need of a fact-checker. #veryfunny

 Teen’s Facebook status spares him from Rikers Island.

Words by Letese` Clark

At this very moment millions of people are tweeting or updating their Facebook statuses to tell the world of their everyday living. Some updates will make people laugh, some think, some sad, and some upset. Rodney Bradford, 19, of Harlem, New York is probably looking back at his Facebook status from Saturday, October 17 updated at 11: 49 A.M. and rejoicing since it was his escape from Rikers Island.

Hearing he was wanted for a robbery in Brooklyn the following day, Bradford turned himself in, confident he would be cleared. However, after a victim selected him out of a line up, he was charged with robbery in the first degree and shipped to Rikers. After Rodney Bradford Sr. discovered his son’s Facebook update, Bradford’s attorney, Robert Reuland, realized he had an unbeatable alibi. The district attorney subpoenaed Facebook for documentation that would prove Bradford had updated his account from his father’s home in Harlem. Surprisingly it worked. Rodney Bradford was released from prison based on his Facebook update.

Remember when your where younger and you found your mom going through MySpace inbox and didn’t talk to her for about week? What about the friend request you recently received from her on Facebook that you denied? It may be to your benefit to accept her friend request because she made provide your alibi if you’re in trouble. Some believe that social networks are a waste of time, but in Rodney Bradford’s case they were a savior.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/12/facebook.alibi/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

Diddy Supports Howard University Student Protest.

WASHINGTON – Students at Howard University gathered in front of the university’s administration building in protest Friday, September 4th. According to The Hilltop, university paper, in the “Take A Stand” protest students had the following demands:

1. All Students must be validated by Sept. 25, 2009 (no extensions on the deadline).
2. Howard University advances technology and goes completely paperless by the 2010-2011 school year.
3. Howard University must have a library that is open 24-hours a day by the end of the fall semester 2009.
4. Howard Financial Aid office must extend its business hours by the end of the fall semester 2009.
5. Howard must disseminate a budget visible to students that shows the allocation of student money by the end of fall semester 2009.

The protest has also garnered celebrity support from Sean “Diddy” Combs on twitter (@iamdiddy).

Editor, Stacy-Ann Ellis reviews the Tanya Morgan and Marco Polo & Torae show  at Southpaw (NYC).

Brooklyn was the place to be this Wednesday, as rap trio Tanya Morgan and Torae & Marco Polo graced the stage at Southpaw in Park Slope to promote their freshly released albums, Brooklynati and Double Barrel, respectively. During their time on stage, up and comers Tanya Morgan playfully called out all those in the audience “tweeting” throughout the evening’s performances...25 Magazine staff were not excluded.

Check out some of the evening’s tweet highlights:

@25mag: “A lot of rappers will sell you dreams. But I give it to you real. I keep it 100. And a [dude] don’t stop cause I love it.” – Torae

@25mag: @tanyamorgan make you want to like them. There’s nothing like hunger and love for the craft to steer an unfamiliar ear.

@25mag: Did @tanyamorgan just call their openers on to the stage to be their hypemen?

@25mag: @chegrand is hilarious, awkwardly trying to convince the crowd he knew all the words to TM’s single

Fortunately, Che has a sense of humor: @chegrand: @25mag lmao. reckless

Aside from Torae & Marco Polo and Tanya Morgan, special guests Che Grand, DJ Element, and Brown Bag All-Stars also performed during the event. Though all performers brought their A-game to the stage, Tanya Morgan was the clear crowd favorite. “Bang & Boogie” and “So Damn Down” got the crowd head-bopping, pumping arms, and swaying every which way. Their music was not the only thing securing their title for best performance of the night. They were fully animated (and choreographed!…sort of) and as they performed, drew energy from the crowd and each other. By the end of their performance, all of the night’s performers were on stage with Tanya Morgan hyping up the crowd and ending the show with a bang.