Just The Numbers: XXL’s 100 Best Hip Hop Sites
Hit the jump for a numerical break down of XXL’s 100 Best Hip Hop Sites list. My calculations are as close to perfect as humanly possible. Which is to say they are probably a little inaccurate because the entire internet became a blur towards the end of my research.
# of sites with less than five total comments left on their front page*: 19
# of sites that feature at least one original post or article (not syndicated or quoted) that is longer than 200 words on their front page: 28
# of label or artist run vanity sites: 19
# of sites that currently make mention of Drake on their front page: 36
# of sites that currently make mention of Gucci Mane on their front page: 39
# of sites that are run by current or former XXL or XXLMag.com contributors, as disclosed: 4
# of sites that are run by current or former XXL or XXLMag.com contributors, undisclosed: ~7
# of sites that currently feature a brag post about how they made the XXL top 100 list: 17
# of non-working urls: 1
# of sites that crashed my browser: 1
# of hypertext links in XXL’s online posting of the list: 0
# of sites that I had never heard of prior to this list: 23
# of those sites that I intend to visit again in the future: 0
# of hours I’m never getting back: 2
*Excluding, of course, the many sites that do not offer a comment option.
Tumblin' Erb
November 19th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I think that non-working URL was the mistake of the person who compiled the links.. If it’s The Rap Up.
November 19th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
where would you rank your website Noz? And as an aside, how many of these sites do you think have appropriated material and artists that you have written about here?
November 19th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Don’t presume that long-form original content or active comments sections are what people look for in a rap blog.
November 19th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
# of those sites that I intend to visit again in the future: 0
That’s harsh, money…
November 19th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Ouch
One.
November 19th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
“Don’t presume that long-form original content or active comments sections are what people look for in a rap blog.”
speak for yourself, bro. anyway, “long-form original content & active comments” is just another way saying “quality”. and effort. creativity. originality. and so on.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:05 am
“# of those sites that I intend to visit again in the future: 0
That’s harsh, money…”
To clarify: those sites = the ones I hadn’t heard of prior to reading this list.
At the very least I will probably visit my own site a few more times in the future.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:06 am
“Don’t presume that long-form original content or active comments sections are what people look for in a rap blog.”
Did I make such a claim?
November 20th, 2009 at 2:53 am
Why did XXL post the top ’100 sites’, anyway? Who’s gonna visit 100 hip hop sites? You only need to visit around 5-10 sites to get everything you need, depending on how often you visit. XXL should have kept the list to a top 20, and give those 20 sites the props they deserve.
November 20th, 2009 at 7:14 am
i wonder what the number that are run by black people
November 20th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I put a lot of effort into my posts. Almost all of mine have over 28 words. I SMH sometimes at short blog posts. Yet a lot of those blogs are bigger than mine. Oh well maybe next year. Just need someone big to shout a homie out. Until then I’ll keep posting.
November 20th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Personally, I hated when magazines, namely Rolling Stone, reverted to lists to try to drive interest. Now that it’s trickled down to Hip Hop is bad, and trickled down “for us, by us” – media critiquing “media” is worse.
That is not a shot at XXL at all.
Lumping us all together is neat, I suppose. At the same time, for the sites that are people’s livelihoods, as opposed to hobbies…I think Alexa or Comscore, etc. can solve any riddles that were left out of those explanations.
But I’ve gotta run, I’ve got Lakim Shabazz on Line 1 and 2Mex on Line 2.
November 20th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
http://screwheadsonly.blogspot.com
Which list was worse, XXL or Vibe?
I been blogging for a few months now … started from nothing, and I do this outside my real job. If I keep at it I’ll be damned if I don’t make someone’s list next year lookin at some of the sites that get mentioned. Either that or I’ll be the “UGBK” lol. (Consider that copywritten)
November 21st, 2009 at 11:53 am
Screwheads undoubtedly needs ta be on de liss iss wun uv 5 or 6 sites i check on de regula alwayz got dat Rother on lock. maynn
November 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
@Paine: Rolling Stone have been doing big lists at least since their 20th anniversary in ’87. It had “trickled down to hip hop” a decade later: The Source gave their all-time top 100 albums in ’98, and the ego trip gang in ’99 ran down the best singles and albums by year since the birth of recorded hip hop. Sorry to bother you with facts while you’re so busy.
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:47 pm
@DQ
My busy-ness was more of a joke on the fact that the blurb in the piece called my place of employment, nicely of course, a backpacker’s paradise. Maybe it is. Either way,I like a little sarcasm to enhance my afternoons.
As for the listory, I appreciate it, SPARINGLY.
Don’t get me wrong: Lists, by nature, are okay. I personally love XXL’s Def Jam compiling in last issue (not exactly a list per se, but similar). That was outstanding. Anniversaries are cool, and call for retrospectives. Those are benchmark anniversaries though.
What isn’t cool to me… is all these pontifications of “the greatest guitar players,” “the greatest producers,” “the 100 best albums of the ’90s,” etc. that took over newsstands. I’d much rather actual journalism than a bunch of writers sitting around and passing iPods around. And yeah, my particular place of employment does this, once a year.
ego trip’s lists are essential archives. You’re right, I wasn’t clear about making that distinction. But I’ll be damned if anybody in 10 years is still talkin’ about the 100 best blog/sites list, so said 2009.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:25 am
THAT IS ALL
November 24th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Paine: LOL i totally missed that gag, apologies.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:44 am
The Son Of Heaven…
…a good post over at . . ….
November 30th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Good and honest # write up. It’s aggravating how these recycling, bullshit promotion, celebrity fagbo gossip, and just non creative blogs get recognition. There were maybe 10 blogs on that list that I fuck with. Oh well, it is what it is.
December 5th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Most of the sites mention has low ranking and page views according to Alexa. Clearly, XXL Mag is not an authority in the website world. Shit, look at their own numbers and you be the judge.