Bangin' In Cyberspace

From the classic duel between Kool Moe Dee and LL Cool J to more contemporary heavyweights like 50 Cent and Rick Ross, "battles" between Hip-Hop artists have always been a quintessential component of the art form's theater (particularly as it emerged from the streets and outdoor parks in the South Bronx during its infancy).

Furthermore, this test of wills and verbal skills served as lyrical proof of the Darwinian theory in the evolution of the culture and the constant survival of the fittest mode exhibited by Hip-Hop MC's gunning for the top spot. As my fellow Pittsburgh-bred MC Wiz Khalifah rhymes, "It's lonely at the top, I'm tired of having company." Or, as LL Cool J demonstrated, simply because "Momma Said Knock You Out!"

While there is nothing unique about Hip-Hop MC's battling for supremacy, reputation (or as a marketing and promotions vehicle for that matter in the case of 50 Cent), MC Hammer's response to Jay-Z's slight diss on his verse on Kanye West's new single, "So Appalled" represents a critical pivot point for Hip-Hop: The viability and emergence of social media platforms and networks as the new town square for Hip-Hop artists and the transcultural, global population it cries out for, particularly when the music industry is comparatively traveling at the speed of slow motion and transitioning from a decrepit paradigm.

In the song, Jay-Z references Hammer's financial troubles when he said, "And Hammer went broke so you know I'm more focused...I lost 30 mil so I spent another 30 cause unlike Hammer 30 million can't hurt me..."

In years prior, Hip-Hop artists would have made a beeline to the studio to record a response, most likely delivered via underground mixtapes, urban radio or, as Jay-Z made infamous, by delivering jabs to opponents through Summer Jam live concerts. That's so 2005, though...

With the release of his "Better Run Run" video on YouTube early this morning, @MCHammer has, deftly, shifted the battle lines from wax to cyberspace. In this digital age, as many celebrities have found, information travels faster -- as do shifts in perception -- at the speed of a Tweet.

In this case, Hammer was able to utilize his Twitter fan base of 1.9 million followers for his initial response and was able to tease the diss song and video he was working on, even setting it up for a Halloween release. Then, this morning, the video was released by Hammer on YouTube to his followers and their followers, and their followers and their followers and...well you get the point. That 1.9 million will multiply exponentially through Twitter and other social media networks the users maintain.

And, it's not just relegated to social media. Hammer's video instantly became THE online, viral buzz topic of discussion with urban portals such as GlobalGrind, AllHipHop.com and a plethora of others.

That adds up to a lot of gross impressions and reach most artists can only dream of when debuting a new single and video. Unless your @iamdiddy who has also successfully and masterfully integrated social media into the marketing mix with his artist Nicki Minaj and Dirty Money movement -- I'm sure Diddy's tweeting about the Dirty Money intro to Game 4 of the World Series gave Fox a nice boost in ratings. I'll save that for another post...in the meantime, just follow @iamdiddy and you'll catch-up pretty quickly.

Now, let's back up for a moment with @MCHammer. Most people probably don't realize that Hammer has such a strong Twitter following and wondering why?

If nothing else, Hammer must be respected for his entrepreneurial instincts and ability to recognize windows of opportunity and need for reinvention as every successful entrepreneur must. A self-professed techie, which may be explained by his Bay Area proximity to Silicon Valley, Hammer has established himself as a thought leader in the social media space.

He routinely lectures on technology and social media at leading institutions such as Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and rubs shoulders with CEOs of the major technology companies and is on the very short list invited to exclusive gatherings among tech power brokers such as the Intel Capital CEO Summit.

As such, one gains a better perspective on his astute understanding of how to harness the power of social media platforms as a vehicle for his brand and, in this case, the best medium to control the

conversation on his terms.

As most celebrities have learned in this digital age, information travels fast and perceptions shift even faster with real potential to damage reputation and image. The real issue here isn't who the better rapper is. I think even MC Hammer would give Jay-Z the head nod on that one. What's really at stake here for Jay-Z is not a test of his lyrical content but a legitimate test for his image and reputation and content of his character.

Conversely, MC Hammer is clearly leveraging this "entertainment beef" in the Hip-Hop tradition as an opportunity to build his image, increase relevance and advance his business interests (he is very active in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts through his Alchemist Management company, which will need to demonstrate to its MMA clients it knows a thing or two about how to start the hype machine),

In either event, whether or not you believe Hammer's assertion that Jay-Z worships the devil, his video for "Better Run Run," (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFtQML2O5B0), combined with a follow-up Tweet and video he posted from Christian rapper "Bizzle" who disses Jay-Z and makes similar allegations (Bizzle even dissects some of Jay-Z's lyrics and symbols he uses in the process) is enough to make millions of people in Cyberspace say Hmmm...a far battle cry from Hip-Hop artists "bangin' on wax."

While King Hammer has effectively started this cyber conversation, in true Hip-Hop fashion, you can bet we haven't heard the last spoken word on this one.