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Thursday, July 13 06:54 PM |
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Bamflex! Goes Sooner Than Later, But At Least We Got This Navigator!
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The company run by husband and wife team Gary and Melanie Mack launched their site as a broadband portal for urban entertainment. It offered everything from, 14 years of "Showtime at the Apollo" reruns to Master P crying about his basketball career, or lack thereof. However, it looks like the party is finally over. After burning through approximately $5 million in cash and burning investors Bamflex! is headed for the a listing on Ghost Sites.
A common statistic reminds us that 80% of all businesses fail within the first 5 years. Consummate overachievers, Bamflex! took only 5 months to achieve this same feat. It's a sad situation when a promising company, launched March 5th, 2000 dies 5 months later and leaves employees and vendors out in the cold. A frequently repeated story about Gary Mack, the David Stanely styled, CEO of Bamflex!, is that he thought up the nonsensical name for his company during a bowel movement. This same potty thinking probably influenced his decision to use LoadTV as the video streaming provider for his site. Perhaps if he had stayed on the toilet a little longer he might have been able to produce a viable revenue model and some management skills to go along with the great company name. Courtesy flush please!
The sites imminent demise is due in large part to inconsistencies in the statements made by the husband and wife management team. Apparently the funding claims made by management were at best grossly exaggerated and after a confrontation last week with ex-employees over back pay and cash owed to employees, Bamflex! CEO, Gary Mack took out his personal checkbook and paid the protesting former employees. Sources close to the situation claim that termination notices for the remaining staff went out this week, these staff members were given less then a week's notice of their termination. Former employees and disgruntled staff are apparently planning on filing complaints against the husband and wife team with the California Labor Bureau.
However, employee troubles were only the beginning of the problems at Bamflex! Investors were also reportedly tired of the overspending on launch parties and T&E expenses that netted no results. Things really began to fall apart when the original investors, who provided an estimated $5 million in seed funding, made a final attempt to regain control of the company from the two founders after deals with companies like Pepsi, MGM, Rap Station and Impact fell through. The only major deal that actually went to contract was a sponsorship agreement with Lincoln, which provided Bamflex! with a sweet '99 Navigator for use in a giveaway promotion. However the navigator has not been given away and can often be found parked outside the home of the Mack's. Gary and Melanie Mack were unwilling to reduce their personal equity stake in the venture or relinquish management control in order to save the venture and the livelihood of the employees who worked for them (including an office manager who is 5 months pregnant and now without health insurance). As a result investors pulled funding and employee checks are again bouncing.
One mitigating factor is that at least Al. B. Sure got to perform somewhere, anywhere at all.
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>>BamFlex! is the first large urban portal to tank this
>>year.
How do you define large? Traffic generated? Presence in the space? Investment capital obtained? I've never heard of Bamflex. But then, what do I know. |
Another one bites the dust. But what lesson do we learn from this?
If they really did have $5 mil to burn through, who were their investors? Did they have net experience and did they take an active role in management? Not day-to-day, just basic oversight.
And the way theyve played their staff is just foul. Im hearing about more and more urban internet and marketing companies going belly up and not taking basic care of their people.
Foul. |
Another one bites the dust. But what lesson do we learn from this?
If they really did have $5 mil to burn through, who were their investors? Did they have net experience and did they take an active role in management? Not day-to-day, just basic oversight.
And the way they've played their staff is just foul. I'm hearing about more and more "urban" internet and marketing companies going belly up and not taking basic care of their people.
Foul. |
LMAO
wannabe nobodys who never were
Oh the Urban New Media Hustle
when wil it end and how many people are gonna try to make a quick profit before it does |
Where they just hittin' in Cali?
'Funny' how they have still have madd job postings up on HotJobs!
2b cont'd
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For y'all flash heads...
Vote for your favorite flash site....
uh, sorry don't think I've seen any 'urban' sites represented there.
http://www.flashfilmfestival.com/vote/
BTW - The flash film festival will be heald on July 24, NYC, Hammerstein ballroom.
Sorry for posting a PSA, but this thread about this hardly heard of urban site it boring. I thought UE was supposed to be provocative?!?
I figure all y'all cats that ain't got it right can look at the sites on the url above and take some notes, perhaps make your site better. Or, at least find out who are some of the better website consulting firms.
See you at the Hammerstien BR. I'll be the one in the white wig.... sike.
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This is mad hilarious. My whole office was rollin when we read teh part about the Navigator. That's just as ill as it can get.
All these companies will be dying soon, and what baffles me is why the hell VC's are still handing over cash to inexperienced people with no background as far as the Internet is concerned. $5 million in 5 months? That's just sad...... |
Read about the wife in charge of Bamflex.
http://www.blackwomanmagazine.com/ca/stories/story2.html
Interesting story.
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The scene was digital coast '99, the Director's Guild on Sunswet Blvd. The lobby for lunch...I get approached by a fast talking brother who is talking to me about "bamflex." Um like..what is this, a Living Color rerun um listening too...he yaps and yaps aboutnthe future oif the internet and bamflex's place and blah blah blah ...he talks alot about streaming video and that is why I am there...he tells methey got the baddest video streaming video technology the world has ever seen andnobody gonna serve it up better than bamflex...I said what about quicktime...ole boy look at me with a blank stare ofor a beat, then goes back into 'yeah it is better than quicktime, what evr that is"...it was at this point that I got in the wind...ignint mahafuggas like this can get 5 million samollions for some bullshit like this....what is the world coming to and this is why we got a digital divide....I got a great idea George...let finance stupid nigras one time and then never have to do it again for the next millennium.... |
I guess Black folks have to have their DEN-story as well. It is truly sad how folks who don't "get it" are able to get the attention and dollars from VCs and Angels.
I disagree that one has to have experience to run an Internet company. Vision, leadership, and trust are crticial to the success of any company and more so for a dot-com.
It makes it a bit harder to sell the VCs on content when you have folks running game like Bamflex who take the $$ while not producing results.
The fact that these folks choose not to go with the big 3 (Real, Win Media or QT) really scares me.
Non-Big 3 streaming solution? Don't get it
DEN and Bamflex have screwed up the content game for those of us who are in the space but currently below the radar. I think you can be in the Black with streaming media..you just have to be innovative and give a damn about the market you serve and conserve the $$ invested in the company.
$5 million in 5 months...wow...
Off of the only friends and family money we have received ($5,000), our company was able to send me (from ATL to Nashville on Greyhound...Nashville to San Jose on SW Airlines... and back...from Oakland..lodging in SJ provided by Motel 6) to the Real Conference 2000 where I met Edgar Bronfman of Seagram's (now Vivendi Universal, I guess and was written up in the San Jose Mercury a week or so later.
It's about"getting it" and executing on a solid vision. |
It's sad when people lose their jobs, BUT I can't help but smile about this one.
I ran into the Bamflex guys at the Impact Convention a few months back and was astounded by their ARROGANCE! I mean these cats, from the CEO to the business development guy, to the guys manning the booth, just thought they was the SHIT.
When I tried to talk to them about ways I thought we could work together, they were like
"We do acquisitions to,"....Not "let's talk, see what we can do together." Instead they made sure everybody knew they were going to be running things soon.
A bunch of tall good looking brothers that talk fast and big. I bet they played on that "I-look-and sound-the-part" shit to get that money..
Even after the conference I tried to hook up and talk to these brothers on the phone. After one post-conference talk I said the "Hell with them, they think they better than me."
This is a lesson for all. A little humility can go a long way.. |
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I give them props for trying to actually provide som content. However thie choice of media player was not wise. Most sites offer all formats (real, quicktime of media player) and let users select their preference.
They are not unique in that thousands of companies fail because those who conceive them are not always the best managers.
I have never heard of Bamflex. I first saw their site after I read about them here. But that could be because they have never done any credible marketing.
Also, as many financial sites point out, don't be afraid to relinquish equity (as long as it's to the right people - i.e. not Suge Knight). It is better to own 10% of a $5 million company than 100% of a $5,000 company.
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Sounds like a pair of creative ambitous people with good intentions and no real business experience.
That works great if you are a mid level exec in a Hollywood studio or major recod label, which employee armies of accountants and MBA's to mind the store. I have no doubt they were succesful in entertainment without ever coming face to face with the business end of Hollywood (real accounting, finance, M&A etc).
I fault their backers, to some extent for not seeing a gaping hole in there expereince and not insisting on more oversight. It is the investors' responsibility to keep an eye on their money. VC'c have to insist on a team with enough depth to make theri money grow.
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From Floyd Webb's post:
"what is the world coming to and this is why we got a digital divide....I got a great idea George...let finance stupid nigras one time and then never have to do it again for the next millennium...."
Y'know, I was actually thinking the same thing but I forgot to put that in my original post.
It's an old story: "You know, we (hired a black person or invested in a black/urban company) once and it didn't work out."
That's they way they think (and you know who "they" are). So if Bamflex really *did* have $5mil in funding --and operated at a burn rate of $1mil per month -- they're really going to make it difficult for first rounds of funding for new urban plays *and* additional rounds of funding for current urban plays. |
I find in very unfortunate that all black and latino companies are lumped together when something goes wrong but these companies are afforded the same consideration when something goes wrong.
the dot com field is littered with white companies who go it wrong. i.e. Den.net, Pixelon, Boo.com, Dr. Koop and many other well known Internet plays.
Regarding the experience of these companies, I agree some companies don't have the adequate experience but there are many companies that do have experience and managage to get it wrong. For example, Toys"r" Us is an example of a company that had tremondous problems during the last christmas season because of poor planning of the Internet Infrastructure and were unable to meet the demand of their customers.
MTVI, NBCI, Beauty.com, most of the Pet dot coms, are all running into problems. And some of these companies have an enoromous cash burn rate.
What is needed in any case is a clear strategy? How are you going to make a profit? What are the risk factors in going into this business? As a startup, how are you going to market the company?
Also, all VC's are not created equal. They are human as well and subject to the same mistakes as everyone else. If a person beleives that VC's got this space all figured out, I got a bridge to sell you. In the final analysis this all boils down to common business sense. I don't think that VC's and potential investors should hold these failures against new Black and Latino startups just as they wouldn't hold the failures against these white startups against all new white companies. A good idea is a good idea. And good management is good management. And greed is greed.
I am hoping with these letters we can do a little more critical analysis of circumstances before we make comments. To be honest I enjoy the intelligent dialogue because it makes everyone think about other point of views, and additional ways of viewing things.
With the Internet, you never know who is reading these postings, and I know that there has to be a balance in order for these conversations to be put in the proper context. Unfortunately, when individuals read things in print or on the web it sometimes impact their beliefs on things. The key to growth is having the ability to learn.
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Look at Boo.com, which ultimately burned $160 million. These cats are small time hustlers, what with their Lincoln Navigator and what not ... the chickenheads came to roost is all. Banflex: The True Hollywood Story will be playing on BET next month. |
They were sweating a project i was working on. When I checked them out, I could tell they were kinda really about nothing. |
http://dontblow.com
the real thang |
Bamflex has always been a horrible portal, and if anyone can spend what amounts to a million a month, and still have the same old ass content, they deserve all that is coming to them. |
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Malcom...its simple
A fool and his/her money are soon departed, which is why VC's still invest.
Any small time hustler with enough game and use of internet jargon can sounds all too convincing to those who only recently got their AOL 5.0 free trial CD in the mail.....
Investors" are really just people with a shitload of money who rely on other people to tell them what to do with it. |
Another PSA from B Cool... for the folks who are trying to freshen up on the latest in internet technologies:
Next week, Apple will be heading to New York and the Jacob Javits
Center for Macworld Expo 2000. Members of the QuickTime team will be on hand to introduce show attendees to QuickTime TV and to the
breadth and quality of multimedia QuickTime content available on the
Internet today.
If you're able to visit the show, you'll also find a number of QuickTime partners and developers demonstrating their latest wares.
Those of you interested in watching Steve Jobs open the Macworld
festivities with his keynote address will be pleased to know that
you can see his entire presentation streamed live--beginning at
9:00 am, Eastern time, Wednesday, July 19--over QuickTime TV, the
Internet's highest quality network.
In fact, if you access the Internet via a high-speed Broadband
connection (T1 or greater), you'll have the opportunity to enjoy a
real treat--QuickTime TV's first live 1-Megabit webcast:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/mwny00/
Like to experience 1-Megabit video streaming on your Mac or
Windows PC right now? Then come take a look at the Broadband version
of a new Britney Spears music video recently added:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/britney/
This weekend, be sure to catch the exclusive live QuickTime webcast
of Essential Festival 2000, the UK's premiere independent music
festival:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/essential2000/
See ya' at the Rebar on Wednesday! |
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B Cool, or anyone thinkin about attending that flashfilmfestival
$995 bucks for pre-registration
$1195 at the door.
Clearly priced to keep a particular segment of the internet population away.
I think imma jus' dig into my cache, retrive the .swf or.mov files and have my own damn festival....free.
My name aint willie ....*yet*
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yeah.. the fff is pricey... definitely can't go unless you can expense it to your gig.
i know that may limit the access to many of 'us'. thus the crux of the matter in the darn digital divide.
too bad this ain't being held by an 'urban media' company, cuz then we could just stand outside and 'game' our way in.
;0P |
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heh heh heh.....
free drinks, soul food, and sushi all night...all in celebration of a new flash intro....
next week, another party right beofre they lay off a few hard working employees..
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Maybe we should bitch and make alot of noise about that outrageous admission fee.
Hey McLean here's a thought write an article about the quicktime convention and attend it and shit on it to bring exposure to that price...
I mean come on man... I could do a whole hell of alot more with a jesus ($grand) right now than blow it on a quicktime convention, but I would like to go so I am going to see.
But what about the folks who couldn't afford that? Are there any opportunities to expose underprivileged netizins....
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bam who?? flex what??? who came up with that name??? who thought to invest in an urban portal with that name??? do they know who their target markets are??? bam bam ha ha your dead!
I love you guys! |
y is this site so slow?? it's just text!!!
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This just in: Adam Matthews quit his job at S.O.H.H. today. |
Now isn't this interesting: All you need is an aggressive lawyer to get web sites to reveal the identities of anonymous posters who slander or reveal confidential information. You can find the full story in the Industry Standard.
Yahoo Postings Prompt More Lawsuits
CS First Boston and Informix want to know the identities of users who are revealing
confidential information.
By Elinor Abreu
Credit Suisse First Boston and Informix
(IFMX) are the latest companies to file
lawsuits against anonymous posters to
finance-related message boards on Yahoo
(YHOO) . Such message boards are proving
to be a hotbed of legal activity, with
companies accusing posters of making
defamatory statements, sharing
confidential information and spreading
misinformation to prompt stock sales for
their own benefit.
In both of the lawsuits, Yahoo is being
asked to reveal the names of the
anonymous posters. The company used to
make little or no attempt to notify posters
before identifying them, but Yahoo
changed its policy in April so that it now
gives users 15 days notice before revealing
their personal information under subpoena.
Yahoo does not comment on lawsuits or
subpoenas, according to spokeswoman
Shannon Stubbo.
The Credit Suisse First Boston lawsuit filed
Tuesday in federal court in New York asks
for $1 million from a group of posters who
allegedly libeled and defamed the firm by
making numerous derogatory comments
about a CSFB analyst. CSFB declined to
comment on the lawsuit. |
Is this company run by the guy who showed a clip during the MOBE convention in LA in which he was a panelist. The only thing you could here in the clip was people calling each other nigga. In the audience at the convention were executives from major corps and aspiring black entrepreneurs. The clip he chose to show was so inappropriate if this is the same guy. It really made US look bad. Hate to see any brother go out of business, but hopefully, this won't deter other VCs from working in the AfroAm space. By the way, bit ups to MOBE. Can't wait for the next convention. |
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$5MM, holy shit!
I developed blackindex.com all by myself and it was running for over 5 years and my monthly costs were cheaper than the average cable bill! And I still manage to attract over 2 millions users a year! I even have more clout, look up blackindex.com with yahoo!, MSN and the other portals and you will see how much blackindex.com has made an impact. Like I said before, my cable bill cost more than blackindex.com maintenance cost...
And the worst part of it is that I offer more features and had better technology in my application. Go see yourself, the site is still up even though it will be transformed later this fall...
I'm currently developing two new black-orientated web sites that is already as advance as whatever out there (one of them is currently patent-pending - does your favorite black site have a patent? thought so!!!) and is not even spending close to $10,000!
I guess it cost a lot of money to be stupid in this business. |
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I hear you Ed....like I was saying in another thread, there are cats who make home pages for free as a hobby that have more content and are more exciting than some websites that spend millions of dollars ...i dont get it..how these investors thow all this money away.....gimme sum of that shit, so i can buy me a navigator.
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So Business School Student, what's your point? Do you really think that this site is elaborate as Yahoo? Doubt it.
What they gonna get if they suponea? A bunch of fake emails? Yeah right. It's not even worth the time to process a suit. Besides, let me give you a little law 101, you have to prove the shit aint true to win defamation, and libel. These people being talked about here can't |
The problem here is that these people have no clue about the business.
These people were movie folks trying to make a net play and got burned.
The reason these folks get abused? Because at least in some of the white companies, they have some fucking relevant experience.
Sure you get a Booboo now and then, but this urban shit is unreal. Record execs and film people trying to do the web with no clue?
A million a month? Not the worst burn rate I ever saw, but shit, didn't they see the April 15 papers and the crash?
Bet they won't keep that car for long and Cali's labor laws are a bitch.
The winners will be the people who do this shit without trying to cash in like a pimp. |
Two points:
1. Stop talking about getting Experieced NET people! Who are they? Where are they?
There are so few success stories on the NEt that there ain't THAT many people walking around that have this thing figured out. Pretty much everybody's still figuring out how to make the economics work consistently.(Accept for the porn industry)
2. The biggest problem in the whole Net industry is people trying to get rich real fast. Folks just went plan crazy dreamin' about those IPO's.
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Don't sleep...
http://www.whoisjillscott.com
posted 9:14 am July 15
ya heard it here 1st
Album drops on July 18
;) |
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...nah, actually I heard the single from Jill Scott in a record store,and bout it avout a month and a half ago..."Love Rain"-feat Mos Def..hot.
Last year I ran across this magazine with Nicky Barnes on the cover.
Checked it out, and was kinda pulled into the rawness of the magazine...First, i was kinda pissed because it *seemed* like they were glorifying the crazy shit I had to grow up with in the PJ's and the streets, but as I read it over and over,
peeped the eulogies, prison letters, and missing kids section..i peeped the balance in the magazine and was hooked...
The probalem was I couldnt find that shit again nowhere-cause it was selling out too fast. I finally picked up the latest copy this week..
F.E.D.S has gotta be the illest magazine to drop in a while dealin' with reality....I cant belive i missed the issue featuring "Alpo"... |
Genieve:
I didn't post the Industry Standard article out of a belief that Urbanexpose is as elaborate as Yahoo. It isn't. My point was a simple one: just because one makes up false email addresses before slandering folk does not mean that your identity cannot be discovered. And you are correct when you say that libel is difficult to prove, but I argue that without the cloak of anonymity, most of the folks here wouldn't say half the shit that they do. Without that cloak, we wouldn't see as much he/she slept with so and so and the homophobic rants that pass as posts here. And in my opinion, this ommission would make Expose a better place.
So while libel couldn't easily be proved, you would at least know who has been running their mouths. |
The story of this Internet company going bankrupt is incredible, if true. And the comments posted are equally intelligent. But I disagree with anyone who would want identities exposed. That would go against what this site seems to be about, which is letting people comment without fear about what they are reading. But I also feel that less people posting curses and insults would make this a more enjoyable and useful site. This site is one that apparently seems to be needed, if half of what the stories on this site reveal is true. |
I spoke to them a few times, and I actually really liked them. That Gary Mack
guy knew what he was talking about, and they got traffic too. Its funny how on the
east coast
we are all preoccupied with our own little sites here and narrowcast our vision sometimes too much
too see that some of the major urban web plays are not
made in NY nor aimed at NYers. I was drawing this analogy
the other day how the biggest east coast rapper typically sells less than the smaller
west coast rappers (except for the Jay-Z's)although we dont pay attention to them cause we
are too busy with our own local heros.
sometimes we forget there is a whole cyber world outside NY and the
360/platform/ubo set... and that this company
actually got a hell lot more traffic than all 3 of those sites put together. They must
have been doing something right, although everyone here in NY is like BAM
WHO?.
They used Load because LoadTV was an investor, it wasnt a moronic
decision like DEN to design their own
proprietary player (DEN designed that AWFUL denabler ).
HELL if loadtv would give me money
to develop a content site I would gladly take it
and encode every byte for the LOAD player, just make sure
that there was a quicktime or real or media player alternative.
Their content at bamflex was above and beyond most other urban
content sites (they had no limit tv, eminem tv, showtime at the apollo, a bunch of movies
and EUR newsshow..they did a lot i thought, especially for a neophyte site)i have been to (and if you could just get past that LOAD TV thing
..which they were about to code everything to real audio as well, or so they were
saying)...
there would have been stuff worth checking out. Oh well, maybe they will
have a liquidation sale like DEN and I can get one of those XL-1's for cheap :-)
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Did anyone see the Ny Times article about Wiliam "Upski" Wimsatt? This dude wrote an article about 'wiggers' in The Source like he was supporting rap then told the times that he used to feel black people were mentally inferior to whites. One of my boys up at 360 told me that Upski be going up there all the time and that everyone sweats him and beg him to write for them. Upski's article in the times also had his girlfriend saying that he was outgrowing his wanting to have black friends. then he told the times that an old black lady once wanted to use a washing machine in a laundrymat. he started talking tough about how he didn't let her use it because he was there first then he said that shit about 'but then i realized she wasn't born as smart as us white folk.'
Why don't we talk about that on this site? did anyone see that article in last thursday's times? elliott wilson was also in there, and they put him in there as a 'black man' even tho' he goes around this industry proudly saying "I am half white!"
I think everyone should read this article and tell us all how you feel.
it's at
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/race/070600kleinfield-hiphop.h
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from the NYT arrticle Othello II pointed out...
Hip-hop, as he saw it, endowed him with cultural elasticity, allowed him to shed the privilege of whiteness, to be as down with blacks as with whites. For a long time, he felt black in every respect but skin color, he says, which was why he had been able to get away with that much-noticed article seven years ago in The Source, a magazine considered one of the bibles of hip-hop.
It was a withering critique of "wiggers," whites who try too hard to be black so they will be accepted. Soon, he argued, "the rap audience may be as white as tables in a jazz club." In the last paragraph, which The Source cut from the final version, he warned black artists that the next time they invented something, they had better find a way to control it financially, because whites were going to steal hip-hop.
"And since it's the 90's," he concluded, "you won't even get to hear us say, 'Thanks, niggers.' "
The whole white guys into Black culture reminds me of an article co-written by one of my mentors, Dr. Mack H. Jones from Clark-Atlanta titled "White Custodians of the Black Experience." I will have to go back and find it and post up some stuff from the piece...
Also, if Black folks in this new media hav not read "Who Needs the Negro" by Sidney Wilhelm and "Crisis of the Black Intellectual" by Dr. Harold Cruse, then I wonder how wide is our vision of this thing and the importance of us taking our responsibility seriously...
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Othello II:
>>did anyone see that article in last thursday's times? elliott wilson was also in there, and they put him
in there as a 'black man' even tho' he goes around this industry proudly
saying "I am half white!" >>
I'm trying to understand where you're going with this. Are you saying that children born of miscegenation should not acknowledge one of their parents? I think the Elliott Wilson portrayed by the Times came across as someone who had identity problems in his early youth until hip hop helped give him focus and direction. I'm not sure that telling a New York Times writer about his predilection for strip clubs, and then taking that writer to one of his spots was a good pr move, but that's his business. |
MGR27Robinson:
I was not trying to say that Elliott should not acknowledge both of his parents. In fact, what you wrote, about him accepting both of his parents, was my point exactly. But he didn't do this in The Times. That's what I tried to say. In person, he tells the truth, which is cool, but in The Times article, he sort of seemed embarrassed by it, and hid the fact that one of his parents was white, which is an insult to his parent. |
To Floyd:
Thats a very sad story, but its not unique to African americans. I've been to plenty of conferences where the people knew nothing outside of their tech and their site.
To Cory:
If you dont think it takes experince to run an internet company then what does it take? How can leadership and trust grow a company in an environment like the web? How can you lead a staff when you have no vision or foresight? What you did in getting to the real conference is an example of whats lacking in most of these sites and why I think VC is a bad thing. You did what you had to do because you believed in it and wanted to make it happen. It was about passion and proably some desperation. The current urban sites dont feel any of that. They are all playing with someone elses money and faking passion.
To Everyone:
Are there any good stories about the Bamflex folks? I mean damn they were only in biz for 5 months they had to have someone out htere who thought they were interesting. I read the Bio on the wife and she seems like an interesting person although why she was running an interenet company is beyond me. Did anyone look at the Apollo clips on the site?
Artisha
art4short |
Artisha:
Someone from Bamflex actually e-mailed me today and asked if we ever met. (We hadn't). He also said that much of what was written here is, unfortunately, true and that Bamflex *never* had $5 mil in backing.
Taneshia |
Taneshia
Wow, so there are still people working at the site? Did he mention how much they had? You should encourage him to post a good storie about working for the site and why he thinks they site died.
Artisha
art4short |
This guy Upski should never be a part of black anything. He uses you as a tool.
I almost want to cry when I read about people wtih such obvious self-hatred and loathing.
"Thanks niggers". He wrote that and didn't get his ass beaten to a pulp?
If he had written "Thanks kikes" he would no longer have a career.
These people are perpetuating the worst kinds of stereotypes among our people and you still deal with them?
"Later on, he said: "When that happened, part of my gut reaction was, 'This is a black woman who has limited brain capacity, and it fits my stereotype of blacks having less cognitive intelligence.' "
This is from the motherfucker's mouth. And you still deal with him? My God, have you no shame?
You would let this man be part of your community? Work in your culture?
The whole article is should be called pimps and their negro hoes, because that is what the black people in that article are.
If they were men, their white overseer would be long gone.
William Upski could have never, ever expressed anti-semitic comments like those in that article he expresses about blacks and have a career, not even a job with Jews because they know what comes out of a man's mouth one day, may come to harm them in many others.
A man would have nothing to do with this clown.
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Oh yeah, in America, half white means you're NOT WHITE.
Let your eyes be slightly slanted or your skin a shade dark, and you do not get to be white in America. |
To: Steve
Although I havent seen the article people like Mr. Upski are fairly common among the Black intelligecia. I wonder would you feel as strong about Omar Wasow or Tanya Omeze who have both expressed and experienced ambilvelence about their multi-racial identities. Mr Upski is not that unique and I think everyone goes through their own process of coming to terms with who they are and how they identify.
Yes This is a bit of a personal issue with me since I am also of a multi-racial background and I have not always been completely comfortable with who I was. I dont think that makes me a bad person I was ignorant and as I grew I learned as many others have as well.
Artisha
art4short |
I remember years ago as a high school student in the Apartheid regime days in South Africa when The NYTimes reported--on page A11!--that Nelson Mandela was arrested partially on information supplied by the CIA. It was at that moment that any positivity towards the NYTimes with regards to their coverage of blacks is wasted. Fu@k the NY Times and their weak ass corporate Establishment view of black culture. the day that a black man or a latino receives a position of real power at the Times and not as the house negro who writes "SPECIAL" race "FEATURES" is the day that a left of center black man or a Nuyorican is elected to the presidency: Goddam never! |
What this boils down to is that black owned/oriented sites have so much riding on their success. They are under a huge microscope. White companies fail left and right, and white folks can just say "C'est la vie". But if a black site screws up, you will never hear the end, and understandably so.
Black people want to see a black run site succeed because it will open doors for people of non-traditional backgrounds. Unfortunately, it it fails, there is a lot of bitterness. This failing site has put a "black eye" in the game, and legitimized white people's fears of letting black people have ownership.
Best way to handle this under normal circumstances is to not dwell on the failure. Shit happens. However, it seems as though this is an atypical situation. Were the Mack's trying to pull a scam? Is this guy just that smooth a talker that VC's chuck money in his direction? Where did things go wrong? Seems like a case of decent idea and mediocre managment. Unfortunatley, this may serve as yet another hurdle that black owned companies will have to jump in order to secure financing from VC's. That is bullshit!
Well, Karma is a motherfucker. The Mack's may miss out on the info about a factory recall from Lincoln regarding brakes on the Navigator. Buckle-Up! |
Sorry to get off the subject BUT there is too much talent around here to not try and tap into it.
I'm looking for constructive ideas and partners to help me reshape my site, BLACKMUSIC.COM into a strong urban destination.
I hope to begin reviving the site in the next few weeks.
Please email me at brian@blackmusic.com
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anyone black or multicultural in this industry who gives upski any kind of job writing about hip hop or anything else that has to do with black people is the very definition of self hatred. how sad that this individual is so arrogant about his fucked up beliefs that he can express them in the new york times with no fear or reprisal.
that's a statement on what's happening to hip hop culture as much as anything. has anyone seen madonna's new video, i hear that's yet another example of her desire to identify with any culture but her own.
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all i have to say is do the research baby. load tv sucks we cant wait for a down load silly. i told yall these uneducated negros with suits is f**cking it up for the real urban internet cats. VC's do your research. if they over 30 they don't know the net. they just consumers of the net. give us young hogs a shot. we live this sh*t everyday.
Streaming tech is the future for urban content creators like myself...
yall see..... We could do it with a quarter of that dough and be the hottest nigga's in the street with this tech Sh*t. Ain't nobody did it yet. |
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