No Rock And Roll Fun

RINGIN' IT IN: Thanks to Lola W for bringing the HipHop SupaStar - hosted by Xzibit - to our attention; it's pitched as Hip Hop's answer to American Idol, but sponsorship - Sony Ericsson and Cingular Wireless - gives a better idea of what the idea is: it's an attempt to spread the gospel of text-message voting in the US. There's some markety-bollocks to go with the thing:

"Hip Hop SupaStar is the pivotal event that will help move mobile music beyond personalization and towards entertainment. Combining the broad reach of the mobile platform with consumer input is an incredible opportunity for a major music company like ours to help find talent that resonates with our audience," said J.J. Rosen, General Manager, Digital Music Products, Sony BMG Music.

It's a little bit lame that Sony need to rely on an easily-fudged text vote to decide who to sign - isn't this way of selecting acts less about test marketing, more about discovering who can underwrite the most SMS messages on their phone?

But if the marketing guys are dull when they talk about themselves, they're hilarious when they try to write in what they figure to be the argot of young hip-hop dudes:

The ten finalists have been announced! These finalists will have the chance to blow up like never before as their music gets listened to, downloaded as a ringtone and voted for, through mobile phones across the country. And they might get to perform their joints live on Tour with Xzibit. X is gonna be performing all his bangers including songs from his new CD Weapons of Mass Destruction. Fans of the finalists can vote for their favorite finalist via text message on their wireless phone. And there's no limit to the number of times you can vote. Every vote helps select the next Hip Hop SupaStar and counts as an automatic entry for the Hip Hop SupaStar Flyaway sweepstakes where the winner gets to meet Xzibit on the set. So use your vote! Win a chance to kick it with Xzibit; and hold it down for your favorite up-and coming Hip Hop Supa Star.

So, then, we can chill with X if we hold it down so our finalists can blow their joints, then? Bitchin. Erm... do the young peoples still say bitchin?

I'd love to meet the 49 year-old white guy from Arkansas who wrote this - "I ran it past the DHL delivery man, as his kids know some black children, and he said it sounded fine to him..."

The big question is: what does xzibit think he's doing?

music xzibit hiphop