Letter From the Editor, Looking Back

2007

nOvaMatic  |  12/31/2007 at 10:00 PM  |  Comments (9)

This will probably be a lot longer next year.

I created this site to expand the conversation of "urban" music beyond the usual suspects, leaning towards "alternatives" while using the aggressive approach employed by the gossip blogs. There were some stumbles along the way, and there are still a number of kinks that need smoothing out. But overall, we've established our voice and people are starting to know what to expect from SoulBounce.com.

In August, we quietly appeared on the internet with features like our daily greeting Morning Soul, highlighting a classic video and delivering a few links to news items just to whet your appetite, as well as the Mixtape Roundup, in which I share some of the best music podcasts and digital mixtapes I couldn't keep to myself. While these are merely supplemental posts, they are dedicated and unique to our site. You have come to expect them, and whether you leave feedback or not, you'll know something's wrong if these entries don't appear on their regular schedule.

The tone of our site was established by the variety of artists we covered. Naturally, we showed love to Eric Roberson and Raheem Devaughn and others in their lane, but we immediately took things a step further with a dedicated affection for Q-Tip and an almost voyeuristic interest in the antics of Amy Winehouse. This opened the gates a little wider. We would regard Hip-Hop artists as much as soul vocalists if their product seemed to suit the audience we were cultivating, as well as covering artists that are considered mainstream and tabloid mainstays if their music touched on something that can be considered inherently soulful. We still have limitations and a focus, but within that, the sky's the limit.

In our first month, Butta landed an interview with Ledisi, whose album has gone on to earn much critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination. Not bad for a site that only existed less than three weeks.
September saw the launch of a more regular features. Diggin' in the Crates saw us parsing our own personal music collections for rarities and remixes, to either drum up some nostalgia or remind you we're pretty damn serious about our music. The myth perpetuated by other sites is that "new" equals "hot", and this just isn't the case. By highlighting music from era's past, we acknowledge an audience that has grown up on years of music and doesn't automatically leap for the latest trend or industry-generated hype.

Battle of the Beats had us tossing two similar songs into ring and having you decide on a victor. In most cases, the battles were fair fights and many of you couldn't decide. This feature, along with DITC, was launched with a tracks by an artist we've been investigating since the beginning. Maxwell.

In the month that we solidified our witty, relaxed approach, we hit just under 14,000 page views. Quite a climb.

In October, our write-ups of the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors (including Tweet's new 'do and all the mess surrounding Lupe Fiasco) culminated in our first live-blog, which was a hilarious success! Props to Butta for taking one for the team with another live-blog, this time of the BET Hip Hop Awards. We enhanced Crowd Participation with the Soul-Poll, and began chronicling Franklin Bridge's all-too-brief tenure on The Next Great American Band. We also put out the call for some additional personnel.

Total page views for the month of October: 21,760.

ill Mami joined us in November and brought Name That Beat with her, along with her own knowledge of the Hip-Hop and Alternative genres. We followed Alicia Keys and Mary J. Blige and had our biggest Soul-Poll yet. Also, the Erykah Badu "Honey" post has turned into a forum of sorts. Almost 40k pageviews for the month of November and with 2 hours left of 2007, we're skating near 54k for December.

Yay!

In the coming weeks, we'll begin to "creep" our way back to a regular schedule. We've also seen the drafts of our fresh new design and we're very excited. Also coming is the Official Countdown of our Top 100 R&B/Soul Songs (of all-time?). The content and swagger for 2008 will be bananas! I'm happy to report that some of these things are so good, I can't even give hints.

So keep visiting, keep sending us tips (@soulbounce.com) and have a Happy and safe New Year.

Best.
nOva