Okayplayer

Okayplayer.com is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by Rolling Stone as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The group was founded by The Roots' drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and author Angela Nissel as a loose musical collective in 1987, and evolved into an online community in 1999. In 2004, Questlove launched Okayplayer Records as a spin-off of the community, in partnership with Decon. After a near-decade hiatus, the label was rebooted in 2012 with Danny! as its flagship artist. This community is made up of recording artists (who keep their official internet homes there), visitors to the site, and individuals who post on the site's message board, the most popular feature of the site. All of the artists and staff, as well as those who post to the site's messageboard, are considered "okayplayers," or "OKPs" for short. Okayplayer has been identified as an online community that allows people to bypass traditional media and network with each other. An example of such a collaboration fostered by the site is the Foreign Exchange project, with Little Brother's vocalist Phonte Coleman and Dutch producer named Nicolay meeting on Okayplayer, and making an album together by sending tracks and verses back and forth over the Internet. The album, Connected, was released before the pair had met in real life. Okayplayer organize regular tours and an annual "Roots Picnic" all day event. Okayplayer artists: The Roots, Little Brother, Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, Danny!, Jean Grae, Jill Scott, Common, Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek, Dilated Peoples, J Dilla, Erykah Badu, Meshell Ndegeocello, D'Angelo, Sa-Ra, Blitz the Ambassador, Jaguar Wright, Blackalicious, Jazzyfatnastees, Skillz, Aceyalone, DangerDoom, The Coup, Leela James, M-1 (of Dead Prez), Mr. Lif, Scratch (formerly of the Roots), India.Arie, K-os, RJD2, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Pharoahe Monch, Amy Winehouse, D.J. Jazzy Jeff, Solange Knowles, Esperanza Spalding, Q-Tip, Ben Kenney

Source: Wikipedia

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