We moved offices to a temp space called Sunshine Suites, the one at 419 Lafayette near Astor Place. In addition to the fancy lounge like waiting spaces, and the bathrooms playing sexy house chill music - they happen to be a home to a range of startups in the area.
One of these companies is HHTV (see'em on myspace). Their CEO Ganiu "Scrills" Ladejobi is this hip hop "dood" whose passion for hip hop is pretty obvious after talking to him for 5 minutes. Hip hop and HHTV in SCrills's own words:
Hip Hop is more than just music; it's a lifestyle, a culture, the very essence of people like me that grew up on it. With the world becoming more tuned in to Hip Hop, it is only right that we have our own avenue for spreading and enjoying our culture 24/7...And by our own avenue, I mean our own television network, where we can broadcast everything hip hop 24/7 for cats like me that live hip hop, and even for those who want to be a part of our culture. Well, to the hip hop nation, I give you HHTV- Hip Hop Television. HHTV is the world's first internet-based hip hop television network.
These kids seem to be doing some great work surviving in a highly competitive environment and producing some good shows. I would love to see them providing more user interaction on their site and let users create their own shows or channels. However, Scrills for now aspires to have his own TV network thats available on your cable box in addition to being online. With companies like Facebook (and hopefully Myspace) opening up their platforms, compenies like HHTV can exploit the POWER OF THE USER.
