HISTORY:
HoodStars.net is the brain child of Amen-Ra, & Nino Brown which came about after many years
of affiliating their past websites such as Makaveli4ever.com, 2untouchable.com, WildNThaWest.com,
Westside2Real.com, TooGangsta.net, StreetHop.com, DeathRowEntertainment.com, & WestCoastAfterShock.com.
Between the three webmasters, we were the first in the online hiphop community to bring artists
direct to fans with input for interviews for artists & interviews with the artists themselves. This
was unheard of in '99/'00 for ANY kind of fan site for ANY kind of music.
With innovative designs, vast volumes of unique content, fresh ideas & a new approach to
building music fan-orientated portal sites, we set the standards & templates for which
most online hiphop fan sites are now still using nearly 5 years later.
HoodStars.net is part of the Internet publishing arm of 2NA Entertainment, which is the parent
business. 2NA Entertainment is driven by newmedia business, as well as music production & release,
movies and traditional publishing, as well as other business ventures such as consultancy, design
& market research.
WHY HOODSTARS.NET (Our Mission Statement):
With there being so many hiphop websites very focussed on particular niches, i.e. West Coast music,
there was a lack of diversity & a lack of "connectedness" for fans of all forms of hiphop/urban
music. With this in mind, our collective experience & industry contacts, we decided to
establish what we hope will become a major player in terms of the online urban music
experience, becoming THE place for hiphop fans from around the globe. We hope to cover
international hiphop also, given the continually diversifying global nature of hiphop.
"We kept setting trends with our own individual sites, people kept checkin out what we were
doin', followin' & even now I'm lookin at sites & seein shit we did way back & people claimin
they did this & that first." HoodStars.net co-CEO Amen-Ra, along with Nino Brown, came together
& decided to yet again establish a new set of standards. "We're one of the first
hiphop fan sites to produce their own anthem track. Shit, I even dropped the bars my damn self.
You won't be seein other sites doin' that, cos that's somethin which is in me. I'm a artist
first & foremost, & a businessman second, & I defy any muthafuckas out there to raise on up
to that [bar], yeah - come join us up here, air is all fresh man!"
With mainstream hiphop journalism now in a state of stagnation, & the Internet proving that
fans & ordinary people are now getting there with news first, there is a massive gap in the
market, & with it being a multimedia platform, it has advantages tradtional print doesn't.
"We're in a position to bring artists to the fans directly visually & in sound & without
a delay of a month like the magazines," explains Amen-Ra. "We fans first off, we know what we
wanna see & we ain't feelin the whole 80 pages of ads, 3 pages of music shit we into & in
the damn process payin money for it. Plus you gotta wait like a damn month before you can
even catch up on whatever with artists & 90% of the time, they ain't showin no love to
dudes people fiendin' to read about - it ain't right, & it ain't good business."
Hoodstars.net has formed a network of recording artists, reporters and agencies, which
streamlines the promotional process and maximizes the resources available to each segment
of the industry. This allows industry personel to promote themselves with guidance and
direction from hoodstars.net.
It is this experience, insight & impetus that Amen-Ra feels gives HoodStars.net an edge,
"We know artists out there right now are in a big position of power with their products,
& they got the world watchin, waitin & fiendin for it. The mainstream media is only lettin
hiphop catch a peek in the door, when everybody & they damn dog knows hiphop right now is
leadin the way & makin alotta people alotta money & yet its still not given its dues in
the media. Irony is the media is the same people that be makin they money off hiphop right
now. I believe we can offer a global audience efficiently, with minimal cost & with maximum
exposure that they [magazines] can't!"
As a team, HoodStars.net are starting to go where few other hiphop websites
have gone before & to challenge their printed rivals such as XXL & The Source. "Yeah the
source has alot of money behind it, & a global circulation, same with XXL, but we showin
that we can compete in terms of global circulation & be fully interactive with hiphop fans
which they [the magazines] can't!" explains Amen-Ra, "Yeah you got Vibe too, & Vibe the only
one of that group with a significant web presence, but even right now they're not capitalising
the way AllHipHop & SOHH do, & even they aren't fully taking advantage of what is there for
the taking, we won't make their mistake. It is all ours for the taking!"
HoodStars.net is formed from an international team of staff from the U.S.A., Europe, & Asia,
which gives it a unique advantage over its rivals in terms of understanding the markets it is in,
the cultural requirements within those markets, and more importantly a team that can work around the
clock as a result on bringing new ideas, focus and direction to the content it delivers daily.
HOW TO CONTACT HOODSTARS.NET:
We can be best reached by the email addresses below. If you are contacting us in relation to
advertising with us,
click here. If you
are contacting us in relation to artist features, reviews or news, please use the staff contact
list as below.
CEO's / Founders:
Amen-Ra, Editor In Chief [ra@hoodstars.net]
Nino Brown, Promotions Editor [nino@hoodstars.net]
Zuka, Features Editor [zuka@hoodstars.net]
Senior Staff:
Kerri, Deputy Editor In Chief [kerri@hoodstars.net]
Peter Stannard, Technical Advisor [peter@hoodstars.net]
Features Team:
Sin, Lead Reporter & Writer [sin@hoodstars.net]
Kingwell, Features Support [kingwell@hoodstars.net]
Cvrle, Features Support [cvrle@hoodstars.net]
News Team:
Kerri, Reporter [kerri@hoodstars.net]
Kristo, Reporter [kristo@hoodstars.net]
Cvrle, Features Support [cvrle@hoodstars.net]
Written Features Team:
Krys Ivory, Columnist [www.myspace.com/krysivory]
Damizza, Columnist [www.myspace.com/damizza1]
The Leak, Colmnist [TheLeak@hoodstars.net]
Graphics & Design Team:
Kerri [kerri@hoodstars.net]
Amen-Ra [ra@hoodstars.net]
Nino [nino@hoodstars.net]
Jordan [jordan-x@hoodstars.net]
COPYRIGHT STATEMENTS:
This Web Site is expressly owned and operated by HoodStars.net. Unless otherwise noted, the design and content featured on the HoodStars.net web site, including navigational buttons and images, artwork, graphics, photography, text and the like-are copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, and/or intellectual property that are owned, controlled, or licensed by HoodStars.net. Management. This site in its entirety is protected by copyright and applicable trade dress. All worldwide rights, titled, and interests are reserved. This site and its contents may only be used for personal non-commercial use. Any use of our Web site and its content for purposes other than personal and non-commercial is prohibited without the prior written permission of the official HoodStars.net site. Any reproduction, publication, display, modification, sale or distribution of any of the materials from the official HoodStars.net site without the written authorization of HoodStars.net and or 2NA Entertainment is expressly prohibited. HoodStars.net and 2NA Entertainment is proud of the many distinguished product names and brands we are able to present to you through this Web site. Please be aware that each of the various trademarks, product names, company names, and corporate identities represented on the official HoodStars.net site are the property of their individual owner-companies.
DISCLAIMERS:
Given the unpredictabilities of technology and the online environment, HoodStars.net and 2NA Entertainment does not warrant that the function or operation of this Web site will be uninterrupted or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that this site or the server that makes it available will be free of viruses or other harmful elements. As a visitor to and user of this Web site, you must assume full responsibility for any costs associated with servicing of equipment used in connection with use of our site. As a visitor to and a user of this Web site, you, in effect, agree that your access will be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this legal notice and that access is undertaken at your own risk. HoodStars.net and 2NA Entertainment shall not be liable for damages of any kind related to your use of or inability to access this site. Please understand that we have made every effort to display the products featured the official HoodStars.net as accurately as possible. However, the colors we use-as well as the display and color capabilities of your particular computer monitor-will greatly affect the colors you actually see on the screen.
The official HoodStars.net site cannot be held responsible for the limitations of your monitor and cannot guarantee that your monitor's display of any color, texture, or detail of actual merchandise will be accurate. Certain of our featured items are selected in limited quantities and, because of their limited availability, their stock will not and cannot be refreshed. That means once an item is gone, it may be gone for good and may not be available. Should you have any questions concerning the availability of a particular item, please contact us. We endeavour to present the most recent, most accurate, and most reliable information on our Web site at all times. However, there may be occasions when some of the information featured on the official HoodStars.net may contain incomplete data, typographical errors, or inaccuracies. Any errors are wholly unintentional. Please be aware that we present our content "as is" and make no claims to its accuracy, either expressed or implied. We reserve the right to amend errors, make changes to our Web site, or to update product information at any time without prior notice. To the fullest extent permitted by law, HoodStars.net and 2NA Entertainment disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied.
