CLT Blog

When it comes to social media who has the advantage – big businesses with the resources to run well-funded campaigns or small businesses with the agility to build deeper relationships with smaller customer bases?

Experts have weighed in on both sides of the debate. Some small companies like Zappos have leveraged social media to become superstars. Meanwhile big brands like Dell Computers a few year’s back with Dell Hell, and McDonalds’ recent Twitter hashtag mishap show that social media is fraught with risk for the biggest of corporations.

The truth is that social media is so new and changing so quickly that it is hard to determine a clear winner. But one thing does seems apparent; social media provides a chance for big and small companies to learn from one another.

At the BIG Council, we focus on building a vibrant community in Charlotte that attracts and ignites entrepreneurial growth and success. We facilitate a peer-to-peer exchange among those facing similar challenges with growing their businesses.

For a community to be successful, however, it needs to be open to ideas regardless of the source or the size. And social media affords the opportunity to be just that…social.

That is why the BIG Council is supporting the SMB Social Media Makeover Forum in Charlotte on May 8^th. The half-day event will bring together leading brands like Wells Fargo, TIAA-CREF, Hendrick Motorsports and UPS to provide consultations to 3 small Charlotte businesses (Virtual Race Bags, Medichest and Olde Mecklenburg Brewery) who are grappling with their social engagement strategy.

How can each learn form the other? Consider the following:

What big businesses can teach small companies

In collecting best practices, small businesses may not have a big business budget but they can take advantage of the dollars that big businesses have spent. A small company can learn a lot from evaluating a few big companies that are relevant to its business and

• Study how they are using social media and what they are trying to achieve
• Look at their results and determine what worked, what didn’t work and why
• Assess whether their experience is applicable on a smaller scale. If not, ask if there less costly alternatives or whether marketing dollars should be reprioritized.

What small companies can teach big business

In looking for better ways to manage their social media efforts form more responsive social media teams, big businesses can study successful smaller companies to determine how size may have impacted their

• Response rates
• Personalization and customer satisfaction
• Innovative campaigns and programs

Clearly small businesses can learn from the experiences of Charlotte’s largest and most successful brands and start-ups can infuse big businesses with new ideas and fresh approaches.

More broadly, I hope events like the Makeover Forum will open the pathway for larger corporations in Charlotte to work with and support the smaller businesses in their backyard. It’s about supporting the community at large so that everyone prospers and succeeds.

By Kia O. Moore (kiamoore@cltblog.com)

I didn’t know how much I missed it. I didn’t know how much it meant to me. It took a 3990.041 mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean for me to get it back.

When I was a child, just about every weekend my godmother, mom, big sister and I would pile into that 1993 Caribbean-water blue Dodge Caravan to start on our quest to find it. We went to Camelot (Camelot Records), to the musical land of Peaches (Peaches Records Store), to the small cove of Records located in the land of Central (Central Records) and, as always, we made a stop to gather information about IT from the all-knowing Repo man (Repo Records). If what we sought could not be found during that weekend’s quest, we would gaze upon the list of Columbia (Columbia CDs Catalog), then await ITs arrival.

What we sought were the melodic sounds of Black Culture. What we sought was music that spoke to our souls.

We were a family of crate diggers.

We collected crate upon crate of vinyl. We had carrying case upon carrying case of cassette mixtapes. We had jewel case upon jewel case of CDs. We were a family of soul music connoisseurs.

As I grew older, big chain stores and the digital downloads age contributed to the disappearance of Charlotte’s musical wonderlands of Mom n’ Pop record stores.  As they faded away one by one,  a piece of my soul went along with them. Excuse me as I have a moment of silence to grieve the lost of Camelot Records, Peaches Records Store, Central Records, Repo Records, and the Columbia Records mail-in-order CD club. I miss those 10 CDs for 1¢ each gimmicks.

However, I’ve found the Musical Wonderlands of mom n’ pop records stores again.

The UK Borderline

While studying abroad in the United Kingdom (Kingston, England to be exact) I wen on a field trip to Brighton, England with my British Life & Culture class. While in Brighton I wondered into one of the most psychedelic funky mom n’ pop music shops: BorderLine Records. Its sign with orange bubble letters against a black background, its Blowing Bubbles light fixtures, its orange walls adorned with vintage concert posters and its psychedelic style artwork beckoned me. Its wide open doors lined with CD shelves practically begged me to come in. I obliged my urge to browse through the CDs.

Borderline Records store front in Brighton (UK).

My eyes glancing at all the section titles, conjuring up nostalgic memories of my little fingers flipping through eye-popping vinyl covers. My record flipping habit began once more when my eyes locked on the Motown, Parliament/Funkadelic and 60s Psychedelic sections.

Borderline Record Store Shelves

The Motown section had me torn: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Little Stevie Wonder, Classic Stevie Wonder, or Little Michael Jackson. What was I to do?

I went with Smokey and Michael.

I grew up hearing Stevie Wonder’s vocals and instrumentation permeating the domestic airwaves of my household. I thought I should get more personal time with Smokey. And you and I both know that you can never go wrong with MJJ.

The Parliament section gave me no problems. I saw the screaming afro-woman with her head protruding from the ground: Maggot Brain. No mental dilemma on that one.

With the 60s Psychedelic section I needed a little help from my friend, the store clerk.

Now, I already knew I was going to get a CD from the fiery soulman, the guitar god himself: Mr. Jimi Hendrix. It just would not be right to leave out of that funky 60s shop without him. You know what I’m sayin’? But I needed help finding one more acidic audio trip. I wanted to get something from a group I knew nothing about.

The clerk pulled out several CDs that ranged from £4 to £15. I was sure he was going to recommend the CD that cost the most. My capitalistically trained mind was so sure. But, I was wrong. Just for a moment in time I forgot that mom ‘n pop record stores care about sending patrons away with good music no matter if it is dirt cheap or top dollar. He picked out Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968. Twenty-seven tracks for £4. Four pounds for a new and exciting music listening experience.

Borderline Record store clerk.

Before I made it to the counter one more CD caught my eye: Vintage Sex Songs. With an illustration of a topless black woman shimming her pelvis to the sound of a trumpet, I had no choice but to flip it over. With song titles like, “It Ain’t the Meat It’s the Motion,” “ I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl,” “Poon Tang,” and “Banana In Your Fruit Basket,” I had to get it.

Price of Loving your Mom ‘n Pop

I ended up with six CDs:

• Electric Ladyland- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Maggot Brain- Funkadelic
• Classic Michael Jackson- Little Michael Jackson
• Classic Smokey Robinson & The Miracles- Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968- Compilation Album
• Vintage Sex Songs- Compilation Album

The grand total: £41 (approx. $65)

Paying that much for a couple of CDs may sound ludicrous to some, but to me it was worth every penny. The fun of digging for those jewels of wonderful sound; the gamble of trying something sonically new that may not fit my taste, but expands my discerning musical palette; the chance to find that solace and comfort in an old habit I knew so well, but haven’t gotten to experience in a long time. It was my chance to support my Moms ‘n Pops shops, who gave me the gift of loving music.

Happy Record Store Day

Saturday April 21, 2012 is Record Store Day.

This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.

-RecordStoreDay.com

Lunchbox Records (1419-A Central Ave.) will be celebrating Record Store Day this Saturday. Be sure to stop by and show you support. CLICK HERE for more information about Record Store Day in the CLT.

For more articles from Kia O. Moore visit Mind of Moore.

If one were to be walking through the Brevard Courtyard in uptown Charlotte on Thursday, April 12^th after a spending some time at one of the local bars, they would probably have to look twice into the Genome art gallery.

They would have seen a group of anywhere from 5-15 artists throughout the night working together with beers in one hand and paintbrushes in the other, all stabbing their brushes at a large yellowish tree trunk that rose from the middle of the floor to near the ceiling.

The team of people, made up mostly of local artists, were preparing for Genome’s newest art exhibit, The Gnome Show, to be held on Saturday, April 21. The large object they were all helping to paint brown is a tree trunk with the gnome logo, designed by local artist Scott Partridge, staring out at any passersby.

Genome is a gallery tucked into an outdoor corner storefront in Brevard Courtyard, also often referred to as the French Quarter. Founded by John Josef in the summer of 2011, Genome showcases mostly surrealistic and figurative art.

Josef has always been an art enthusiast and was simply looking for a studio apartment that could serve as a community space when he came through Charlotte early in 2011. He found the space for Genome on Craiglist and was blown away by the location and the price.

Josef opened up the shop with the help of his friend, local artist Henry Schreiber. The two have turned the second floor of the building into a studio place for Schreiber to work on paintings and a lounge area for artists, gallery visitors and friends.

Although Josef has a great understanding of and devoted passion for art, he is not an artist himself. “You could say I have artistic vision but I just don’t have that technical skill,” he said.

He was inspired by some of the galleries he would go to in Orlando, where he lived and ran an internet-based business before moving to Charlotte in 2011 to open Genome. “There were some spots there I really liked. They all moved, so when I’m here I’m trying to recreate that feel.”

Changing the scene

“It sucks.” That was the resounding answer at Genome when the artists painting the tree trunk and walls for the upcoming exhibit were asked how they felt about Charlotte’s art scene.

As that answer sank in, some were willing to look into the future with hopeful eyes.

“It’s improving,” said Partridge. “There’s always a market for tame work. There’s not much out there for those that are pushing the envelope, though.”

Alexandra Loesser, a local artist who does figurative work and has shown her pieces at Genome before, agrees that it’s getting better, sort of. “It’s improving for certain types of artists, not for others. It’s difficult to sell figurative art. Genome is trying to change all that,” she said.

“Genome has a sense of humor, and that helps,” added Loesser.

The sense of humor is noticeable as the crew of artists and friends prepare the shop for the upcoming Gnome Show. There’s a piece being handed around that Partridge painted of Josef as a gnome.

Upstairs, Schreiber is putting the finishing touches on a painting of local band Hello Handshake, all as gnomes. Hello Handshake will be playing live outside in the Brevard Courtyard during the show.

“The word Genome has to do with growth, becoming something greater than what you are,” said Josef.

“That’s what we’re about; giving artists some attention that are trying to be known.”

Josef and some of the other artists are already looking past The Gnome Show to their next show, “Botanica,” which will showcase lowbrow and pop-surrealist artists from around the country.

“Not many Charlotte spots are doing that,” Partridge said of “Botanica.”

“Botanica is going to be a big deal,” said Josef. “This is the first time we’ve done something this big. That’s going to be a show that brings attention to us and the city.”

The Gnome Show, like all Genome exhibits, will be free to enter. Josef only asks that patrons tip the bartender at the open bar and show the artists some love.

Some corrections regarding the upcoming show, “Botanica,” and spelling of Josef’s last name were made on April 24th.

The best thing about Charlotte Hip-Hop is that it is sooo versatile. This versatility also obstructs Charlotte from placing its rap city tac on the hip-hop map.

The hip-hop sound of the Queen City is so dynamic that it has yet to be defined. I quite love this undefined quality of my city’s hip-hop music scene. However, when it comes to the music industry marketing machine, categorizing an artist into a particular genre (or in this case: identifying a unified sound of a city) is one of THE most essential components in the development of an effective music marketing campaign.

When it comes to the rules of engagement of the multinational conglomerate that is the hip-hop industry, if the record company can’t categorize an artist then they will not promote them. If they don’t promote that artist, then the people won’t be aware of that artist’s sound, which means that artist simply won’t exist in the music world. That goes for both mainstream and underground hip-hop circuits. An underground rapper putting out a free mixtape without generating some kind of buzz about it means they will not persuade the public to download the free mixtape. No downloads means the rapper doesn’t exist in the overly saturated virtual land of the underground mixtape industry.

This CLT Blogger has taken the liberty of exploring Charlotte’s growing hip-hop constituency and elected to help identify key representatives from Charlotte’s sonic cornucopia of a hip-hop scene. Meet the 2012 representatives of The Charlotte Hip-Hop Republic: Luca Brazi, Brody & Choch, Maf Maddix, Justin Aswell Blackwood, and Bettie Grind.

The CLT Guttah Genius District

About this district: This CLT Hip-Hop District combines conscious lyrics with southern rap cadences and trap music production with those heavy bass, speaker rattling beats. The CLT Guttah Genius sound could easily be found bumping in the slow coasting cars with the booming sound system rolling through Hidden Valley, or humming from the ear buds of the longboarder skater kids coasting down Camden Road in Southend Charlotte. The CLT Guttah Genius sound, with an emphasis on the “uttah genius” aspect, finds a way to make conscious rap sound cool in a very Jay-Z “Ignorant Sh*t” manner combined with a YMCMB mixtape appeal with an overarching CLT flare.

Representative: Luca Brazi

Headquarters: WhyelFiles

Bio: Luca Brazi is far from slow-witted unlike The Godfather movie character he shares his stage name with. However CLT rapper Luca Brazi and Don Corleone’s loyal enforcer Luca Brasi do share the traits of ruthlessness, language fluency, and acquisition of respect from their underground communities.

Luca Brazi came onto the scene with the release of his summer 2010 mixtape Brain Food, which ruthlessly takes on the warped ideologies found in hip-hop music and American society.  Several months after its release the under-underground hip-hop blogs took notice of Brazi’s talents. He was featured on the Truth Music Directory, Audio Truther, and Deft Mag. However, Brazi’s fans go beyond the under-underground bloggers.

Brazi has gained a niche following in the CLT due to his connection to the WhyelFiles. In a YouTube Video  Zack Whyel, owner of the WhyelFiles, describes what this creative collective is all about. “The reason we brought WhyelFiles to life is to really create a central foundation to showcase the artistic culture surrounding skateboarding from North Carolina to Los Angeles and everywhere in between.” Brazi can be found rocking the mic at a WhyelFiles house party or on stage rocking the crowd at Vapor Lounge Charlotte during a WhyelFiles gathering.

With two Bandcamp.com released mixtapes and a steady flow of singles uploaded to his Soundcloud.com account, Luca Brazi is not slowing down on pushing that CLT Guttah Genius hip-hop sound out to the logged-on masses.

Sonic Characteristics: (Audio | Video) Slightly raspy vocals, laid back flow, thought provoking lyrics, themes of spirituality & introspection, heavy-bass beats, kick drum/snare production

Similar NC Artist: Deniro Farrar,  Kaze (pronounced Kah-Zee) ,  J.Cole

CLT Old Skool Cool District

About this district: As the hip-hop youth of the 80′s and 90′s grew-up, their style of hip-hop faded out, but as post-modern critics predict, the old became cool again. In 2008 a NYC high school crew of old school hip-hop revivalist  known  as the Retro Kidz garnered a lot of mainstream media attention for their “bring the old school back” mission. While those in NYC focused more so on the old school hip-hop look, NC honed in on remixing the old school hip-hop sound for a new generation of fans. This CLT Hip-Hop District mixes the flava of Kid-N-Play, a dash of a Tribe Called Quest, and a couple of sprinkles of party-rocker mentality.  Now, shake and stir. TAD DOW! You have an ample sonic helping of CLT Old Skool Cool.

Representatives: Brody & Choch

Headquaters: Kidnice Entertainment

Bio: Brothers Jordan Evans and Choch Evans, better known collectively as Brody & Choch, started their adventure into hip-hop with a stack of cassette tapes given to them by an older cousin.

“At one point he gave me a butt load of cassette tapes — Rakim, Mary J. Blige — he didn’t even ask me what kind of rap I listened to. Gang Starr, Tribe [Called Quest], to where I played the Tribe so much that the tape actually popped. I cried a little bit,” says Choch. --from Shutter 16

Once out of high school Brody & Choch began to live out scenes from the 90′s hip-hop movie franchise House Party.

Brody & Choch were asked to host a 90′s-themed talent show at North Mecklenburg High School in 2008 where the two had previously graduated. They ended up hosting the event as “The Fresh Prince & DJ Jazzy Choch” and after that started getting requests to perform at house parties around the area. According to the brothers, their first album was more a product of necessity than anything else. After a few successful house party performances, where the two would essentially freestyle for an hour or two, people started asking where they could get more of that Brody & Choch sound. –from Shutter 16

In February 2010, Brody & Choch released that CLT Old Skool Cool sound on their The Boys Will Be Boys album. By 2011 the Charlotte-based entertainment company B.i.M. Music Group became sponsors of the Brody & Choch brand. They are now signed to Kidnice Entertainment. Last year also marked the first time the brothers took the CLT Old Skool Cool sound on the road with gigs at the CMJ Music Marathon, DC Rap Festival, and Barnstock.

With events like Radio Rehab occurring in Charlotte, hip-hop heads with an affinity for the “Hip-Hop Golden Era (1988-1992)” are now demanding more music tuned to their hip-hop ear. It seems like Brody & Choch arrived on the CLT Hip-Hop scene right on time.

Sonic Characteristics: (Audio | Video) Give-n-Go vocals, end stanza stress flow, party rap lyrics, party rocker themes, jazzy hip-hop beats, boom-bap production

Similar NC Artist: Royal-Tee

CLT Astronomical Rhyme Sayer District

About this district: This CLT Hip-Hop District draws listeners seeking to think deeply, analyze the universe in that Neo from The Matrix & Ancient Philosopher kind of way, and have Outkast’s ATLiens and Canibus’ Can-I-Bus listed in their personal  “Top 50 Hip-Hop Albums of All Time.”

The out-of-the-norm perspective and grandiose thinking of the CLT Astronomical Rhyme Sayers District residents are a result of their deep introspection. Just as Outkast described their other worldly hip-hop perspective as “ATLien”…these Charlotteans’ hip-hop perspective is somewhat alien when it comes to the radio norm in Charlotte.  The listeners and music-makers of the CLT Astronomical Rhyme Sayers District are the CL.e.T.’s (pronounced Cee-el-E-tees).

Representative: Maf Maddix

Headquarters: Midnight Kids Academy

Bio: Chris McWayne, better known as Maf Maddix, is one-third of the North Carolina-based rap group N’DangR Species. The group, composed of two emcees (Luse Kanz & Maf Maddix) and a turntablist (DJ Brooklyn Airlift), believes that the “true spirit of hip-hop” is endangered and runs the risk of becoming an extinct art form.

Maf Maddix leans more toward  the complex topic integration and wordsmith end of the hip-hop spectrum. He felt the hip-hop landscape had been lacking complexity and deep introspection for an extended amount of time. In 2009, Maf  decided to do something about it and released his debut album Tektite Illah: the unknown deluxe on Bandcamp.com. This was also the time he connected with like-minded musicians Kanz and DJ Brooklyn Airlift to form N’DangR Species. Three years after their linking up, N’DangR Species has gained momentum from touring up and down the east coast. Maf states on his website:

N’DangR Species has been building a strong east coast following doing shows from New York to Florida and performing with artists such as Raekwon, Guilty Simpson, Sean Price and Smif-N-Wessun.–from MafMaddix.com

With the influx of CLT music venues and swiftly emerging music scenes, CL.e.T’s may find Maf Maddix with his N’DangR Species brethren doing shows in Charlotte more often.

Sonic Characteristics: (Audio | Video) Slightly raspy vocals, wordsmith/spoken word flow, introspective lyrics, philosophical themes, hypnotic beats, experimental hip-hop production

Similar NC Artist: CP Maze, Carlos Robson, Bluz, Fillmore,  Black Swan

CLT Instrumentalist District

About this district: These CLT Hip-Hop district residents are the un-quarantined beatsick. The CLT Instrumentalists are infected with a beatsickness that causes them to become obsessed with observing every single sonic utterance found in a song. Rhythm, tempo, cadence, sound effects, audio filters, transitions, etc. It is all observed and analyzed by the CLT Hip-Hop Instrumentalists.

The CLT Instrumentalists have a mental hunger for the sound of music. They can be found at CD Warehouse, Lunchbox Records, Target, Best Buy, or any place in Charlotte that has large collections of music available for consumption.

These residents tend not to restrict themselves sonically, and are fans of multiple music genres. They also tend to be music makers themselves. After the CLT Instrumentalist analyzes music, inspiration comes, and then CLT Hip-Hop beats are made.

The CLT Instrumentalists serve as the foundation of the emerging CLT Hip-Hop scene. These beatmakers serve up sounds to the CLT Rappers; the song that results is served to the people. The beat tends to be a driving factor when attempting to categorize the hip-hop sound of a city. Lets play a game so you can see what I mean. Take a look at the cities mentioned below. Then click the link that says “Click Here.” If you have that “Oh yeah, that’s the sound” moment after clicking the link, then you understand.

• Houston = Click Here
• Memphis = Click Here
• ATL  = Click Here
• Los Angeles = (Old School LA) Click Here & (New School LA) Click Here
• Charlotte (CLT) = ???

Representative: Justin Aswell Blackwood

Headquarters: Mr. Invisible

Bio: Justin Aswell is a member of the live performance Charlotte-based hip-hop trio Mr. Invisible, which is composed of Justin Aswell (Live Production/MC), Ill-use (Live Production/MC), Marley Carroll (Live Production/DJ).

Widely considered a pioneer in the emerging field of live drum machine performance, Justin Aswell recently starred in an educational series, teaching drum machine performance techniques for Dubspot Electronic Music Production and DJ School in New York, NY. Aswell is a classically trained musician who holds a degree in percussion performance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Mr. Invisible has toured with artists DJ Vadim and One Self. They have performed with Atmosphere, Astronautalis, Dead Prez, EPMD, J-Live, Little Brother, Mac Miller, and Wu-Tang Clan among many others. They’ve also rocked massive crowds at key electronic and hip-hop music events such as Low End Theory in Los Angeles and the A3C Hip-Hop Festival in Atlanta.–Mr. Invisible Facebook Profile

Sonic Characteristics: (Audio|Video) Up-tempo beats,  B-boy inspired breaks production

Similar NC Artist: 9th Wonder, The Beatnox, Benie Beatz, Catt Magle, The Mighty DJ D.R.

Queen City Fly District

About this district: This CLT Hip Hop District is all about celebration! The celebration of money, the celebration of nice things, the celebration of making it to your next level. Simply put, the Queen City Fly District is the celebration of the party life. In a city connected to royalty and a swiftly growing nightlife district, themes of boasting about riches and lyrics highlighting club life making its way into the city’s hip-hop music makes perfect sense.

The Queen City Fly District is for those hip-hop heads who make it a top weekend priority to have a fun night out in the city. The Queen City Fly have to make sure they make it through their nightlife checklist:

1. Put a top-notch club outfit together
2. Shine up the car for rolling around Uptown
3. Gather some friends for a fun night out
4. Set the party mood by turning up Charlotte Radio to the maximum while making your way to the nightclub
5. Dance to club bangers all night
6. Do it all again next weekend

Representative: Bettie Grind

Headquarters: Hood Supastar Ent.

Bio: One cannot mention Charlotte Hip-Hop without making reference to Bettie Grind. Grind was one of the first local hip-hop acts to help Charlotte Urban Radio and Charlotte Club DJ’s realize that spinning Charlotte-bread hip-hop appealed to CLT radio listeners and CLT party-goers. Grind has made it his mission to carve a mainstream lane for CLT Hip-Hop. In an AllHipHop.com interview Grind explains:

AllHipHop.com: Charlotte has already demonstrated that it can produce entertainment arenas with places such as the Panther, Bobcats, NASCAR, etc. Why do you think it’s been hard for a rapper to make his mark on a national scale from there?

Bettie Grind: The Carolinas is no different than any other new market. You have to get the people to understand it’s OK to support your “hometown heroes.” You have to get home to believe and become fans of artists from their city and state. The Carolinas hold a lot of stars outside of me. I work every day to expose that. The radio stations and DJs are doing a much better job in the Carolinas, too. But it will take a lot more from us as a whole. We need all the DJs playing Carolina records in regular rotation. Some do, but we need them all to. We need radio to keep doing what they are doing, but as we grow, hopefully they will grow with us. I believe they will.

Also, we definitely need the fans to buy the music. There is no way we can make it without sales, shows, spins, and play. We have to create our own self-sufficient music industry, and then we all can eat and make the fans happy. I am where am because my team believes in me, and they have since day one, even when no one else believed in me. I’m here because the DJs made me, and the fans believe.

A word of advice from me personally to the up and coming artists: Don’t wait on a deal! We have to do it indie first and really show them we have a profitable market and that we are “Team Cak!” It can be done! I’m living proof of getting paid shows and being contracted for thousands of BDS spins throughout the country. It’s on us! The artist, the fan, the DJ, and radio – we are the answer to the Carolinas success!

Oh, and the answer to your question is: my record “Dammit I’m Fly” went national! I’m the first indie to accomplish that!–from AllHipHop.com

Sonic Characteristics: (Audio | Video) Southern slur vocals, hook-driven flow, braggadocios lyrics, club life themes, big sound & heavy bass beats, professional mainstream producer production

Similar NC Artist: The Legacy Committee, Driicky Graham

There you have it, your Charlotte Hip Hop Republic 2012 District Representatives. And remember, support your CLT Hip-Hop Districts by:

• buying local hip-hop music
• attending local hip-hop shows & events
• requesting local hip-hop on Charlotte radio
• sharing links about Charlotte Hip-Hop on your social media sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, iTunes Ping, etc.)
• organizing local hip-hop events

Placing the CLT rap city tac on the hip-hop map is in our hands. How will you help CLT Hip-Hop gain national recognition?

How many times have you had to honk the horn at the car in front of you because the light has turned green and they are still sitting there? Or better yet, how many times have you watched a car swerving across the lanes, and when you are able to pass them you see the driver looking down at their phone? Texting while driving not only puts the driver’s life in danger, but everyone else on the road too.

As of March 2012, 35 states  & D.C. have bans on texting while driving. 9 States ban drivers from using hand held devices completely while driving. North Carolina introduced the ban in 2009; however, the senseless accidents and deaths haven’t stopped due to the law being in place. Go ahead and Google “texting while driving accidents.” It’s all there, but what does it take to deter someone from texting while driving?

Recently in one of my graduate classes, we had police officers come talk to us about texting while driving. Not only did they show graphic images and statistics that made us gasp, they gave first hand accounts of watching people fly by them on Independence Blvd., going 80 MPH and looking down at the blue screen on their phone, texting away. They told us about the accidents they have arrived at the scene of and the texts that were most recently sent. Was that last text worth it? Could it have waited?

James Watkins killed someone when he was texting and driving. Alex Brown died while texting and driving, her parents have started the Alex Brown Foundation. This YouTube video shows real people who were texting and driving and it cost them their lives. We know it’s not safe to text and drive, we know it distracts us from the road and other cars, so why do we still do it? The unconquerable urge to pick up your phone when it alerts you to a message isn’t worth your life or someone else’s.

Oprah started the No Phone Zone. Subway has W8 2 TXT.  AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety has You Drive – You Text – You Die. April is National Distracted Driver Month, stop the epidemic and join the movement for no more texting and driving. Parents would much rather have their kids home alive, than to get a text saying they are on their way but never make it because they crash after that text. Make the pledge. Let’s be #txtfreeCLT in April. Let’s be #txtfreeCLT forever.

Are you a college student studying television production, film and video editing, or a related field?

Are you looking to break into the glamorous world of unpaid internships?

We’ve got just the thing for you!

This week on A Healthier Charlotte, we are taking a look at something that affects so many of us every day.

Healthy workplaces, good corporate wellness habits, and positive culture surrounding health at the office are critical — since so many of you might be spending as much as half your life at work!

This week on the show, we look at just what it means to have a healthy workplace – from national, innovative startup companies like Google, to local smaller businesses that face different workplace health issues.

Meet our (big!) panel this week…

Part One:
Amy Crane
Operations Director, Childress Klein YMCA

Melinda Desmarais
Senior Program Director, Dowd YMCA

Julie Jackman
Working Toward Wellness Coordinator, Mecklenburg County Health Department

Part Two:
Jon Davis (@elements2lead)
Founder, Elements 2 Lead

Adam Howell (@ahow)
Creative Director, The Business Journals

Tara Raj (@fedeviva)
Founder, Green Element Wellness

What about you?
What does your company do to promote workplace health? What do you wish they did to improve employee health and morale? Should companies place more of a priority on health and wellness for their workers?

The Charlotte Chamber is hosting an event called “Creative Crowdshare” later this month, featuring Tracy Russ of the 2012 DNC Host Committee, and presentations by Charlotte innovators including Manoj Kesavan of The PPL.

“We invite members of the creative economy to build connections, share information and generate ideas for the Democratic National Convention Creative Hub. The Hub will showcase key areas of Charlotte’s entrepreneurial innovation and artistic creativity as an important force for economic development in the region. We seek to turn your ideas into an action plan!”

Sounds like a cool opportunity to discuss strategies for showcasing Charlotte during the convention, in a structured, public setting. Sign me up!

The event is Weds, Apr 25, from 1-4:30 PM at the Mint Museum Uptown. Registration is $15 for advance tickets, which you can purchase on the Chamber’s website.

I. Am. In. Awe.

282 is produced weekly at WTVI, and airs each Monday at 6:30 and 11:00 PM.

This week we talk about:

• Uptown baseball: The Charlotte Knights have been trying to build a baseball stadium in uptown for years. After numerous legal hurdles and challenges, they’re planning to break ground this fall and play ball there beginning in 2014, relocating from Fort Mill. They’ve asked the City of Charlotte for $11 million to help fund it. Will uptown be a better place because of it?
• Wedding season: It’s spring and plenty of happy Charlotte couples are either planning to get married over the next couple of months, or they’re in the midst of planning their fall nuptials. How has wedding planning changed in this post-recession era? Are couples being more frugal or has the spending rebounded?
• The nation’s fastest growing population: A recent report by the U.S. Census said Charlotte had the fastest growing urban area population of at least 1 million people over the past decade (2000 to 2010). What has been the impact of this growth? Will it continue?

Carlton is joined this week by the following panel:

• Jeff Beaver (@CLTSports): Charlotte Sports Commission
• Alicia LaLone (@WeddingRowCharl): Wedding Row Charlotte
• Mary Newsom (@marynewsom): UNC Charlotte Urban Institute & the newly launched plancharlotte.org

Thanks to everyone who watched the show’s live stream today noon!

Want to get involved in next week’s episode? We’ll put you on air! Tune in to cltblog.com/live and hit us up with your questions and comments on @282tv or the #282tv hashtag.

North Carolina will be home to the nation’s largest private fuel cell energy project, a nonpolluting, silent power plant that will generate electricity from hydrogen.

Apple (yes, that Apple) filed its plans with the N.C. Utilities Commission on Thursday to build the 4.8-megawatt project in Maiden, about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte. That’s where Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple has built a data center to support the company’s iCloud online data storage system and its SIRI voice-recognition software.

The fuel cell project, the nation’s largest such project not built by an electric utility company, will be developed this year. It will be located on the same data complex that will host a planned 20-megawatt solar farm — the biggest ever proposed in this state.

Read more by John Murawski at the News & Observer.

Great news for Charlotte, the airport, and freight-conjested NoDa!

Norfolk Southern Corp. and the city of Charlotte became business partners Wednesday, signing a lease that paves the way to add a freight center at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The freight hub, known in the industry as an intermodal facility for its combination of transportation (rail, ship, truck and air), will open late next year. Construction will begin in April.

Mayor Anthony Foxx signed a lease between the city and the railroad Wednesday afternoon at the Government Center. Terms call for Norfolk Southern to pay construction costs ($74.3 million) as well as $1 million per year in rent to the airport. The intermodal facility costs include $15.7 million in state and federal funds.

“The city of Charlotte is, even more, in the manufacturing, distribution, transportation and economic growth business,” Foxx said. “This is a big deal.”

Over the next 20 years, the city anticipates the intermodal hub will generate $9 billion in economic impact and create 5,000 jobs. Aviation Director Jerry Orr said the benefits extend beyond financial gains. By relocating Norfolk Southern’s 40-acre facility from North Davidson and North Brevard streets uptown, the center city will be relieved of 500 tractor-trailer trips each day, he said.”

Read more by Erik Spanberg at the Charlotte Business Journal.