On August 26th, I’ll officially enter my 5th year of blogging. The game has changed dramatically from the days back when I used to read Soul Sides, Vinyl Athletes, Broke B-Boys, Eric’s Archives, DaveyD.com, Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, Cocaine Blunts, B Side Wins Again, DallasPenn.com, Rappers I Know, Wake Your Daughter Up and Rock The Dub. See, these blogs had something to say and they created their own content without relying on user submissions or others to provide them with content.

Something happened between then and now so that when certain content providers of varying backgrounds and artists submit material to you, they feel that you’re obligated to do a post on it. In some cases, the content provider might do a follow up, that’s understandable and well within reason. The problem comes with those that get upset when you don’t post their material immediately or ever. Don’t forget that the blogger or writer of said blog may be going a particular director and he or she has no obligation to write about, post or use your content at all. NONE WHATSOEVER.

When I wrote Poisonous Paragraphs, it wasn’t a site that relied on user submissions. Why? Because the sites I frequented and read the most merely wrote about the aspects of music and culture that moved them at that particular time. I did the same. People would send me material strictly for my feedback but I never posted it. When I finally began reviewing albums I had no labels or publicists sending me material. I had them all approach ME first after they saw what I wrote.

Now, I get e-mails where the sender will have my blog name on a list of other blogs, not even address me personally and word the “blast” telling me when to post it and thanks for posting it like I have no choice in the matter and it’s a given or a bygone conclusion that I’ll use said content. Nah, n*gga. I write about what I want and when I want. I’ve had songs and projects I liked but I couldn’t do a post on because I was trying to build a flow or a consistent theme on my site and that would’ve thrown shit off completely. Timing is everything and it’s the writer’s prerogative…no, their right to do whatever they want when they want with their particular site. CUZ IT’S THEIRS…

In conclusion, blogs sprang up as a by product to the uniformity of radio, the print media and the Viacom owned video stations. Now, you check the blogs or your Facebook and Twitter timelines to see every other blog doing the same post which was originally posted first somewhere else or as an exclusive somewhere else. FUCK. THAT. SHIT. Write about something else entirely, Shit, do a post about the sad state of Black cinema given 20 years ago there was actually a Black cinema explosion going on. Damb. That’s a good ass idea! As a matter of fact…

NEXT: A post about the current sad state of Black cinema given just 20 years ago there was a Black cinema explosion…

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