As YouTube playlists, Soundcloud links, and Tumblr memes are becoming the dietary norm – what happens when the Internet comes of age alongside a generation of musicians who have grown up online? Red Bull Music Academy‘s new online mini series, HASHTAG$,  has taken the time to wrestle with this important question while exploring some of the most fascinating music to emerge from the digital ether. Going from the URL to the IRL, HASHTAG$  chronicle some of the most fascinating themes emerging from the web in recent times, from #cloudrap and #seapunk to #postdubstep and #trap.

The pilot episode dives into the world of #AltRnB  with a cast of alternative R&B artists like Miguel, How To Dress Well, Rochelle Jordan, KLSH, BadBadNotGood, and the former half of The Weeknd, Jeremy ‘Zodiac’ Rose. In a documentary like fashion, the musicians fill us in on their underground subculture of rhythm and blues and speak on the influence of the interweb in repurposing a genre many believed was on the verge of death. All this in under twelve minutes? Now Red Bull has got us hooked on something more than their drinks. Check the trailer and pilot after the jump, and stay tuned for the second installment. Each full episode will premier Tuesdays starting this week!

The post Video: Red Bull Music Academy Presents – “H∆SHTAG$ Episode 1 – Don’t Call It #Alt-R&B” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.