I thought liveblogging was for events that unfold by the minute — like an unannounced speech by the president or riots in London.  Yet the Huffington Post has revolutionized news again by “liveblogging a track-by-track, line-by-line reading of [Watch the Throne].”  Brilliant!

Starting 45 minutes after the Throne‘s midnight release, Culture editor Gazelle Emami penned a narrative that perfectly complements the epic listening experience.  Mostly, she copies and pastes lyrics from the booklet.  Sometimes, she explains the unGooglable — “If you haven’t heard of Swizz Beatz, here’s a little to catch you up. He’s a DJ, producer, rapper, painter, and fashion designer.”  Other times, she adds her illuminating interpretation of complex songs — “‘Gotta Have It’ is more than just a Bueller reference. Simply, it’s about money as a driving force in the black community.”

At 3:18 in the morning, she signed out.  Not five hours later, she was back — more lyrics!  YouTube videos of samples!  Fun little tidbits!  (Did you know the opera singer on “H.A.M.” teaches yoga in Brooklyn?)

Rap blogs, take note: the comments section was popping!  For instance, Valois (who has commented on 951 Huff Post articles) wrote “I love rap, I’ll check this out.”  Jaguar man opined: “I grew up in a time when there was real talent. Because of stuff like this I only listen to talk radio, this kind of ‘music’ has killed what was once great.”

I hope the Huffington Post liveblogs my eyeballs as they roll to the back of my skull!

The post disRESPECT. The Huffington Post’s “Watch The Throne” Liveblog appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Q: How has hip-hop changed since you helped found it in the early 80s?

A: Hip-hop went through different stages, from the beginning in the streets of the Bronx, to the whole Tri-State area and then to the rest of the United States and the rest of the world. Now it’s an international movement. I predict it will become intergalactic as we become intergalactic humans traveling to different planets in our universe.

Q: Is there anything that worries you about the state of hip-hop today?

A: What worries me are these so-called radio stations with program directors who don’t play all the different flavors of hip-hop. They should play the old with the new, 24/7, 365 days a year. A lot of these program directors are just jiving around and not playing all the good music for the people.

Q: Anything else that troubles you?

A: A lot of times, when people say hip-hop, they don’t know what they’re talking about. They just think of the rappers. When you talk about hip-hop, you’re talking about the whole culture and movement. You have to take the whole culture for what it is.

Q: Is that frustrating?

A: It’s very frustrating, because many people who keep claiming “I’m hip-hop” don’t really know jack-crap about hip-hop. They’re just following what they see on MTV or what they’ve read in some magazine. But they never come back to the architecture of hip-hop and the pioneers of hip-hop.

Q: What are some encouraging trends in hip-hop?

A: It’s brought more people together on this planet, with many so-called races and nationalities, than all the politicians put together. That’s the greatness of hip-hop culture. When people can be among each other and party together and feel good.

Q: You’ve always gotten people interested in what you’re doing as an artist. What’s the secret to making people excited about your work?

A: It’s all based on funk and spirituality. You treat people with greatness and greatness will come back to you.

To see the full article click HERE

Q: How has hip-hop changed since you helped found it in the early

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