After scooping Vibe and posting their list of the Top 50 Hip Hop Blogs we knew there would be some controversy about who did and didnt make the cut. Besides the collective disbelief that ThisIs50 was not included among other notables (Ill Roots, RealTalkNY), the biggest source of controversy by far was the #10 spot secured by Rap Radar. Many bloggers quickly pointed out that Vibe EIC, Danyel Smith, just happens to be married to Rap Radars EIC, Elliott Wilson and cried foul naturally. But what baffled us more than the obvious relationship angle is the lead time.
Most mags like Vibe need a minimum of 6-8 weeks to churn out a book and with the Eminem issue slated for a May release, that would mean that the staff was finishing up content, like the blog list, back in late March - early April. Now if Rap Radar officially launched around March 9th, that would mean it was only live for like 2 weeks before it was awarded the #10 spot. Really?
Now were not knocking RR. Theres no doubt that theyre breaking good stories and cranking out relevant content, but Vibes finger was a little too heavy on pushing the co-sign button after just a few weeks, when there are other sites who have been in the game before the internet was even on raps radar.