WorldStarHipHop

WorldStarHipHop is a content-aggregating video blog.[2] Founded in 2005, the site averages 411,726 unique visitors a day.[3] The site, operated by Worldstar, LLC,[4] was founded by Lee "Q" O'Denat,[5] a Hollis, Queens–based hip-hop fan[3] who attended Grover Cleveland High School before graduating.[6] Described by Vibe as a "remnant of the Geocities generation", the site regularly features public fighting caught on video, music videos and assorted content targeted to young audiences. O'Denat referred to the site as the "CNN of the ghetto".[7]

WorldStarHipHop
Type of site
Entertainment
Founder(s)Lee "Q" O'Denat
URLworldstarhiphop.com
CommercialNo
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedAugust 9, 2005 (2005-08-09)[1]
Current statusActive

Lee "Q" O'Denat started the website in August 2005 with Ari Armani as a distributor of mixtapes.[7][8] Shortly after the website's launch, hackers destroyed the website. O'Denat later restarted it as a content aggregator.[7] Thereon, WorldStar focused on hip hop beefs, in addition to softcore pornographic video models, which were previously popular through "street DVDs" such as Smack, Cocaine City, The Come Up and other raunchier counterparts. O'Denat used the setup of OnSmash.com, a website which had already been distributing similar material. O'Denat said that this led to tension between the two websites. He added "Once we went 100 percent video, showing that original hood stuff, we prevailed."[6]

The P. Diddy promotional video of Cîroc vodka premiered on WorldStar.[6] By 2012, BET had voted WorldStarHipHop as the "top hip hop and urban culture website" for three years in a row.[4] On August 5, 2014, Deadline reported that Paramount was working on a film based on the site with Russell Simmons expected to produce the film.[9] However, the film was never materialized and is currently in development hell.

Videos of fights

The website is infamous for posting videos of violent fights, police brutality, public sexual acts, public shaming, child shaming, and child abuse.[7] Many of the videos of violent events have gone viral.[2] For this reason, WorldStarHipHop has been classified as a shock site. The Gothamist blog describes the site as "an Internet cesspool that's cashed in big on senseless fight videos. The site's popularity has created a sort of voyeuristic feedback loop, in which disassociated bystanders immediately videotape violent incidents and act as if they're already watching a video on the Internet".[10] Jeff Himmelman of The New York Times stated in 2013 that the website "does many things but mostly hosts videos of fights."[11]

David Zurawik of The Baltimore Sun said in 2012 that "Now in its sixth year, WorldStar is seen by many critics as yet another example of the coarsening of U.S. culture and life—another low on a downward continuum that extends from the Jerry Springer-style trash-talk shows of the 1980s and 1990s through to the TMZ.com and RadarOnline websites of today."[2] Some media observers argued that, in the words of Zurawik, "because of its African-American identity, it has the potential to be used by some viewers to create or fuel stereotypes of urban America as an out-of-control, chaotic space dominated by young, violent, African-American men."[2] Nsenga Burton, the editor at large of The Root and an associate professor at Goucher College, described the site as "basically shock video. They comb the pop cultural landscape for videos that are shocking on multiple levels and feed into peoples' voyeuristic tendencies."[2]

As of 2012, in some videos of violent fights, black people chant "World Star" in recognition that the video may be posted on the website.[12]

One 2012 video, showing an Elyria, Ohio (Greater Cleveland) woman, Tashay D. Edwards, beating another woman, went viral. Edwards became so well known that it trended on Twitter along with the name "WorldStarHipHop".[13] The video received about one million views in a single day.[14]

Death of founder

On January 23, 2017, founder and CEO Lee "Q" O'Denat died of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at the age of 43, with morbid obesity as a contributing factor.[15][16]

Controversies

Bill O'Reilly attacked WorldStarHipHop and its president after watching a video of a kid talking about his plans to kill then-president George W. Bush. O'Reilly said, "I believe the Secret Service should arrest the parents of this kid and the purveyor of the website (Q)", calling it a "crime" that this was allowed up after the video was banned on other sites.[17]

WorldStarHipHop has been in cases involving lawsuits for copyright infringement. In one case, Scott v. WorldStarHipHop,[18] a video surfaced of a fight between a man (Scott) and his current and former girlfriend. The video was recorded by a Mr. Seymour and posted to the site. WSHH names the video "Disgraceful: College Fight In NYC Breaks Out Between A Guy, His Girl & Another Girl In Class! (Man Strong Arm's [sic] The Student. Hitting Her With Body Shots)." Shortly after the video was posted Scott was given copyright to the video by Mr. Seymour. He filed for a takedown notice so that WSHH would take down the video. He explained that WS did not have his permission to put up the video of the fight.

Rapper 50 Cent also sued WorldStarHipHop in 2009 for using his image on their site without his permission. 50 Cent claimed that WorldStar and O'Denat used his images on the website which led people to believe that he was one of the owners of the site. He explained that O'Denat tarnished his image by having his image up on the site without his permission. After a five-year battle, 50 Cent finally won the case against WorldStar.[19]

References
  1. "WorldStarHipHop WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools". WHOIS. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  2. Zurawik, David. "Worldstarhiphop.com makes a name for itself with violent viral videos Archived 2013-04-13 at the Wayback Machine". The Baltimore Sun. March 23, 2012. Retrieved on April 22, 2012. Alternate Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine link to the same article from the Orlando Sentinel. "World Star is just basically shock video," said Nsenga Burton, an associate professor at Goucher College and editor-at-large for the African-American-focused website The Root. "They comb the pop cultural landscape for videos that are shocking on multiple levels and feed into peoples' voyeuristic tendencies."
  3. "WorldStarHipHop EXPOSED: The Truth Behind The Controversial Site". VIBE. 2011-03-28. Archived from the original on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 2011-04-24.
  4. Granick, Jennifer. "New Year, New Job Archived 2013-01-07 at the Wayback Machine". The Center for Internet and Society. Stanford Law School. January 9, 2012. Retrieved on November 30, 2012.
  5. Kurutz, Steven (2015-11-02). "The Creator of WorldStarHipHop Plots His Second Act". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2015-11-03. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  6. Jacobson, Mark. "World Star, Baby!" New York. February 5, 2012. 2 Archived 2012-05-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on November 2, 2012. Also available at General OneFile.
  7. Milo, Peter V. "'CNN Of The Ghetto': WorldStarHipHop Becoming YouTube for Urban Violence Archived 2012-05-02 at the Wayback Machine". CBS News. March 29, 2012. Retrieved on April 23, 2012.
  8. "worldstarhiphop.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info". DomainTools.
  9. Yamato, Jen. "'WorldStar HipHop' Movie in Works at Paramount Insurge". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2014-08-10. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  10. "Police Seek 3 Men For Beating L Train Rider Who Scolded Them For Spitting". Gothamist. 16 November 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  11. Himmelman, Jeff. "Frank Ocean Can Fly Archived 2017-02-07 at the Wayback Machine." The New York Times. February 7, 2013. Retrieved on March 23, 2013. Also in The New York Times Magazine p. 27-31,38,45,48. ISSN 0028-7822. Available on ProQuest.
  12. Curry, Colleen. "World Star Hip Hop Provides Home for Fights, Sex and Violence Archived 2012-04-22 at the Wayback Machine." ABC News/20/20. February 8, 2012. Retrieved on May 6, 2012.
  13. "Tashay WSHH Fight Video: Teen Arrested After Brutal Beatdown Over Twitter Beef Archived 2013-08-02 at the Wayback Machine." International Business Times. April 18, 2012. Retrieved on November 15, 2012.
  14. "Twitter argument turns into brutal real-life beat-down Archived 2013-06-10 at the Wayback Machine." MSN. April 19, 2012. Retrieved on November 15, 2012.
  15. France, Lisa (January 24, 2017). "Lee 'Q' O'Denat, WorldStarHipHop founder, dies at 43". CNN. Archived from the original on 2017-01-25. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  16. Hamilton, Matt (January 24, 2017). "Founder of WorldStarHipHop dies at San Diego massage parlor". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2017-06-17. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  17. "Bill O'Reilly Attacks Worldstarhiphop". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  18. "Scott v. WorldStarHipHop, Inc". Digital Media Project. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  19. "50 Cent Gets Victory in Lawsuit Against WorldStarHipHop". allhiphop.com. March 27, 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-04-08. Retrieved 13 April 2015.

Further reading
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