It’s finally here! HipHopDX v.7 (Version 7), redesigned to be simple, clear and readable. We got rid of the green, yellow and brown and brought it back to the basics, just black & white, the same way our logo has been for years.

This is the 7th time we have made a layout change since we started, and we are hoping that once you get used to it and learn the new functions, you will be just as excited with direction of HipHopDX as our whole DX staff.

Redesigning a site, especially one as big as HipHopDX, is no small task. It takes a group of dedicated people having many discussions, working over many hours and creating many documents just to get everyone on the same road. We started this project in early April and after 7 months and through a lot of hard work, we have finally reached the launch date. 

“A premier destination for all things Hip Hop, HipHopDX was one of the first websites to bring the culture we all love to the online world, and a decade later the competition is still trying to catch up. It has been an honor writing for DX and working with the best editors around.”  
– Danielle Harling (HipHopDX writer)

For those that can remember, HipHopDX went live July 19, 1999 – time sure flies when you’re having fun. Ten years later, who would have thought we could have built a website that over one million people read and enjoy every month. It has been our honor.

A lot of hard work and dedication does pay off and the HipHopDX you see today is a sign of that. Our mission has always been to examine every part of Hip Hop culture, and we will continue to build in that direction as always. 

Despite all the hard work and dedication that we have put in, there is still one factor that we haven’t mentioned. YOU. Without you, the fans of the music and culture who come back every day and enjoy this Hip Hop hub, we would be nowhere. You helped build HipHopDX to what it is today and all we can do is continue to deliver what you expect. We thank you for the years. 

“Sometimes i have a hard time believing that I’ve been here for over a third of my life. I’m as proud to be a part today as I was when I was a punk ass kid who got to tell everyone what he thought about Hip Hop…whether they wanted to hear it or not. Former Source editor Reginald Dennis once told me something that sums up why I did this in the first place, and why I continue to do it with HipHopDX:

‘I see too many people wearing the uniform, but who can’ t even be bothered to learn anything significant about the culture they claim to love so much. The information is out there, so there is no excuse for ignorance. If you aspire to be a hip-hop journalist, you might want to have a working history of hip-hop journalism. You might want to own a record collection. You might want to have an understanding of the things that are going on in the world today, let alone yesterday. This stuff is important and if you can’t be bothered to accurately document the life and times of your generation and your individual life, then believe me, no one else will.'”
– Jeff Ryce (HipHopDX Marketing Director, 1999 – Present)

Tutorials

Okay, so while some things stay the same, other things had to change. But let’s not leave you stranded. Keep your eyes peeled, there are a lot of new functions within HipHopDX Version 7, and there are even more on the way. Keep watching the Features Module (see image below)  and look out for our tutorials, we’ll teach you everything you need to know as the weeks go by.

“It’s an honor to work for HipHopDX and have a stake in this culture that is still my compass to how I see the world. I am so proud of our staff (past and present), and beyond grateful for all the people who championed, challenged, made something and left something on this site over the last 10 years. We are all in this together with Hip Hop in our hearts, headphones, and on our backs. – Jake Paine, (HipHopDX Editor-in-Chief)

I’m hoping by now you have had a chance to play around with the new site a bit, found some new functions, enjoyed some old stories, and of course checked out the all new HipHopDXShop – http://www.hiphopdxshop.com (don’t leave with your hands empty). We still want to be the #1 stop for all your Hip Hop needs, with the culture at the steering wheel. Enjoy the new site, and let’s continue to grow. We got a lot that’s in store for you.

—
Sharath “TommyC” Cherian
HipHopDX Founder
P.S. Thank you for 10 great years…..at least we made it longer than most rappers careers. Just playin’.

“There is no other major Hip Hop site with critical content as strong as ours, plain and simple. In a world where Lil Kim can get a five mic rating, we’ve never been afraid to tell someone when their shit stinks. And it’s not just the reviews – we cover artists that others don’t, and examine issues others haven’t thought to touch”   
– Slava Kuperstein (HipHopDX writer)

Loved. Feared. Respected. That’s the only way we would like to be known.