As our friends over at RapFix can certainly attest to, the wide world of hip-hop has evolved into something much more pervasive than they heyday of Tupac and Biggie. Charts are dominated by Lil Wayne and Pitbull, videos of Flo Rida are pumped out en masse and it's getting harder to keep up with each new artist, album and track. Thankfully, we've got some experts who are ready to break it all down for you each week in "Hip Hop POV," and they definitely know what they're talking about.
From record execs to music journalists, the five industry panelists featured each Wednesday at midnight will take a critical look at the genre's movements, dole out exclusive interviews with top artists and give some necessary context to up-and-comers. You'll get to see it all yourself in a matter of hours, but so that you know exactly who you're looking at when the show premieres tonight, here's a quick little cheat sheet of the "POV" hosts:
Bu Thiam (@BuKonvict): The current Def Jam A&R vice president is no stranger to the business. He got his start in the development of Akon, who happens to be his brother, in 2004, and by 2005, he had signed T-Pain to the siblings' label, Konvict music. His spot at Def Jam has given him the chance to oversee Rihanna's Loud and the merging of Jay-Z and Kanye, but he's always searching for the next best thing. "I look at my position as an opportunity to bring a young, current perspective to today's music game," he told Billboard.
Devi Dev: (@DeviDev): It was never a goal for Devi to be the one swimming in limelight. The host of "Sway In The Morning" and childhood chatterbox always knew she wanted to be in radio. "I always thought the people on the radio were intriguing and different," she said on her website. "And the only tool they had was their voice." Having interviewed the likes of Dr. Dre and Quincy Jones along her career, Dev will have no trouble holding her own in any hip-hop roundtable discussion.
