Race at the Interface: Rendering Blackness on WorldStarHipHop.com

WorldStarHipHop.com (WSHH) is an online video aggregating website that describes itself as “the premiere online hip hop destination” and a home for “urban media.” Yet, browsing through the site provides little clarity on what constitutes a hip-hop video or urban Internet space because of the disparate video content, the actual racial diversity of the performers, and the website’s generic design. As a result, WSHH’s taglines make a strange claim about the current state of the black musical tradition. Through close readings of the site, this article considers the architecture of this space of interracial exchange and identifies the interface as an example of Modernist architectural simplicity. I argue WSHH’s modular design is flexible enough to include non-black bodies, while remaining a black “urban” space. Thus, the site’s straightforward architecture paradoxically becomes the scaffolding of a much more complex, de-corporealized, and “shareable” blackness.

The Treasure Mart

Established in 1960 by Grace L. Bigby and Demaris E.Cash, Ann Arbor's exclusive resale shop. Everything is sold on consignment. Sellers pay a nominal membership fee to dispose their merchandise incognito. Buyers delight in browsing among these "treasures." 529 Detroit St. - Ann Arbor Michigan NO 2-1363. Estate Sales Our Speciality . Mon. thru Sat. 9-5:30 Mon. & Fri. eves. 'til 9

The Treasure Mart

Established in 1960 by Grace L. Bigby and Demaris E.Cash. Ann Arbor's exclusive resale shop. Everything is sold on consignment. Sellers pay a nominal membership fee to dispose their merchandise incognito. Buyers delight in browsing among these "treasures." 529 Detroit St. - Ann Arbor Michigan NO 2-1363. Estate Sales Our Speciality . Mon. thru Sat. 9-5:30 Mon. & Fri. eves. 'til 9