Dot Hip Hop LLC offers the Hip Hop community a chance to claim and own their online presence by registering their own .HipHop domain name

Domain extensions (i.e. .org, .com, .biz) are often viewed as simple punctuation at the end of a website address. But they are more than just a label. They are a digital asset, a digital brand, and a valuable digital space. Dot Hip Hop, LLC, a domain name registry that manages the Top-Level Domain (“TLD”) extension .HipHop, is giving everyone in the Hip Hop community a chance to claim their place online and contribute to the culture, with access to .HipHop domains. 

As the Hip Hop community celebrates 50 years of transforming global culture, it’s the perfect time to kick off a new online era. An era when the communities of Hip Hop regain control of their culture.

“Before meeting the domaining experts on our team, I had no clue that any one person or group could hold the right to operate a domain extension such as ‘.com’; something so quintessential to the entire internet’s functionality,” says Ajene Watson, Managing Director of Dot Hip Hop, LLC. “Then I came to learn that one of these domain extensions was .HipHop. It immediately became a matter of duty for me, because if there were ever a time and space for my culture to reclaim its birthright, it would be right now through the ownership of Hip Hop online and in the digital world.”

Dot Hip Hop is the combined brainchild of several experts in the domain name industry, along with a bonafide child of Hip Hop culture.
 
Monte Cahn, a seasoned master of the domain name business, identified a unique opportunity to secure the .HipHop domain extension. Monte then recruited the domain name registry legal and operations expert, Jeffrey Neuman. Neuman’s initial role was to manage the very difficult task of getting the transfer of the .HipHop domain extension to Cahn approved by the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”)—the legal body responsible for the allocation of Top-Level Domain (“TLD”) extensions such as .HipHop.
 
Unexpected happenstance required Monte to identify an additional partner. In a twist of fate, just days after establishing Dot Hip Hop, LLC on August 11, 2021, Hip Hop’s recognized birthdate, Cahn was introduced to Ajene Watson, an investor, advisor, and CEO of DigitalAMN. Watson, whose current focus at DigitalAMN is on developing business strategies and platforms to assist everyday people establish and grow transferable wealth, was born on August 11, and grew up in the Bronx neighborhood credited with the birth of Hip Hop.
 
Under a unique set of circumstances, Cahn and Watson agreed to forge a relationship and within hours of meeting, joined forces to grow and deliver the .HipHop domain extension. Cahn educated Watson on the business potential of the domain naming space, and Watson provided Cahn with personal insight into the importance of putting Hip Hop culture first. With the aid of domain name marketing whiz, Scott Pruitt, Dot Hip Hop, LLC began its campaign to reach key members of both the domain naming and Hip Hop communities to participate in building one of the few, globally cultural domain extensions known to date.  
 
The need for a solid, community-owned online home for Hip Hop is clear. Websites and email addresses matter, and are key business tools and Intellectual Property (“IP”) assets. For creators and businesses, having an active social media presence isn’t enough, as accounts get hacked, platforms control data monetization and social media platforms can get shut down or change policies. The only way creators can ensure they have full control of their content and data, and can monetize their audience is by owning their platform, a valuable part of their IP. Dot Hip Hop aims to build an entire online community and network of .HipHop spaces–all individually owned and operated but belonging and contributing to the larger cultural scene.

Other cultural groups have been recognized by domain names in recent years, such as .gay for LGBTQIA+ content. But Hip Hop, globally, is more than music, transcending nearly all socioeconomic and religious boundaries. It is unique as it’s all-encompassing, embracing music, culture, community, fashion, art, attitude, and more. And it’s big: Global revenue for media, fashion, music, and all the other sides of Hip Hop has added up to more than $19 Billion. It appeals to a diverse demographic worldwide, making up over 33% of streamed content and putting it in first place among musical and dance genres and very close in fashion. It has set the standard for fashion, dance, and pop culture at large.

Yet those at the forefront of creating and currently driving the culture haven’t had enough of an ownership stake or a say in its future. 

“I believe, if a group is given the opportunity to control its foundation, it can maintain it,” states Monte Cahn, Dot Hip Hop Managing Director. “Registering domain names, in addition to providing a valuable digital asset through content, has the potential to spark participation, ownership, and a sense of pride in belonging to the Hip Hop community.”

Dot Hip Hop aims to turn the .HipHop extension into a uniting force for the community, where the community writes its own destiny. Furthering this mission of empowerment, the Dot Hip Hop team is developing plans to forward education workshops teaching the community how to research, analyze, buy, and sell domain names (i.e. digital real estate). It’s also creating digital tools that help creators regain control of their data and IP and easily connect their .HipHop addresses to digital wallets and other aspects of blockchain and Web3. And lastly, .HipHop is working with initiatives and organizations that support Hip Hop culture, to drive a portion of its revenue back into the communities of Hip Hop. From housing to scholarships for higher education, to caring for elder founders that contributed greatly to the “pillars” of Hip Hop, Dot Hip Hop, LLC is committed to financially supporting viable solutions for socioeconomic advancement throughout the communities of Hip Hop.

“At a business level, .HipHop is about selling domain registrations; that’s how money is made!” explains Watson. “At a human level, however, it’s about the betterment of society. We believe that by offering ownership of Hip Hop through equity and education on digital real estate, and by reclaiming control of Hip Hop’s online identity and community endeavors worldwide, Hip Hop will re-find its purpose as an extended voice of the 60’s movement, which ultimately wasn’t aimed simply at freedoms for Black Americans, but for the greater observance of love, peace, unity and prosperity amongst all people. Look at how far the culture of Hip Hop has come, only to realize we were kinda lost. But now with .HipHop, maybe…, just maybe, we’re finally found.”

 Dot Hip Hop, LLC is thrilled to announce that our registrar partner, GoDaddy, the world's largest domain name registrar, is rolling out a significant price reduction for the .HipHop domain name extension in honor of Hip Hop's 50th anniversary.
 

Starting immediately and continuing through November 2023, in alignment with Hip Hop History Month as established by Congress, GoDaddy will be offering the .HipHop domain extension at a reduced retail price of $29.99, down from the regular price of $43.99. This offers a unique opportunity for artists, musicians, DJs, producers, and fans to establish an online presence that authentically resonates with their passion for Hip Hop culture.
 

As Paul Nicks, GoDaddy President, Domains, stated in our May 3, 2023 press release, "The .HipHop domain name really showcases the possibilities with domain name extensions. It is ideal for businesses and individuals looking to establish a unique and authentic online presence that reflects their passion for Hip Hop culture. GoDaddy is committed to empowering our customers with the tools and resources they need to succeed online, and the .HipHop domain extension is a perfect example of that."
 

This price reduction not only celebrates the cultural and economic influence of Hip Hop over the last 50 years but also reaffirms our mission to provide an innovative and relevant digital platform that reflects the originality of the Hip Hop community.
 

Monte Cahn, Managing Partner and Director of the .HIPHOP Registry, shared his enthusiasm: "We are thrilled to be a part of this initiative by GoDaddy. It's a major milestone that signifies not only the celebration of Hip Hop's 50th anniversary but also our shared commitment to amplifying the voice of the Hip Hop community."
 

In the words of Ajene Watson, Managing Partner and Director of the .HIPHOP Registry, "This is a big moment for Hip Hop culture, demonstrating GoDaddy's continued support for the culture. This initiative will encourage wider participation in the global Hip Hop community and foster increasing empowerment and representation for everyone that loves Hip Hop."
 

To register a .HipHop domain name, visit www.get.hiphop or contact GoDaddy or any of our accredited registrar partners for assistance.
 

About the .HIPHOP Registry

Dot Hip Hop, LLC, an exclusive ICANN Accredited domain name registry for the .HipHop top-level domain, was founded in 2021 with a mission to empower the Hip Hop community. Hip Hop represents an eclectic culture, which has defined several generations around the world for nearly 50 years and continues to be a powerful force in today's digital age.

The Hip Hop community may soon unlock new avenues for ownership, monetization, and control by connecting their .HipHop websites to Blockchain domains.

Dot Hip Hop, LLC, the domain name registry that operates the Top-Level Domain (“TLD”) extension .HipHop, has partnered with Web3 content network, The Cortex Network (“Cortex”), to develop a watershed integration between traditional Web2 domain names and Web3 blockchain domain names. Once completed and launched, this solution will afford creators, for the first time ever, opportunities for connection with users and additional revenue streams through new kinds of digital objects enabled by a registry. 

The Dot Hip Hop/Cortex partnership was first announced on July 19 at a private rooftop party in NYC hosted by Nolcha Shows and attended by top Web3 movers and shakers. The project has since made tremendous strides, kicking off Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary with elements of its planned integration of Web2 with the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) marked completed. Through this partnership, .HipHop domain owners will be able to register a Web3 domain that would ultimately work as a digital wallet address for blockchain transactions, giving .HipHop registrants the ability to seamlessly register a ‘like named’ Web3 domain name that is integrated with the Ethereum Name Service (ENS).

Additionally, through the minting of full non-fungible token (NFT) subdomains, domain owners can create an NFT namespace that will allow them to create new kinds of digital objects like music, concert tickets, merchandise and more. Finally, these integrated domains will enable publishing on the user-controlled Web3 Cortex Network with content hosted on IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), a decentralized peer-to-peer file system for managing data.

On these integrated Web3 blockchain domains, users will be able to publish just about anything they’d typically publish on a traditional Web2 website or social media platform, but within the blockchain framework, granting new opportunities for monetization, ownership, and community-building. By tying physical real-world experiences to digital environments and assets, creatives from all trades can provide unique and engaging experiences for fans. 

Let’s say that two iconic artists announce that they’re performing a one-night show. They can sell NFT tickets as subdomains to the concert that unlock exclusive merchandise and other perks just for the superfans in attendance, stirring up unmatched levels of hype. This idea translates to other trades too. For instance, a fashion designer or painter can embed a digital identity into each of their works–kind of like a link that can only be accessed through a QR code on the artwork itself. Each person who comes in contact with it can add their signature and a note to the link, documenting their part in the piece’s journey. This creates a provable history of the piece that anyone can access, creating buzz and turning the otherwise static work into an interactive experience for fans of the creator and their art.

“We are thrilled to be teaming up with Dot Hip Hop to provide a scalable foundation for user-owned content,” says Leonard Kish, Co-founder of The Cortex Network. “Both of our teams value ownership in the hands of the creator, and we look forward to seeing the collaboration and creativity that the online Hip Hop community unlocks with access to Web3.”

“There is a clear need for a solid community-owned home for Hip Hop culture. As my partner Monte Cahn will often stress, .HipHop Websites, .HipHop email addresses and now other types of .HipHop digital assets in Web3, offer creators more control and full ownership over content, user data, and fan interaction,” explains Ajene Watson, Managing Director of Dot Hip Hop, LLC.  “The .HipHop domain extension is an immediate identifier that a platform and its creator are part of the community and global multinational culture of Hip Hop. The web3 layer would provide users of the .HipHop extension with an additional financial tool to generate, collect and protect the money earned from their talents. Web3 tools like this further support artist independence while advancing the community’s effort to reclaim Hip Hop as its birthright.”

Cortex estimates the launch of this digital bridge to occur before or during October 2023.

About DotHipHop, LLC
Dot Hip Hop, LLC was founded in 2021 to serve as the exclusive ICANN Accredited domain name registry for the .HipHop top-level domain. Its mission is to give artists, entertainers, musicians, athletes, brands, the culture and community of Hip Hop, the ability to further brand their identity with domain names that fully represent and encapsulate who they are. Hip Hop is, and has always been, more than music. Hip Hop represents an eclectic culture, which has defined several generations around the world for nearly 50 years, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

About Cortex
The Cortex Network, a project of YouBase, Inc., takes on a multifaceted mission, pioneering the way Web3 content is published and distributed. Cortex is focused on addressing privacy concerns, enabling ease of use for Web3 tools, facilitating individuals and businesses in their adoption of Web3 technologies, creating provable history/record for data, and resolving existing architecture challenges in the transition from Web2 to Web3. As a critical feature of a digital identity stack, Cortex proves to be the underlying safety/validation layer to authenticate and identify a living history.