That's right, folks. Your friendly neighborhood RapHappy has been awarded an additional $100K by the good folks at MTVu and Cisco Systems, and boy are we excited. Besides finally getting off of our strictly Utz diet---yeah, we're buying PAUL NEWMAN snacks now, dogg! We'll also be introducing a bunch of updates and new features for the site, as well as a brand new CONTEST with plenty of prize money. We want to give a great big hug to all of you who helped us get this far, but I guess you'll just have to settle for a big shout out on the website instead. Thanks though, really. It's your amazing raps that won it for us.
And while you're here, check the awesome footage we assembled from your video submissions:
Man why didn't *I* think of this? So simple, so satisfying...
Check out this rap and this rap. Basically, you go to a MIDI site like this or this and open your favorite MIDI clip in your browser. Then hit record in RapHappy and flow accordingly. Who needs a DJ anymore when you've got MIDI of Hogan's Heroes and Mike Tyson's Punch Out?
So I've been going around doing RapHappy parties here and there, showing people how to use the site as an excuse to party on Tuesdays, and I've noticed something startling:
They step up to the mic, their jaw goes through the obligatory opening motions--but NOTHING COMES OUT. Now, as someone who can talk about their foot size for hours at a time, I find this hard to understand/empathize with. Which so I might not be able to FEEL you, but that doesn't mean I can't imagine what it's like. So I've assembled a couple resources for people who can't seem to think about anything to rap about----use them liberally and without regret:
The Sly Records Slang Page: You think you know the latest slang. But you don't.
Rhyme Zone: It's a rhyming dictionary. I would never ever ever ever ever use this, if I were you. Because it's cheating, even though it's not. Like thinking about someone other than your girlfriend while you masturbate.
Sun Ra: Sun Ra knew how to talk and ALWAYS said something. Which I guess is the whole idea, here, right?
That's right, thanks to a generous grant from the folks over at MTVu and Cisco, RapHappy will be getting it's shit together. We will be showering more often, combing our hair, buying fresh produce and cooking dinner instead of just eating bodega sandwiches all the time. We're going to exercise three times a week, even if that just means walking to the bar instead of taking a subway. I mean, just look at this picture? How completely together is our shit already?
There's a nice article about our project and the Digital Incubator at The Hollywood Reporter, and you can see us get punked here.
Congratulations also to Casablanca, another NYU team who recieved the grant. Unlike us, they've already got their shit together, so who knows what great things will happen with their project...
For more about the seedy origins and creators of RapHappy, check out matthewfargo.com and 610 Design.com.
