Underground 121 V.2 Hosted by DJ ZAR
This is The 121 V.2 Mixtape Which Has 121 Of The Best Unsigned Hip-Hop/Rap/RnB Artist’s That Need A Real Break/Deal. WE ARE ON IT!!!!!
http://www.datpiff.com/mixtapes-detail.php?id=351044
~THE EMPIRE~
The official source of all Empire news.
Underground 121 V.2 Hosted by DJ ZARThis is The 121 V.2 Mixtape Which Has 121 Of The Best Unsigned Hip-Hop/Rap/RnB Artist’s That Need A Real Break/Deal. WE ARE ON IT!!!!! ~THE EMPIRE~ THE UNDERGROUND EXPERIENCE 5-14-012
This month’s feature is a in your face 26 lyricist step into the world of F.a.y.s.e…………..
Mistajay:What is the story and conception behind your emcee name?
Mistajay:What area are you reppin? Mistajay: What are your influences of your music? And what inspires you?
Mistajay:As lyricist and How do you describe your style? Mistajay:What is your best song recorded to date and why?
Mistajay:If you could share the stage with any 3 artists or bands who are still around and touring, who would they be and why?
Mistajay:You said you think radio is a joke can you go into more detail on that? Mistajay:Where do you see the hip hop going in 2012? How do you see yourself fitting into that? F.a.y.s.e.:There is no telling where hip hop will go this year only time will tell and I’ll get in where I fit in. I’m just gonna grind and try to get myself out there. Mistajay:What are your future plans?
Mistajay:Any last thoughts? Mistajay:Where can fans follow you and get your music? F.a.y.s.e.: Follow me on twitter/@albshitfaysed check out my reverbnation page just search F.a.y.s.e. or google the name I got my shit on so many sites it hard to even think of them all.
NEXT MONTHS INTERVIEW CALLIGRAPHIST.!!!! Mistajay is doing a monthly interview feature the underground experience on the blog www.empiremusiq.com/blog and would like to interview you for this new post please contact nccceo2@yahoo.com to publicize any new projects that you have coming up thanks for your time. Donate or pay $50 dollar interview fee below!! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7SCDVFQGYT32L
R.I.P. MCA
Adam Nathaniel Yauch (pronounced /ˈjaʊk/); (August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012[1]) was a founding member of hip hop trio the Beastie Boys. He was frequently known by his stage name, MCA. Yauch was born an only child in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Frances and Noel Yauch, who is a painter and architect. His father was Catholic and his mother was Jewish.[2] In high school, he taught himself to play the bass guitar, and formed Beastie Boys. They played their first show — then still a hardcore punk band in the vein of Reagan Youth — on his 17th birthday, while still attending Edward R. Murrow High School in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. He attended Bard College for 2 years before dropping out. Two years later, when Yauch was 22, the Beastie Boys, now performing as a hip hop trio, released their first album Licensed to Ill on Def Jam Records. Under the pseudonym “Nathanial Hörnblowér”,[3] Yauch directed many of the Beastie Boys’ music videos. Yauch made his televised debut as Hörnblowér at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards as he stormed the stage in costume to protest after R.E.M. won the award for Best Direction over the Spike Jonze-directed Beastie Boys video “Sabotage”. He also directed the 2006 Beastie Boys concert film Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That!, though in the DVD extras for the film, the title character in “A Day in the Life of Nathanial Hörnblowér” is played by David Cross. He also directed the 2008 film Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot about eight high school basketball prospects at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic at Rucker Park in Harlem, New York City. In 2002, Yauch built a recording studio in NYC called Oscilloscope Laboratories and produced Build a Nation, the comeback album from hardcore/punk band Bad Brains. Oscilloscope Laboratories also distributed Adam Yauch’s directorial film debut, basketball documentary Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot (2008) as well as Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy (2008) and Oren Moverman’s The Messenger (2009). The Beastie Boys had sold 40 million records worldwide by 2010. In 2012, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yauch was inducted in absentia due to his illness, with his bandmates paying him warm tribute from the stage; a letter from Yauch was read to the crowd. Fellow inductees the Red Hot Chili Peppers dedicated their live performance to Yauch. In 2011, Yauch received the Charles Flint Kellogg Award in Arts and Letters from Bard College, the college he attended for two years. The award is “given in recognition of a significant contribution to the American artistic or literary heritage.”[4] Yauch was a practicing Buddhist.[5] In 2009, Yauch was diagnosed and treated for a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node and underwent surgery and radiation therapy delaying the group’s album release and tour.[6][7] Yauch became a vegan under the recommendation of his Tibetan doctors.[8] He and his wife had a daughter in 1998. Yauch died May 4, 2012 at the age of 47.[9] One the most iforces in Hip-Hop thanks for your contribution to the culture ~ Mistajay~ The Underground Experience 4-16-012This month’s feature is a NC capital Rapper with a Rock edge the step in to the Zone with Bryce Snow…………
Mistajay: What is the story and conception behind your emcee name? Bryce Snow: Bryce Snotherly is my real name and people butchered my last name so I just shortened it to Snow, there’s no reference to Jeezy or Coke or anything else just needed to have people at least pronounce something right when approaching me and Bryce wasn’t enough of a name.
Mistajay: What area are you reppin? Bryce Snow: Although I personally can not stand this area I rep Raleigh. I believe this town is one of the laziest towns as far as musicians go, everyone with there smug attitudes and dumb clicks of misfits that don’t give two shits to get off there asses and commit to music (didn’t mean for that to rhyme). I believe if this town actually sat down and became musicians as opposed to the Back Pack or Trap Rappers or any other goofy trend these kids start then Raleigh NC would have an identity worth repping.
Mistajay: What are your influences of your music? Bryce Snow: I’m influenced by my dream to become what I’ve always wanted to be. I have been influenced by Jay-Z’s business models, I’ve been influenced by Juelz Sanatan’s delivery I’ve also been influence by Waka Flocka’s Energy, rap aside, I am also influence by Rock 70′ 80’s and 90’s mostly (todays shit is trash)
Mistajay: And what inspires you? Bryce Snow: I’m inspired by myself, not to sound cocky, but I listen to my mixtapes from a year ago and I hear what I am doing now, alot of rappers rap about unrealistic goals I rapped about what I wanted to happen and I’m inspired by the present existence of it.
Mistajay: As lyricist and How do you describe your style? Bryce Snow: Me, ain’t no one doing it and ain’t no one gonna master it but me, when I figure it out I get bored and change it, I can play records from 2 years ago and I sound completely different style wise than I do now, I guess my style is A.D.D
Mistajay: What is your best song recorded to date and why? Bryce Snow: “I Sit Alone” cause its some real shit, I went through it learned from it and moved on, and made the song catchy enough so people could hear it feel it and love it
Mistajay: If you could share the stage with any 3 artists or bands who are still around and touring, who would they be and why? Bryce Snow: Metalica, James Hetfield’s voice is awesome Kirk Hammet is sick nasty on the guitar and Lars would be just the dopest to rap over. I wish Jason Newstead would be on that set with them but eh. Second Artist would be Steven Tyler, grew up listening to Aerosmith and I gotta do something with him before he gets too old to want to. Third would be a tie between Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, and Taylor Swift, I wouldn’t actually perform with them it would more like me rapping on my parts and then just puttin in ear plugs while I creeped on them from a backstage side stage kinda angle.
Mistajay: You said you think radio is a joke can you go into more detail on that? Bryce Snow: Payola, I know so many people in the radio business and no one can do anything because I’m not backed by corporate America. they don’t even like what they have to play but corporations pay to have there artists solicited to the radios so America can listen absorb and by the shit they feed them, no I’m not trying to educate with my lyrics per say, but Kurt Cobane would have never made it out of Seattle if he would have waited on corporate America to pick him up, it was the radio the fans basically the real people who should be deciding on what kind of music really rocks.
Mistajay: Where do you see the hip hop going in 2012? Bryce Snow: Music is always in a Cycle, just like in the 70’s we had very lucid rock and then in the 80’s we had disco and hair bands then back in the 90’s to lucid grunge rock then back to more uniform cookie cutter shit in the 00’s I think we will see people trying to go against the grind and paint pictures that either continue or drag on, basically I’m waiting on Hip-Hop’s version of Freebird
Mistajay: How do you see yourself fitting into that? Bryce Snow: How do I not fit into that, everything I say is off the wall and attention grabbing.
Mistajay: What are your future plans? Bryce Snow: Own and operate a record label without any help from the majors ever
Mistajay: Any last thoughts? Bryce Snow: I hate white rappers
Mistajay: Where can fans follow you and get your music? Bryce Snow: www.youtube.com/brycesnow www.reverbnation.com/brycesnow www.facebook.com/brycesnowfanpage
NEXT MONTHS INTERVIEW F.A.Y.S.E.!!!! Mistajay is doing a monthly interview feature the underground experience on the blog www.empiremusiq.com/blog and would like to interview you for this new post please contact nccceo2@yahoo.com to publicize any new projects that you have coming up thanks for your time. Donate or pay $50 dollar interview fee below!! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7SCDVFQGYT32L NCUMAS 2012
NCUMAS we (NCC Records) are a sponsor!!!! march 31st The Underground Experience Feature 3-12-012This months feature focuses on another of Fayetteville’s own….with hard work determination and some high profile features this artist is definitely determined to leave a mark that could help open the door even wider for Nam artists lets check in with LoKeys………
What is the story and conception behind your emcee name?
Well my name pretty much came about like everyone else’s. Lo Keys was just a nickname that i acquired in high school and it just stuck with me. People used to call me “Lo Key” because i kept to myself and was a hard person to get in touch with outside of the school. Lo Keys is just derived from Lo Key. At the time there were just too many people with the name Lo Key so i put the “s” on it to be different.
What area are you reppin?
I’m representing Fayetteville, North Carolina. A place where everyone is hustling to get to the next level. When I say “hustling” its not necessarily drugs; It can pretty much mean anything your doing to better yourself. Some people sell socks, some people sell bootleg movies, but me I just sell that good music to a audience that appreciates it.
As a lyricist How do you describe your style?
I have a unique style to say the least. Versatile is the best word to describe it to me. When you listen to my music I do a wide range of things, and touch on a wide range of topics. Everything from South Hip Hop to Backpack Hip Hop is what I do. I don’t like to keep myself bound to a specific lane. So you may hear a wide range of material from me. Everything from freestyles, south, backpack, commercial singles and more.
9th wonder recently had a write up about Hip Hop in NC and one of the main points where that the competition was outside the state and not within, basically saying that we need to support are own as artists and develop your brand what are your thoughts about this as well as your own advice for indy artists and fans alike?
I think everyone should do whatever they want. I spent a lot of time listening to what a lot of people had to say about my music, trying to fix it the way everyone wanted it but me. After i quit listening to people and just did what I wanted things worked out better for me. I’m not saying don’t take any advice. All Im saying is try to differentiate what’s good for your brand and what isn’t. Stay true to your core fans is big in these days and times. Sometimes that can either make you or break you in the long run. As far as NC Hip Hop is concerned I know there are a lot of talented artist out there, my thoughts are that a lot of artist don’t pay attention to how the game changes and get left behind. Studying the game is never a bad thing cause at the end of the day it is a business.
What is your best song recorded to date and why?
(Laughs) That’s a tough one. However if I had to chose one specific song that captured emotion with the beat, the hook, and the rhymes it would be “If You Could Only See”. That track is featured on my latest mixtape “The Green Hornet”. I think the track just embodies everything I have been doing through over the last year and half or basically since I got my break on the internet. There were a lot of doubters and people that didn’t believe but now look at us. We are striving and accomplishing more and more everyday.
You have been featured on records with French Montana, Mistah Fab, Prodigy (Mobb Deep), Fred The Godson, Young Gliss, Lord Tariq, Oun P, Compton Menace, Charlie Clips, Parker (Tha Bizness)and Rain. If you could share the stage with any 3 artists with or bands that you haven’t worked with who are still around and touring, who would they be and why?
I like this question a lot. I’m sure most people would give you typical answers such as Jay Z, or Kanye West, however personally I would like to share a stage with Matchbox 20, Slick Rick, and Yelawolf. I think all of those artist have great stage performances and a collaboration between myself and any of those artist could be real magical on stage.
Where do you see the hip hop going in 2012? How do you see yourself fitting into that?
I don’t think Hip Hop will change that much between now and the end of 2012 unless we all die or the world ends. (Laughs) Really I think Hip Hop is in a good state. The rhymes are coming back full circle and people are expressing themselves more then ever. I fit in well I think. Hip Hop is really a culture now and has been for sometime. There are more and more people getting a shot, and when I get mine we are going to go full force into the game.
With all the buzz circulating hitting over 175,000 views on Youtube and your NCUMA Nomination. What are your future plans?
Well we look to make a big run in the magazines this year and drop a few more projects. Also me and Quest Love’s cousin from “The Roots” Young Gliss have a collabo project coming out called “Blues Brothers 2012″. It’s definitely going to be more videos, features, and press in the coming year.
Any last thoughts?
Make sure you do download “The Green Hornet” Mixtape Hosted By Dj Messiah. Also special thanks for taking the time to do the interview. Big Shouts to All The Djs, Blogs, Tastemakers, and fans supporting the movement.
Where can fans follow you and get your music?
Follow me on Twitter @LoKeys910 , Log on to Facebook.com/LoKeys910 and last but not least hit up www.lokeys910.blogspot.com
Lo Keys Feat. Young Gliss- GoodWood Beads Video (Directed By Somethin Lite Films)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1gXWNpweK0
The-Green-Hornet mixtape http://www.datpiff.com/Lo-Keys-Dj-Meiah-The-Green-Hornet-.286246.html http://hulkshare.com/2iesooh39jyj
NEXT MONTHS INTERVIEW Bryce Snow!!!! Mistajay is doing a monthly interview feature the underground experience on the blog www.empiremusiq.com/blog and would like to interview you for this new post please contact nccceo2@yahoo.com to publicize any new projects that you have coming up thanks for your time. Donate or pay $50 dollar interview fee below!! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7SCDVFQGYT32L The Underground Experience Feature 2-14-012This months feature is Bad news VA a standout one who is a solider for the culture let’s check-in with Quan…..
Mistajay: What is the story and conception behind your emcee name? QUAN: Ferquan is my birth name… and the Don is a title I earned. my family nicknamed me QUAN for short.
Mistajay: The area are your reppin’ Newport “Bad News”, VA what is the music scene like there? QUAN: A bunch of talent, great raw talent that needs to be discovered I think somethimes VA changed the sound of music period. It has been a great influence to the music scene, you know what im saying. I plan to change that hopefully…God willing.
Mistajay: What are your influences of your music? And what inspires you? QUAN: Everything…Oldies but goodies, hip hop, every kind of music you could imagine. Too many artist to name.
Mistajay: Your Bio describes Hip-Hop as being in a downward spiral, riddled withmeaningless content, trendy clichés and embellished tales of alleged hood ties, what makes you say that? And How do you describe your style? QUAN: It’s obvious- ya’ll see and I see it, if you don’t see it may God help you. I “Don” too many styles to name but if I could one word it Soulfull. Mistajay: You where featured on MTV’s MY Block series the Virginia Episode what benefit did you think you appearance had on your opportunities in the game? Also as indy artist what do you think some of the the benefits are, if any and some of the difficulties of being Independent? QUAN: Grade A exposure, don’t get too much better than that. As for being independent, you have a lot of control. But it’s just that- everything falls on you financially and you don’t get the same exposure in most cases.
Mistajay: You have worked and performed with Nas If you could share the stage with any other 3 artists or bands who are still around and touring that you haven’t performed with, who would they be and why? QUAN: Jay Z, Mary J Blidge, Lil Wayne and Kanye.
Mistajay: Where do you see the hip hop going in 2012? How do you see yourself fitting into that? QUAN: I carve out my own lane with the gift God gave me and I don’t really concern myself with other peoples affairs or what they do cuz some of these niggas crazy.
What are your future plans? Continue to build my brand and broaden my fan base, be it a major label or indepedent thru my KingzNation company.
Mistajay: Any last thoughts? QUAN: Love is a verb. Friendship is one sould and 2 bodies. Keep God first. Make ten save five. DonferQuan is the Bo$$ and Kingz Nation is the mafia…
Mistajay: Where can fans follow you and get your music? QUAN: They can find out everything they need to know about me and hear my music at: Officialquan.com, holla at me on Twitter @donferquan NEXT MONTHS INTERVIEW LO KEYS!!!! Mistajay is doing a monthly interview feature the underground experience on the blog www.empiremusiq.com/blog and would like to interview you for this new post please contact nccceo2@yahoo.com to publicize any new projects that you have coming up thanks for your time. Donate or pay $50 dollar interview fee below!! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7SCDVFQGYT32L R.I.P. Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer and model. Houston was the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records.[3] Her list of awards includes 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010. Houston was also one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide.[4][5] Inspired by prominent soul singers in her family, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and her godmother Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing with New Jersey church’s junior gospel choir at age 11.[6] After she began performing alongside her mother in night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis. Houston released seven studio albums and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston was the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits (”Saving All My Love for You”, “How Will I Know”, “Greatest Love of All”, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”, “So Emotional” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”). She was the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one Top Billboard 200 Album awards (formerly “Top Pop Album”) on the Billboard magazine year-end charts. Houston’s 1985 debut album Whitney Houston, became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was named Rolling Stone‘s best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[7] Her second studio album Whitney (1987), became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[7] Houston’s crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for “How Will I Know“,[8] influenced several African-American female artists to follow in her footsteps.[9][10] Houston’s first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard (1992). The movie’s original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single “I Will Always Love You“, became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. With the album, Houston became the first act (solo or group, male or female) to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week period.[7] The album makes her the only female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time, at number four. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996). The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history.[11] Three years after the release of her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love (1998), she renewed her recording contract with Arista Records.[11] She released her fifth studio album Just Whitney in 2002, and the Christmas-themed One Wish: The Holiday Album in 2003. In 2009, Houston released her seventh studio album I Look to You. On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, of causes not immediately known.[12] This the one of greatest talents now gone and can never be replaced. ~mistajay~ R.I.P. Don Cornelius
Donald Cortez “Don” Cornelius (September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012) was an American television show host and producer who was best known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance/music franchise Soul Train, which he hosted from 1971 to 1993. Cornelius sold the show to MadVision Entertainment in 2008. Don Cornelius was born in Chicago in 1936 and was one of the early employees of WVON.[1][2] Originally a journalist inspired by the civil rights movement, Cornelius recognized that in the late 1960s there was no television venue in the United States for soul music, and introduced many African-American musicians to a larger audience as a result of their appearances on Soul Train, a program that was both influential among African-Americans and popular with a wider audience.[3] As writer, producer, and host of Soul Train, Cornelius was instrumental in offering wider exposure to black musicians like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson, as well as creating opportunities for talented dancers that would presage subsequent television dance programs.[4] Cornelius said “We had a show that kids gravitated to,” and Spike Lee described the program as an “urban music time capsule.”[4] Besides his smooth and deep voice, Cornelius was best known for the catchphrase that he used to close the show: “… and you can bet your last money, it’s all gonna be a stone gas, honey! I’m Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!” After Cornelius’s departure, it was shortened to “…and as always, we wish you love, peace and soul!” and was used through the most recent new episodes in 2006. Another introductory phrase he often used was: “We got another sound comin’ out of Philly that’s a sure ‘nough dilly”. The 2008 Soul Train Music Awards ceremony was not held due to the WGA strike and the end of Tribune Entertainment complicating the process of finding a new distributor to air the ceremony and line up the stations to air it. The awards show was moved in 2009 to Viacom’s Centric cable channel (formerly BET J), which now airs Soul Train in reruns. Cornelius last appeared at the 2009 BET Awards to present The O’Jays with the 2009 BET Lifetime Achievement Award. This mans influence on black musical culture was immeasurable you will be missed…… ~mistajay~ What is Sopa and what you can do…..Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could profoundly affect the future of the internet. It’s called the Stop Online Piracy Act. The fact is that this legislation as written won’t stop piracy. But it would pose a serious threat to social media and user generated content sites (like YouTube) across the internet. It could also undermine some of the core technical systems underlying the internet, creating new cybersecurity risks. It will undermine free speech and due process, says one side. It will protect America’s creative class from thieves, says the other. But what’s really in the Stop Online Piracy Act? A guide: Q: What is the purpose of the bill? A: There are actually two bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act, known as SOPA, in the House and sister legislation called the Protect IP [Intellectual Property] Act, or PIPA, in the Senate. Both are designed to tackle the problem of foreign-based websites that sell pirated movies, music and other products. Related ArticleFederal law enforcement has the authority to shut down U.S.-based websites that offer pirated content, but they can’t directly do the same to foreign sites like Pirate Bay. The Motion Picture Association of America, the legislation’s main backer, estimates 13% of American adults have watched illegal copies of movies or TV shows online, and it says the practice has cost media companies billions of dollars. Q: How do the bills attempt to stop piracy? A: The basic method is to stop U.S. companies from providing funding, advertising, links or other assistance to the foreign sites. The bills would give Justice Department prosecutors new powers to prevent pirate sites from getting U.S. visitors and funding. Q: What are the new powers? A: The Justice Department could seek a court order requiring U.S. Internet providers to block access to foreign pirate websites. Access could be blocked either by making it impossible for users to type a simple web address into an Internet browser to reach the site or by requiring search engines like Google to disable links to the sites. The attorney general could also seek a court order requiring credit-card processors to stop processing payments to the sites and requiring advertising networks to stop placing ads on the sites or taking ads from the pirated websites for display elsewhere. In addition, both bills would allow Hollywood studios and other content owners to take private legal action against websites that are alleged to be hosting pirated material. The legislation would allow content owners to ask a court to require credit-card companies and advertising networks to stop payments to sites allegedly hosting pirated material. Q: How does this harm free speech? A Wikipedia official said the legislation could allow for “censorship without due process.” A: Opponents of the legislation worry that the language in the House bill is so broad that it would allow content owners to target U.S. websites that aren’t knowingly hosting pirated content. This has been a particular concern of bill opponents Facebook, Wikipedia and Twitter, all of which have sites that depend heavily on content uploaded by users. In an extreme case, opponents say, media companies could get a court order blocking payments to an innocent site, with the effect of shutting it down and stripping it of its rights to free speech. Also, they say the legislation would encourage authoritarian countries that have already been trying to block content on the Internet they don’t like. Q: What about the charge that the legislation could undermine cybersecurity efforts? A: One of the biggest issues for Google, eBay and other Internet companies is a provision that in some instances would require “DNS blocking.” The domain-name system, or DNS, is an integral part of the Internet, ensuring traffic goes where it’s supposed to when users type in a Web address like www.wsj.com or www.whitehouse.gov. Those addresses are converted into the series of numbers that make up a site’s Internet protocol address. The original legislation would have required Internet providers to redirect traffic away from pirate websites by blocking the conversion system. The problem, according to cybersecurity experts, is that such redirection is also sometimes used by hackers to deceive Internet users and commit cybercrimes. On Saturday, the White House issued a warning that it couldn’t support the legislation if it included DNS blocking because of the possible impact on cybersecurity efforts. This issue may be resolved. Last week, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R., Texas) said he would eliminate the DNS blocking provision from the House’s SOPA legislation. In addition, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.) said he would propose changing the Senate legislation to require more study of the cybersecurity concerns before implementing DNS blocking. Q: What’s the difference between SOPA and PIPA? A: The bills are very similar. One major difference is that the House bill includes a provision making it illegal to stream unauthorized copyrighted content. The provision has been called the “Free Bieber” provision by the legislation’s opponents in honor of teen singer Justin Bieber, who became famous after posting videos of himself performing other singers’ songs on YouTube. Q: What would have to happen for the bills to become law? A: The House’s SOPA legislation is awaiting consideration by the House Judiciary Committee, which tried unsuccessfully to complete its review of the bill in December. That effort was derailed after a bipartisan group of House members, including Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), filed dozens of amendments and used stalling tactics to prevent the bill from being considered before Congress left for the holidays. The bill’s main sponsor, Rep. Smith, said Tuesday he plans to reschedule the hearing in February. The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the PIPA legislation in May, but it has been awaiting floor action ever since. Forty senators are co-sponsoring the bill. However one opponent, Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.), has vowed to filibuster the bill if Senate leaders try to move forward. On Jan. 13, six Republican senators sent Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid a letter asking him to delay floor action until concerns are resolved. However, a procedural vote is still scheduled in the Senate for Jan. 24. In short, the legislation has several hurdles in both houses of Congress. If both houses pass the bill, President Barack Obama would have to make the choice: To sign or to veto. The White House on Tuesday reiterated that it has concerns about the legislation but agrees with proponents that more needs to be done to stop piracy. |
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