Russell Simmons Hijacks Myspace with the “Hip-Pop Challenge”

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hip-Hop pioneer and visionary Russell Simmons brings his cultural influence and expertise across music, fashion and entertainment to Myspace as the company’s latest celebrity “Hijack”. Beginning today through January 27th, Simmons will take over the popular social entertainment destination to host the ‘Hip-Pop Challenge’- a search for the best musicians in hip-hop and pop. Simmons has trolled Myspace’s vast community of talented unsigned artists and chosen five hip-hop acts and five pop bands with star power for this competition. The Myspace community will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite artists in each category and the winning act will receive a personal mentoring session with the entertainment mogul himself.

“Russell is a true visionary and I am personally excited to offer him our site as a platform to discover new talent and express his passion for the Hip-Pop culture”

“There seems to be a white space in the American entertainment spectrum. The gatekeepers are getting older and don’t recognize that a great number of American youth aspire to live in a post-racial world. Those gatekeepers that are intent on keeping the walls up present me with the great opportunity of ushering in a glimpse of the next America,” says GlobalGrind.com Founder, Russell Simmons. “Through strong partnerships with pioneering platforms such as Myspace, this Hip-Pop phenomenon continues to come to life.”

As part of his Hijack, Simmons will be personally selecting all the content on the Myspace homepage and Music homepage, including his biggest musical influences, several playlists featuring Def Jam classics and the latest “hip-pop” hits, political and culture commentary from his own website GlobalGrind.com, and exclusive excerpts from his new book Super Rich: A Guide To Having It All.

Simmons will also kick-start the Myspace curators program, which identifies leaders in each category whose reputation and knowledge around specific entertainment topics and emerging cultural trends makes them uniquely influential. Simmons will select Myspace’s new official hip hop curator through a six month contest in which users upload videos explaining why they should be named to this role.

“Russell is a true visionary and I am personally excited to offer him our site as a platform to discover new talent and express his passion for the Hip-Pop culture,” Said Myspace CEO Mike Jones. “He is the definition of a true curator.”

The Myspace ‘Hijacks’ program is designed with fans in mind, offering users around the world access to exclusive content and creative programming curated by the celebrities, musicians, television and film personalities who they love most. For more information please visit http://www.myspace.com/hijacks

About Myspace

Myspace, Inc. is a leading social entertainment destination powered by the passions of fans. Aimed at a Gen Y audience, Myspace drives social interaction by providing a highly personalized experience around entertainment and connecting people to the music, celebrities, TV, movies and games that they love. These entertainment experiences are available through multiple platforms, including online, mobile devices and offline events. Myspace is also the home of Myspace Music, which offers an ever-growing catalog of freely streamable audio and video content to users and provides major, independent and unsigned artists alike with the tools to reach new audiences. The company is headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA and is a division of News Corporation. (NASDAQ:NWS)(NASDAQ:NWSA)(ASX: NWS)(ASX:NWSLV)

About Global Grind:

Global Grind is Hip-Pop – the “Hip” side of Pop Culture. It’s an all- encompassing site that provides a platform for an active multicultural audience to consume and interact with compelling content and unique digital experiences. We are the eyes, ears and voice of this multi-racial, active and engaged audience. GlobalGrind.com chronicles celebrities (and blogs), lifestyle content, entertainment news, fashion, music, and politics with an authoritative voice. The site was founded by Russell Simmons and currently has close to 2 Million unique users per month. This evolved segment of users drives and influences trends in culture, fashion, music and