Elliot Wilson (journalist)
Elliott Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 14, 1971 |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Liberal arts |
| Alma mater | LaGuardia Community College |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist Television producer |
| Years active | 1992-today |
| Organization | Rap Radar |
| Notable work | Eminem Jay-Z |
| Spouse | Danyel Smith |
| Website | rapradar |
Elliott Wilson is a American hip hop journalist, television producer, and the founder and CEO of the popular website Rap Radar. He is also the former editor-in-chief of XXL Magazine, when under his direction XXL became the number one music magazine on newsstands. While there, he became known for his editorials under the nickname "YN". Over the course of his career, Elliott has interviewed and profiled artists including Jay-Z, the Notorious B.I.G, Eminem and Royce da 5'9", Mobb Deep, Rick Ross, A Tribe Called Quest, DMX, Big Daddy Kane, J. Cole, Ja Rule, DJ Khaled, Lauryn Hill and the Fugees, and every member of the Wu-Tang Clan.[1]
Early life and education
Elliott’s father is African American. His mother is Ecuadorian and Greek. He attended William Cullen Bryant High School and went on to attend LaGuardia Community College and received an associates degree in liberal arts in 1992. Wilson lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Danyel Smith. They were married in Los Angeles in June 2005. He has two younger brothers, Kenneth and Steven.
Writing career
Wilson has been writing and talking about hip hop and rap music since 1992[2], when he became music editor for Beat Down magazine. He is the co-author of two critically acclaimed books, "Book of Rap Lists" and "Big Book of Racism!".[3][4] Both books were created in the spirit of the short-lived magazine Ego trip. In 2004 Entertainment Weekly named the ego trip collective one of the "25 Funniest People in America".[5] Wilson has written for a number of publications, including GQ, VIBE, and Rolling Stone.[6][7]
In spring of 1996 Wilson went to College Music Journal as a beat-box editor. At the end of that year he was promoted as music editor of The Source magazine. In September, 1999, Wilson went to work at Harris Publications as editor-in-chief of XXL Magazine, and in 2005 he launched their website, XXLmag.com. He also co-created Hip-Hop Soul. In 2004, Wilson co-executive produced VH1’s TV’s Illest Minority Moments: Presented by ego trip.[8] In 2005 Wilson co-executive produced three specials for VH1, under the Ego trip’s "Race-O-Rama: Blackaphobia, In Race We Lust, and Dude Where’s My Ghetto Pass?". In January 2007, VH1 debuted the eight-episode series Ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show, where Wilson served as co-executive producer. In April 2008, VH1 debuted Ego trip's Miss Rap Supreme, where Wilson also served as co-executive producer.[9]
Breakup with XXL
Wilson tenure at XXL ended in January 2008 under controversial circumstances. On March 9, 2009, in partnership with Paul Rosenberg, he launched RapRadar.com[10], a webpage that documents mainstream hip-hop and rap culture in real time. Rap Radar has been nominated for best hip-hop web site for the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012. In 2010, Wilson became editor of RESPECT. magazine. In 2012, Wilson launched "Keep It Thoro", a two-hour weekly show on East Village Radio. [11] The show, hosted by Wilson, features new music, and interviews with today’s most popular and relevant artists. Since the summer of 2012, Keep It Thoro has been EVR’s No. 1 overall show.
In 2011, The Hollywood Reporter named Wilson to its list of "Top 20 Music Industry Innovators". [12] Billboard named Elliott to its "Twitter 140" in 2011 and 2012, a list of the most influential people in the music business.[13][14] In 2011, MTV listed Wilson as one of six "Hip-hop Culture MVPs". He has appeared as an expert on ABC, CNN, MTV, MTV2, VH-1, BET, among others.
See also
External links
References
- ^ "Jay-Z Finally Speaks About Marriage to Beyoncé". Stephen M. Silverman. People Magazine. August 8, 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ "Devine Styler". Beatdown. 1 (2). 1992. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ Jenkins, Sacha; Wilson, Elliott (1999). Book of Rap Lists. St. Martin’s Press. p. 352. ISBN 0-312-24298-0. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
- ^ Jenkins, Sacha; Wilson, Elliott (2002). Big Book of Racism!. Regan Books/HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-098896-7. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
- ^ "Entertainment Weekly's 25 Funniest People In America". Stereogum. May 14, 2004. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ "The Year in Music: It's the End of Rock as We Know It—and We Feel Fine". john Ritter. GQ. December, 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The Jay-T Family Tree". Rolling Stone: 24. 1999. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
- ^ ""TV's Illest Minority Moments Presented by: ego trip" Debuts This Weekend". Nolan Strong. All hip hop. February 21, 2004. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ Ego Trip's Miss Rap Supreme. "Miss Rap Supreme's contestants". VH1. Retrieved April 23, 2004.
- ^ "Miss Info Exclusive: RapRadar Sneak Peek". Missinfo. March 7, 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ "Keep it Thoro". East Village Radio. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter Offers List Of Top 20 Music Industry Innovators". Allaccess. February 11, 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ "Billboard's Twitter 140: Music-Industry Characters You Need To Follow". Billboard. March 18, 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ "The Music Industry Characters You Need to Follow". Billboard. July 26, 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.