My 2007 Highlight Reel

Recently I was skimming through some old blog entries from last year and I noticed that at the end of 2006 I had posted up my accomplishments from the year. This wasn’t an ego thing, it was more of a check in to see how I was doing in my career, what avenues needed to be explored further and in what ways I could grow. Since this is my first blog of 2008 I figured what better time to see how I’m progressing? A buddy of mine once told me that we can best measure how well we’re doing by looking at ourselves in the context of what we’re doing now vs. a year, or two years, or ten years ago rather than how many people attempt to, which is by measuring themselves too shortsightedly, i.e. week to week, which will make you go insane, or by using the worst of all measuring sticks, the accomplishments of others. With that in mind, here are my highlights from 2007 with a look towards what I hope to accomplish in 2008.

Magazine Work – In 2007 I placed 51 feature stories in national magazines as my work appeared in 30 issues of ten different publications. All of these numbers are up significantly from 2006 (35 articles / six national magazines), but what’s even more important to me than the numbers are the types of articles I’m writing. In 2007 I branched out even further into entertainment with articles ranging from everything from interviews with cast members from Miami Ink and Chappelle’s Show to music features that required a major amount of research. 2007 also saw me expand my clip book in a number of ways, writing about art, fashion and even some current affairs. In 2008 I will be branching out even more into current affairs as they relate to Hollywood and the music industry. I won’t be disappointed if the volume of articles I write stays the same as long as the articles I’m writing are consistently getting better, I cover a wider range of topics, and I’m finding placement in even more widely known publications. I’ve already placed articles on a few charitable organizations and am working hard on the human interest side of my work. I have found I really enjoy doing more cumbersome, research-required pieces. Of course, I’ll never turn down an interview with big name musician or actress! Who says I can’t do it all?

Adam’s World – 2007 was the year I planned to take Adam’s World to the next level and boy did I ever! The site has officially grown into a full fledged force in the blogosphere as in ‘07 I featured interviews with everyone from Russell Simmons to Constantine Maroulis on this site, covered nearly every show I could make, including Warped Tour and numerous album release events, and my Artist of the Week features skyrocketed in popularity. All the hard work culminated with Adam’s World being voted one of the top five music blogs on the net, and the number one blog that covers Hip-Hop, in the Hey! Nielsen / Billboard.com “Best Music Blog” contest, and my December appearances in Metro and on coolinyourcode.com. In 2008 I will be building on all of this and even adding video content to the site, the beginnings of which is already up now. Definitely stay tuned!

RapReviews – As the man who did almost every interview for RapReviews in 2007 I sat down with 31 artists over the calendar year, including such luminaries as Pharoahe Monch, Grandmaster Caz, Keith Murray, Bizarre, 9th Wonder and DJ Krush. In 2008 I plan on continuing to bring RapReviews readers interviews with not only some of the biggest names in the biz, but also with some of the hottest up and coming artists around.

The Adam B Experience Radio Show – The biggest news for The Adam B Experience in 2007 is that in addition to being on the FM dial in Fairfield, CT (Fridays 8pm -10pm on WVOF 88.5FM) and streaming on the web (wvof.org) everywhere else, I’m now also being podcast at AmalgamDigital.com. Now you don’t even have to mark your calendar to tune in, you can stream the show anytime you want, or download it and put it on your iPod. My summer show with DJ Halo, Hip-Hop Headcases, was also a hit once again and will return come May.

Getting Some Press – You already know about the biggest recent news in regards to getting some press, my appearance in Metro and the full interview with me on coolinyourcode.com, but that’s not the only press I’ve received in 2007. This year also saw me quoted alongside the New York Times in articles about Russell Simmons’ political leanings in both the Cleveland Leader and on About.com, quoted in the Connecticut Post in an article they did on a local Hip-Hop label, appear on the CW11 News commenting on the Don Imus firing, having my face smile back at readers in Foam and Vapors’ contributor’s sections, be interviewed by FreeHipHopNow.com, and be recognized by Hofstra Magazine in their alumni section. 2008 is already starting off nicely in this department as an interview with me will be going up on Hey! Nielsen’s website later this week.

Someone tell Perez Hilton and Tila Tequila I’m gainin on em!