Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Inge.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ken. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The idea for Dead End Hip Hop was born in 2010 out of daily email conversations between hip hop fans. A rapper named Wise used the phrase, “Here goes another dead end hip-hop conversation…” and it sparked something in Kennith B. Inge. Taking the email conversations into a daily discussion seemed like the next logical move and thus, Dead End Hip Hop was born.
Knowing that the show would need a unique visual treatment and element to it, Ken reached out to Rod of Modest Media to partner together on this effort. Next up was filing the show with opinionated, well-versed hip hop fans that had been a part of the discussion from the beginning. To achieve this, Ken pitched the show to the individuals on the email thread: Brandon “Beezy430” White, Rafael “Feefo” Ferrer, Myke “Myke C-Town” Jamison, and Dead End Hip Hop (DEHH) was born.
The streets of Atlanta served as an idyllic backdrop for DEHH in the early years. Most episodes were filmed in locations near Georgia Tech, Midtown, Downtown and Old Fourth Ward. As DEHH grew, the need for a dedicated studio space was crucial. Through a partnership with The Artist Factory, DEHH found a temporary home before opening the doors of their own studio, Dead End Studios ATL.
Today, Dead End has expanded their presence beyond to just video and entered into the podcast arena. Dead End Podcasts (deadendpodcasts.com) is home to nine different podcast shows including Is The Mic Still On (a current events series), Frames Per Second (a movie and tv recap show), Dead End Gaming (online gaming show), and Dead End Hip Hop Live (a live hip hop discussion show). Additionally, DEHH offers podcast editing services and studio space to the metro Atlanta area. To learn more, visit www.deadendstudiosatl.com.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There’s a saying that goes, “It’s the rocky road, not the smooth path, that leads to greatness.” DEHH’s road has definitely had more bumps than others but we’ve come out of it wiser and better. One of our most notable challenges was having our equipment stolen. It was a devastating moment in our history because we had just recorded an interview earlier that day with David Banner, and it was going to be an epic episode. In order to recoup the loss, we reached out to our fans and community to help, and through their donations and support, we raised enough money to buy a new camera. Without them, DEHH would have ended the night the camera was stolen.
Another obstacle we encountered along the way was finding dedicated recording space. Renting studio space for other studios around the city was costly but it was also time-consuming. We were recording numerous episodes in one session because we only had the studio for one day a week. The days were long and exhausting. We quickly realized we needed our own spot to continue putting out content on a regular basis while maintaining our sanity.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Dead End Hip Hop – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Dead End Hip produces and distributes video content and podcasts. Since 2010, we have been known for our honest and raw opinions about everything from hip hop culture to current news. With five different personalities and musical tastes and preferences, our conversations are often opinionated, refreshing and entertaining.
We are most proud of the fact that we are able to remain true to ourselves and fans while maintaining our honesty and integrity. We love that artists appreciate our real opinions of their music – no matter how good or bad we say. We have been told through the years that our reviews made artists strive to put out their best work. Our intention of quality of quantity is something we standby; we are not seeking to achieve clickbait or be first – we strive to be authentic.
In addition to the shout outs from hip hop stars such as Kendrick Lamar, David Banner, and many others, we are also proud of the work we have done to bring hip hop cultural awareness to masses through education. We have served as speakers and hosted a live show at Florida State University and hope to do the same at many other colleges and universities.
We have expanded our content offerings outside of video and are now in the podcast game as well. Our personal studio space – Dead End Studios ATL – allows us to express creative freedom as we continue to bring our viewers more DEHH content.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Dead End Hip Hop is constantly looking forward to the future. We are excited about the work we are doing and continue to do in the podcast space. One of the upcoming things we will launch in 2019 will be doing more live recordings of Is The Mic Still On and Dead Hip Hop Live with a viewing audience. We will also host more gaming tournaments for Dead End Gaming, and bring more gaming videos.
Contact Info:
- Address: Dead End Studios ATL
3201 Atlanta Industrial Parkway
Ste 207
Atlanta, GA 30331 - Website: deadendhiphop.com
- Email: kinge@deadendhiphop.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/deadendhiphop
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/deadendhiphop
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/deadendhiphop
- Other: deadendpodcasts.com
Image Credit:
Modest Media
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