So let me introduce OddFuture (Odd Future Wolf Gang Crew Kill em All) a group of California misfits who have capitalized on the status of the crippled recording industry to kick down the doors using nothing, but free social media platforms to galvanize an audience of indoor kids across the world.

The band, which is the brainchild of the aptly named Tyler The Creator has creating a wild feeding frenzy among record companies, based off of little more than a series of mixtapes and no budget music videos that are more disturbing than a Sarah Palin White House bid. A group of rowdy, unruly, punk/skate/rap/minimilist grime/ musician/entertainer/filmmaker/web developer/ conundrum from Odd Future have literally ignited the internet with disturbing images of teenagers doing excessive amounts of drugs while brandishing fire arms and threatening to dress like Nazis. In recent weeks, they have appeared in the Guardian (UK), The Fader, The NY Times, Village Voice and an unfathomable amount of blogs across the WORLD, which have lead to sold out shows in LA, New York, London to name just the last month.

And all of this from a basement.

The hustle is impressive, but what’s shocking is how effective their model for success has been. By attacking the status quo directly, through channels like interactive blogs and websites, they were able to garner such an intense amount of support within months. The group has literally created a small media empire that is completly self-sustainable and synergistic. They have literally proven that record labels are useless to them, which is why labels have all begged to sit down with the crew.

Love it or Hate it, the ability to successfully create an underdog/rebel with the potential to win will always make people pay attention.

-Vic Reznik

Will.I.AM reminds me of Ashton Kutcher.  They have huge followings and realize the importance of courting the favor of heavy corporate hitters.  Instead of shrinking into the label of ‘artist’ they are becoming their own captains of their brands and business.  And they realize how important it can be to be an early adopter for technology.  The Black Eyed Peas conceived a song (I Gotta Feeling)that will play at every major function forever and have woven their sponsors into their day to day business.  Hopefully they will be able to pull a little Bono action and leverage their connections for big change.  The Black Eyed Peas are building an empire.  Get out of the way or join in.  This article gives a great look into their business deals.

If you want to be a global brand with longevity you must continue to find new audiences to reach out to and do so tastefully.  Jay Z is the master of this – collaborating with rock music acts that exposed his brand/music to new audiences.  Here, Pharrell is adding to his legacy by going after the kids.  Tweens of today are the most connected most discerning customers who will be the backbone of consumer behavior in the next decade.  So establishing a presence in the world can pay dividends in keeping your name alive and your brand healthy.  Networking down to the kids – that’s how you create more than a flash in a generation.

Just as the music industry has been sampling and mixing styles, beats and genres – the cross over is now happening in TV, film and culture as well.  Here is a hilarious rap parody by Aziz Ansari that mixes several streams of culture.

A mixing of characters, real and fake seems commonplace but truly is kinda a new deal.  NYMag does a good job describing. While there are spin offs al the time – mixing reality, fake characters and social media is its own genre.  It requires hyper acuity to the cultural landscape but its really sweet.