Hip Hop Forum

Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons and partners have teamed up to launch an on-demand Hip-Hop channel, set to debut this Friday (November 11).

A subsidiary of Simmons Lathan Media Group, DoD, the first-ever video-on-demand channel targeting the Hip-Hop and urban market, will launch as a free service on Comcast's ON DEMAND channel.

The channel, featuring original and acquired content, will be available in all Comcast ON DEMAND markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia/New Jersey, Seattle and Washington, DC. Comcast Digital Cable customers will be able to select the "Urban Beat" option on the ON DEMAND main menu and then choose DoD.

"With over $1 trillion a year in spending power, Hip-Hop consumers, ages 13-34, have become the driving force of a great movement in popular culture by uniting fans across racial lines," said DoD CEO Will Griffin via a statement. "With DoD, we are creating a cutting-edge channel that will fill a void and pent-up demand in hip-hop and urban programming. The channel will feature fresh and compelling content aimed to educate, inform and stimulate this powerful and unified base of fans of Hip-Hop culture."

The channel will feature fresh content with themes that change monthly hosted by VJ personalities. Programming will include mixtapes and video mix shows, celebrity-driven documentary series, local market content, films, "old school" classics, fashion and comedy specials, video personals, and more.

The month of November is dedicated to "Mixtapes, the Lifeblood of Hip-Hop." DoD's schedule will debut exclusive bios on 50 Cent and Eminem, who both began their careers featured on mixtapes. The channel will also offer RBK-produced content from Jay-Z, Allen Iverson and G-Unit. Also available are mixtape sessions with Clinton Sparks, video mix shows that combine mixtapes remixed with music videos and dance battles featuring street style dancing.