How WorldStarHipHop Changed the Internet Forever

Yesterday, WorldStarHipHop founder Lee “Q” O’Denat died in his sleep, reportedly due to a heart attack. He was just 43-years-old.

For people of a certain generation (post eBaum’s World, pre Buzzfeed), the empire Q built with WorldStar, which launched in 2005, defined the version of the Internet they grew up on. That is to say—rap mix tapes, booty videos, and unhinged subway brawls—all of which could be found on a single URL.

While the legacy Q leaves behind can’t be succinctly summarized (and shouldn’t be piegonholed), the impact he had on the Internet can’t be understated.

Watch Complex staffers grapple with the question of what WorldStar meant and how Internet culture changed (for better, for worse) thanks to Q’s game-changing take on citizen journalism.

Source Complex

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