New York, NY, July 31, 2013 – Dedication, determination, and the desire to be the best are what drove Haitian-American Lee ‘Q’ O’Denat to become one of the hottest entrepreneurs and most influential hip-hop personalities in the country! He literally went from being homeless to being the force behind one of the most controversial, yet highly visited, websites in the world: www.WorldStarHipHop.com.
According to renowned website info company Alexa, as CEO and Founder of WorldStar Hip Hop (WSHH), ‘Q’ has pushed his website to one of the top 200 websites in the country for traffic, beating out media giants like Oprah.com, CBS.com, MTV.com, VH1.com and BET.com. Based on its level of traffic alone, WSHH is comparable to a billion-dollar brand. Not bad for a guy who dropped out of school in 9th grade! Today, this self-taught, tech-savvy music mogul stays focused on the technological trends that impact and drive today’s youth, knowing that it’s the 18-24 crowd that mostly frequent his site. This trendsetter recognizes hard work and only surrounds himself with techie geniuses; believing that if you surround yourself with losers – you become one!
WSHH has been ranked #1 on the Source magazine’s Power List and has been honored three times by BET (Black Entertainment Television) as “Best Hip Hop Online Site.” Averaging more than 70 million visits a month, this “shock site” has a global following that is unprecedented. Referring to his site as the “CNN of the ghetto,” Q’s philosophy is Reach one – Teach one and he is quick to offer budding video directors, music producers and artists an outlet and the chance to be seen or heard on his site.
With a story that reads like a modern-day urban legend, ‘Q’ runs WSHH with a keen eye on the “hood” culture and the understanding that Hip Hop is here to stay. His website’s popularity with a worldwide urban audience has not gone unnoticed by corporate America either. Advertising mainstays such as Wal-Mart, Fiber One (a General Mills product), Equifax, high-end retailer Bloomingdales, Volkswagen and Microsoft are just a few of the multi-billion dollar companies that have chosen to promote their products on the site.
The charismatic Q started his business in 2005 selling mix tapes via mail, but found the process cumbersome. In 2007, after thoroughly reading up on the marketing and operational advantages of offering downloads online of hip-hop mix tapes, he developed his website. It grew rapidly and has expanded beyond music downloads: today, it’s home to cutting edge videos, hip-hop news and even gossip. WorldStar Publishing is the next venture for this prolific entrepreneur, who also is looking to start his own record label.
‘Q’ has advice for anyone wanting to follow their dream: “Don’t be afraid to sacrifice and take a chance. No reward comes without risk.” Adding, “Don’t be afraid even if nobody else believes in you. Do you? Keep that third eye open.”