RAP SHEET has been in operation since 1992. The brand has deep roots within the music industry and the target audience taken deeper than the publication by its promotions and marketing. In 1994, the publication launched the Working Towards A Unified Hip Hop Nation conference series. Rap Sheet created its highly successful conference series in response to the paucity of information and education provided to the hip hop segment of the music industry. In 1998, the conference was relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, the new hotbed of urban entertainment. In 2000, the conference was re-developed as a ten city tour. Rap Sheet was the first rap music publication on the web, and it’s early relationships with key information technology icons (Microsoft, Real and more) has placed it far ahead of any current entity in place, as it evolves into a virtual community for information and cutting-edge entertainment. At the close of 2000, the website was completely redeveloped with full audio, video, e-commerce and interactivity, making it one of the hottest urban websites in existence. It is currently under complete re-design. In 1995, a third arm of the business was launched. The Rap Sheet Street Marketing Network was initially created to develop the visibility and placement of the publication. The Network was so successful at launching the publication, that outside entities hired the Network to expose their product to the urban market. The Rap Sheet Street Marketing Network has provided service to clients like Coca-Cola USA and Anheuser-Busch, as well as record companies. In January of 1996, Darryl James, the founding editor, took over the business operations from JSA. Within several months, a deficit from 1995 was erased, and a positive cash flow was witnessed. In 1997, James purchased the remaining interest in Rap Sheet, making it the only publication with one hundred per cent Black-owned rap music publication.