Interview with Heather from Herfection

One of my favourite blogs in the world is Herfection.com, which is owned and ran by Heather Widener from North Carolina in the U.S. I was going to do a blog post about her work but I thought it would be easier to reach out to her and let her explain it in her own words and also to get an insight into the woman behind those words. I was glad when she returned my request. Here's what was said:

Hello Heather. People know you operate one of the biggest Hip-Hop blogs in the U.S, Herfection, but can you talk a little bit about who you are and how you got into the world of journalism?

I'm a simple girl from North Carolina, I fell in love with music in my teen years and I was passionate about proving what it meant to me and how it could feel to others. A friend of mine convinced me to start blogging for fun, then I dedicated blogging to promote underground and current hip-hop.

Your blog, Herfection, has been running for nearly two years now. Can you let us know why you started it and just describe what Herfection is all about to the people who may not have checked it out before?

I started it to showcase talented artists that we're under the radar. I would say Herfection is a females perspective of current hip-hop, some blogs promote hardcore or gangster music, I attempt to promote the conscious side with a positive insight to it. I usually will only post things that move me, that I enjoy, so if I post it that means I genuinely enjoy that product and would co-sign it for anyone else to listen.

Vibe Magazine ranked your blog, Herfection, as the 17th best Hip-Hop Blog this year. Can you talk about how you managed to get the blog known and what you believe your success has been?

I think it's important to know how, when and who to communicate with. Being friendly to every person you cross is important, even if you don't like their overall aura at least show respect and keep moving. Reach out to everyone, it takes time to build and connect, be patient and not eager or persistent. Any website that was popular then and now, I completely utilized the best I could without over saturating my followers. -- Side note I was just ranked in XXL's issue as well, that issue hits stands December 1st .

What are your favorite 3 blogs and why?

Hmm, besides mine lol I check out a lot of different websites in a day. I love tumblr websites, like Dirtylittlestylewhore.tumblr.com. I check my friend Kingsley's website, www.yk2daily.net, for my full hip-hop intake, he really covers everything that surfaces instantly when some miss in between. Thefader is another site I enjoy, they're eclectic with their music preferences.

You support a lot of upcoming artists and also deal with a lot of non-mainstream content, why is that?

I support up and coming artist because they're next, and if I feel good about their music I want to spread the material and help them get out there.

Who are your top 5 artists and why?

Currently there's alot, but Kid Cudi, J.Cole, Theophilus London, XV, Ryan Leslie, Diz Gibran and more

Many people say Blogs have killed the radio DJ and have made print magazines almost defunct, what do you think about that statement?

I'm not sure, I think all 3 play a very important role to the culture but I think blogs are dominating. They're the fastest resource and most sufficient.

How do you think the popularity of twitter will impact blogs?

Twitter has been pulling views I'm sure for every blogger. When you look at your source of views twitter is always some way accountable. I think twitter is a great outlet for bloggers to gain a broader audience, it's probably the fastest promotion as of now. Considering you can't fit tons of information on twitter, blogs should still be very powerful. I wouldn't worry, twitter is just the preview to a blog post.

In the coming Issue of MESH Culture Heather breaks down her TOP 5 Tips for creating and sustaining an Industry Leading Blog

Check out: www.herfection.com and follow Heather at www.twitter.com/herfection