By Sherri L. Smith, BlackWeb20.com

As Twitter continues to grow and assert its social media dominance, we’ve watched as the 140-charcater messaging tool build networking bridges that might not have formed otherwise through online interaction or offline events called Tweetups. With its quick and easy interface we’ve seen some of our favorite celebs get in on the act, even the “Big O,” herself.

While some celebrities use Twitter as a quick and easy way to keep fans up on the latest, others use it as an avenue to connect with fans on a more personal level for better or worse. One Twitter TMI moment came when Diddy (@iamdiddy) disclosed he was taking a break from a 36-hour tantric sex romp. Another infamous moment came via Baby Spec (@IAMSPECTACULAR) from Pretty Ricky as he issued a grindoff challenge to other male artists. And while those were some cringeworthy moments. Artists like Wyclef Jean choose to use his Twitter powers for good.

Clef recently wrapped up his “More Bottles Remix” contest.  The world renowned producer and artist reached to his fans via his web site and Twitter account (@wyclef) to find out who could take his new song, “More Bottles,” and make the best remix. Participants created a 30 second Bubble Tweet with thier reimagined version of the track. Bubble Tweet for those of you that might still be a Twitter n00b, is a third-party application that lets users add video to their twitter stream. Once the tracks were submitted, it was all up to the fans to listen to the tracks and choose the winners. Out of the many entries that were submitted, only eight people had the skills to impress the fans and Wyclef. Those lucky few recently travelled to meet the Grammy-award winning artist at his studio, Platinum Sound,  to lay down a track that will be available on a mixtape featuring DJ Drama scheuled for an September release as well as a self-titled LP  set for a January 2010 release. And to add a cherry to the proverbial top, those that made it to the winner’s circle will also have their music made available to the world on iTunes in August.

Wyclef currently has 617,601 followers on his twitter account which only took three short months to accumlate. The automatic response should and will be, “So? He’s famous, of course people will follow him in droves.” It’s important to note how Jean interacts with his followers. A common complaint amongst the regular folk that make Twitter tick is that celebrity tweeters only follow fellow celebrities and rarely speak to the legions of fans that follow them. Jean not only bucks the trend, but he actually encouraged his followers to contribute to his music. As the eight winners were in the studio laying down their tracks, the whole session was being streamed live via Wyclef’s website. Every so often he would stop the session to check out fan feedback and tweek the winner’s performance based on that feedback.

While it’s obvious that all this activity is building hype for the upcoming projects, and it’s a smart move, especially in this climate where even the most established artists have to get creative about bring in the sales. By engaging his fans in this manner, Jean has the potential to create something totally new that fans can totally get behind because technically, it’ll be a project made for the people, by the people.

BlackWeb20.com covers website and application launches; culturally relevant Internet industry news; and mainstream Internet industry news from an African-American perspective.  They also analyze emerging web trends and how they apply to web properties that target African-Americans or African-American culture.

Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston aren’t reuniting. Fans hoping to view more of the train-wreck-like drama that was Bobby Brown’s marriage to Whitney Houston won’t get their wish. Despite photos recently showing the divorced pair at a romantic dinner together in Georgia, they’ll reportedly remain apart. A spokesperson for Houston says the pair remains “good friends whose primary interest is the well-being of their daughter.” Houston and Brown divorced after 15 years in 2007.

Wyclef’s Miami Beach crib is up for auction. Rapper, singer and producer Wyclef is the latest high-profile celebrity to suffer from America’s home foreclosure epidemic. The Grammy-winner’s Miami Beach spot is due to be auctioned in a Florida court after ‘Clef reportedly borrowed $2 million from Home Equity Mortgage Corp. A series of construction liens were filed against the company the performer co-owns, leading to the burden and eventual bank action.

Haitian youths celebrate Wyclef’s birthday.

A group of young Haitians got together recently to celebrate rapper Wyclef Jean’s birthday, reports Reuters. Jean, who was born in Haiti before moving to New York when he was still a child, is very popular in the nation for his charity work. Haiti, already considered the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, suffered further damage when it was hit with four storms back to back, leaving more than 800 dead and many homeless and hungry.  A lot of the young attendees look up to ‘Clef and, just like him, they want to use music as a way out. “I want to become somebody. I want to make myself known and earn my living through hip hop,” said one 12-year-old. “Wyclef was also poor like us, but he made it. We can do it too. You never know.” Jean is behind a movement called “hip-Hop Creole” that pushes poor youths to rap in their native Creole language instead of turning to gangs. He recently announced plans to open a studio in Cite Soleil, Haiti’s largest slum. “I want no guns, I want no violence. Give me a guitar, a beat and a mike and I’ll rap for peace and a better tomorrow,” rapped a young Haitian artist, Jah, in Creole.

Musician Wyclef Jean pitches in to help Haiti, Zimbabwe leaders are all smiles and the search for is on for Kenya’s next top model. See these pictures and more.
 

S.A.prosecutors plan to appeal ruling for Zuma. South African prosecutors announced they are planning to appeal a ruling made by the nation’s High Court dismissing charges against Jacob Zuma, head of the African National Congress. Zuma, who plans on running for president of the nation next year, had the charges dismissed on a technicality; the prosecutors did not inform him of the charges before filing them, reports the Associated Press. But, after they consult Zuma, they are welcome to file new charges, the court ruled. Nevertheless, the ANC had angry words for the prosecutors, who they accuse of trying to ruin Zuma’s chance of becoming president. “By not accepting the court’s ruling, the NPA has lost valuable opportunity to bring the relentless pursuit of Jacob Zuma to an end. The decision suggests that personal pride, rather than reason, is driving the actions of the NPA,” ANC said Wednesday. The charges against Zuma include corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering.

Jamie Foxx says talk show queen helped refine him

Even though the new reality show he helped conceive is just “Flavor of Love: Charm School” with a new name, Jamie Foxx says it was inspired by personal experience. Foxx’s friend Oprah Winfrey helped groom the Oscar-winner before he started producing “From G’s to Gents,” which debuted on MTV last week. “Oprah Winfrey said, ‘Before they give the Oscar out, there’s a certain way you have to campaign and carry yourself,’” Foxx recalls. “Being a comedian, (I was) sort of looking at everything as like, ‘Oh, it’s a joke,’ and she said, ‘No, you really need to take it seriously,’ and she took me and introduced me to Sidney Poitier and all these other different actors. I had to change.” Foxx won the Oscar for his portrayal of singer Ray Charles in Ray.

Kanye West, Wyclef will perform in support of Obama

Rapper Kanye West and singer Wyclef Jean will join N.E.R.D. at the 2008 Democratic Convention to perform in support of Barack Obama. West reportedly appears on behalf of singer Bono’s One Campaign, while Jean and N.E.R.D. will co-headline a party thrown by MTV’s popular “Rock the Vote” effort. The convention will begin Aug. 25 in Denver, ending in the party’s historic nomination of the first Black presidential candidate three days later.

Soul singer’s estate auction generates less cash than expected.

A projected $1 million to $2 million payday from the late James Brown’s estate auction has landed only $857,688. Brown, who died on Christmas of 2006, owed significant tax debts for his home. The legendary singer’s offspring complains that the valuables, including clothes Brown wore and hair grooming items, should’ve been kept from auction. Adult children of the late singer hoped to create a museum for the Godfather of Soul.