This past Monday we got the opportunity to chop it up with Iras Coast Radio’s long time peer Michael Connor, the founder and creator of NewDallasLTD. Throughout the past six to eight months NewDallasLTD has had a massive following increase, and has established itself as a main influencer and a voice for the youth of Dallas creatives and other upcoming creatives around the globe. Currently averaging a little less than 3,000 views a week, NewDallasLTD is on its way to proving its significance to our culture beyond the international lines. For those who don’t know, NewDallasLTD is an informational website that keeps up with the latest fashion, music, anime, skateboarding, photography, videography, & events around the state. In this interview we discussed about his start, influences, inspiration behind the content, & most importantly how he plans to continue grow as a voice for our culture.
Larce Blake: What made you decide to make a blog, what was your inspiration?
Michael Connor: Honestly, probably pure boredom. I mean, I was already involved in the music scene, like early 2013, and I ended up leaving Dallas to go to college in Wisconsin. After that I was just bored there and I just started blogging and I kept it local at that point.
Larce Blake: And I remember whenever you were doing that, because whenever we were seeing these blog posts, we were like who is this dude? He never comes around on the scene, but he keeps showing everybody love. Then I found out you lived [in Wisconsin] so it just shows the dedication you had to pushing the culture down here and just showing love to all the artists, you know?
Yea its crazy… still not a lot of people know that I actually run the blog, but like, its whatever, I mean…
Larce Blake: So there’s been a lot of talk about your new lists that you put out for 25 Days of Litmas, and everyone’s been asking why there hasn’t been, a producer’s list, or top rapper list. What’s going on with that?
Yea I mean, basically, I was gonna do that originally, but I didn’t wanna do the whole, basic list thing, I kind of wanted to wait until my platform got a little bit bigger to cover the best artists, song producer, videos… So I kind of took a different route and did different lists, you know…some stuff that you wouldn’t normally see.
Larce Blake: Yea like a photographer lists…
Yeah we did photography, best dressed, most influential, graphic design. We covered a bunch of topics, but, yea… it worked really well.
Larce Blake: Yea and I saw the last list you put out was a Pokémon list. What was up with that, what inspired that?
Yeah I mean, I just try to do like… random content for people. I talk to a lot of people that read my blog, and I know what they’re interested in, so I try to cater to them.
Larce Blake: And it seems like you’re a really big anime fan?
Yeah man, I love anime.
Larce Blake: What are your favorite ones?
Top 5? Probably Steins Gate, Hawkshaw, Kogias, Death Note… was that 5? or was that 4? I don’t know, but yeah… I’ve been watching anime, since I was like 5 or something… Like Dragon Ball Z.
Larce Blake: Yeah I think everyone was a Dragon Ball Z fan, in our generation. But let’s go back to the blog. In what ways will it help the city, in what ways will it help our artists?
Well the way I look at it, Dallas does not have that good of an infrastructure, when it comes to promoting music and pushing artists to the next level. I’m really just trying to take a hold of that point.
Larce Blake: Trying to be that voice for the people, and kind of be that cosign man?
Yeah, Definitely, ‘cus I cosign a lot of artists, but I still think there needs to be more done, not even like with me, but just the entire music scene in general. I feel like there’s not a lot money being put back into the scene.
Larce Blake: Yea and then everybody like just hits this certain glass ceiling and kind of just gets stagnant.
Yeah I’m trynna break that down.
Larce Blake: So whenever it comes to your posts, what kind of criteria does an artist or creative have to fit to get on your blog?
Well, really since at the moment, I’m the only writer. I write like every post so, I have to like your song, so If I don’t like it, you’re probably not gonna get on the blog. I mean, I plan on getting more writers so we can kind of build and have different criteria and stuff like that, but right now its just me. That’s one obstacle.
Larce Blake: So you’re looking for interns, and other journalists to help you out? ‘Cus you know, we’re at a college, there’s a lot of people looking for things to do, so…
Yeah definitely, but I want it to be official. I tried to do it, but I really want it to, like if you need an internship to graduate college I want it to count for that.
Larce Blake: I feel that, I feel that. So for those people who don’t know about newdallasltd.com, why should they look at the blog? what makes it original, what makes it special, in your eyes?
Well, first off, I think, I really think I have the most aesthetically pleasing blog out there right now. I mean there’s a few flaws, but I still really like the way it looks, but besides that, I try to cover everything in popular culture. I don’t wanna be that TMZ blog that’s just…
Larce Blake: That’s just being messy for no reason?
“This rapper did that, they did this”, or whatever, I don’t wanna talk about that, I wanna actually bring content to the table, stuff people think is cool. Or even if you’re not interested like, you’ll look at it and say oh… maybe [you’ll] get into something new.
Larce Blake: Yea just focusing on the artistry. So what Dallas artists are catching – or not just Dallas, ‘cus its not limited, so what artists are catching your attention right now, that are on the “come up” stage?
Really. Well I did this list it was like 11 Artists to Watch for in Dallas, and it was pretty cool, it got good feedback, but I feel like the artists I probably listen to the most, from DFW, would be like, Go Yayo, Kissed Killed… I’m really rocking with Devy Stonez.
Larce Blake: Yea those are really good artists, I listen to all of them too.
I really like the Crit Life Movement, I like what they’re doing at shows.
LB: I hear they throw really good parties.
Yeah… [they’re] pretty cool. So I mean there’s a lot of artists that I like, but there’s only like certain ones that I really listen to like I’ll put them in my iTunes, and I’ll really jam them, like, on the daily or something. Shout out to my Daily haha.
Larce Blake: Ha, yea, shout out to Daily, he in the studio right now… and shout out to Brenda Vega, and her friend, I forgot your name, I’m sorry, and Deanna [Lyndsey]… I know you post a lot of skateboarding on your blog as well. I’m a big skateboarding fan, I used to skate growing up back in the day, and there really isn’t an output or a place for skaters [in Dallas] either so I see that you’re trying to push that culture as well.
Definitely, I remember when we did that, um, we what that Blue Summer shoot and you had that ramp in your back yard.
Larce Blake: Yea, yea, good times, good times.
But, um, I feel like there’s not a good platform for skateboarders coming out of the city, I mean we have Index… and they put everybody that’s talented on, so I don’t know. I’ve been skating for like 9 years or something. Id love to work with them and do something…yea just to help push the skateboarding culture forward. And then there’s a local skate park, 4 Down.
Larce Blake: Where’s that at?
Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you, its downtown, kind of. It’s indoor, but they just recently moved, they’re opening up a bigger facility. I talked to some of the guys that worked there and hopefully we’re gonna do something.
Larce Blake: That’d be tight. So do you do know about DeMarquis McDaniels and Barret and all them?
Yea, I know.. I’ve seen DeMarquis McDaniels skate, that… that was like a really long time ago.
Larce Blake: Yea that’s like my cousin’s cousin on the other side of the family.
Word? That’s crazy, but yea there’s a lot of skateboarders killing it. A lot of my friends are doing really good and like, shout out to my homie, 80Clair. He put together this video called, Dirty. He really went crazy, like featuring all the Dallas skaters, and that was like, a big step because nobody’s really done that before.
Larce Blake: Was it a promo video?
Nah, its a full length video, its an hour long, it featured literally all the Dallas skaters, like anybody who’s killing it right now.
Larce Blake: They were selling the DVD at index, right?
Yea I think they were selling it there for a while, they were playing it there too.
Larce Blake: Yea, I think, I have a copy of it, if my memory serves me right.
Its dope. Dope skating and dope music.
Larce Blake: That’s dope man, well we appreciate you coming through, and you know, much love to you. One last question we have… its from the homie, DRNRDX… he wants to know what your favorite Pho spot is.
Bruh, I don’t really know. I like Pho is for Lovers, but its over priced. I just went to this other spot, like, I think its called Pho… I can’t pronounce it. it was alright. But there’s this really good spot in Richardson, I forgot what its called, but that’s my favorite spot.
Larce Blake: Is it Pho Truong?
I think that is it. Its like right by a Pizza Hut, and an old Jack in the Box that’s closed down? I don’t remember…
Larce Blake: Yea, I think I’ve been there actually, I think I went there last week.
Yea, I eat that all the time… as much as I can.
Larce Blake: Oh yea… And also, whenever you sad you were looking for “more” from Dallas, what is more?
Well, I feel like Dallas already has “more”, but its just something that’s been gradually building and building ‘cus there’s a lot of people that are like really starting to like, break the ground, you know what I mean? That’s, I feel like, its all been leading up to that but in 2015 is when I feel like it really started to go up.
Larce Blake: Yea like we can see the light at the end of the tunnel type of thing.
Yeah and I feel like, just give it time, I mean, its not gonna happen over night, obviously. Success never happens over night, but there’s a lot of people grinding, trying to push the culture forward, so its gonna happen, its inevitable. And Dallas is such a huge market, there’s so much money here, its insane. Especially coming form a place where I used to live.
Larce Blake: So, what’s it gonna take? Is it a lack of business or…?
Yeah there’s definitely a lack of business but even I don’t know the business, like I mean, I try to get familiar with it. but, I’m learning. I don’t know the business exactly, but I can tell that there’s a lack of it. There’s a lot of like, unorganized events, and like stuff that shouldn’t be happening, but yea. Dallas has the potential to be great, I mean, I don’t know if it’ll ever be like Houston, and LA or New York, but I mean, we have a ton of creatives that are all working towards the same thing, I mean we all want get paid and we all wanna put on our people, so if we’re all working towards that, I mean, we’re gonna put on the city.
Larce Blake: Have you thought about putting on events?
Yeah, I mean, I don’t wanna do a typical rap show or really even like a music show. I wanna do some kind of different events… that will seem actually fun. And then eventually, once I get that going, then Ill try to bring some cool people to Dallas, but I don’t wanna do any like, Hip Hop shows or anything.
Larce Blake: Yea because, they get a little wild and out of hand nowadays…
Its kind of oversaturated as well, but I mean… maybe, if the artists are getting paid. Because we need that, we need people to put money back into the artist’s pockets so they can invest in themselves… but a lot of times artists don’t even do that.
Larce Blake: Well its something, you just got to pave the way and lead by example and then shed the light on the youngins for the future generations. That’s the best thing we can do right now.
For real, this what I’m trying to do. And I’m trying to really inspire these people, like, I get so much love when I put somebody on my blog for the first time, or they come to me saying, “oh thanks man!” They just show so much love, I mean… I’m like, I really inspired these guys! So that’s what I wanna do. I like to inspire people. I’m trying to make a difference.
Larce Blake: You definitely are doing that, and everybody sees it.
I’m taking steps, I mean, I got a lot planned for the rest of the year
Larce Blake: We’ll be looking forward to that. Appreciate you coming through man.
You can check out Michael Connor’s website at newdallasltd.com and you can find him on twitter @tallassmichael and @newdallasltd.
