Founded by Arjay Das, Zoneil Maharaj, Donna Tam, Brenda Tam and May Suen, Oh Dang! is an independent webzine serving as an outlet and voice for today's urban culture. With a focus on arts, lifestyle and (sub)culture, combined with commentary and personal narratives, we hope to translate our voice across cultural, racial, age and gender boundaries… cough…ugh…hold on, we’re choking on our own bullshit.

Honestly, we don’t know what we’re doing. We started this shit for fun over the summer. We’re still riding on training wheels. Maybe one day we’ll write groundbreaking stories that will save the children and heal the world. Who knows? For now, we’re bringing readers content that we feel is relevant to our peers. We’ve chopped it up with some of what we consider the best in independent music, art, and fashion. Ultimately, we want to write about what you want to read about. Let us know. Grow with us.

Peace,
The OHDANG! Team

By Zoneil Maharaj

I’m not the most intelligent person. I had to look up what M.O. meant. Then I had to look up what a modus operandi was. Like any member of the digital age, instead of going to a dictionary, I googled it online. Who wants to waste all the energy getting out of your seat, picking something up, opening it, thumbing through pages, and reading? I’d rather sit at my computer, one hand on the mouse, the other placed on my penis as I sift through porn and hip hop sites. That’s why we’re here. To bring dope urban culture coverage to the internet for lazy people like you (it’s up to you to find the porn).

Yes, we can hear you crying, “But there are so many online magazines tangled in the internets? What makes yours so different?”

Don’t be a dick about it. Urban culture grows exponentially on the daily like the Middle East death toll. Those other mags and sites can’t cover everything from every angle. We’re like your bored girlfriend and these other mags just ain’t hittin’ it right anymore. Besides, they ain’t asfreshazweiz.

So please, read, enjoy, spread the word. We ain’t in this for the money because we’re not making any. This is a labor of love from people who have a passion for hip hop and urban youth culture. I don’t mean to get all sentimental, but as an immigrant born in Fiji and raised in the U.S., I grew up lost and confused. Do I speak Hindi or English? Eat with my hands like I do at home or use a knife and fork? Kill a goat and cook it – balls, brains, and all – or grab some fast food like the modern American? Worship an elephant with four arms or some wack job who thought he was the son of God?

While pondering such questions as a kid, I stumbled on to YO! MTV Raps. From that moment, I knew what I wanted: a dookie gold rope, a girl wit a big ole butt, a geri curl, and some rap tapes. Laced with the knowledge from my older bros, cousins, and friends, I became a fiend for hip hop and its culture. There’s nothing I can speak on with more depth and knowledge than hip hop. And I wouldn’t care about global affairs, politics, societal ills, poverty, etc. if the emcees I admired hadn’t cared about them and kicked knowledge in my face and dropped science on my noggin.

So for the purveyors of hip hop and urban culture who have influenced the youth, this is for you. If you feel it too, then check our site often and tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend. Add us as your MySpace friend. Let’s grow.

Peace.
Zoneil Maharaj
Editor-in-Chief