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    • .hiphop

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    .hiphop is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) intended for use by the global hip hop community. Proposed under ICANN's New gTLD Program, it is positioned as a semantically meaningful namespace for websites, services, and organizations related to hip hop music, culture, art, and lifestyle. The registry manager is Dot Hip Hop, LLC and the registry services provider is listed as Tucows.

    History

    • 2012: The applicant for the string was Uniregistry (UNR).
    • 6 March 2014: Uniregistry received a Registry Agreement signed by ICANN.
    • 15 May 2014: .hiphop was delegated to the DNS Root Zone.
    • January–April 2021: Uniregistry announced plans to offload parts of its gTLD portfolio; related auctions and NFT activity followed.
    • June 2021: Dot Hip Hop, LLC (DHH) negotiated purchase of the rights to .hiphop from Uniregistry.
    • March 2022: Formal approval from ICANN for the assignment to Dot Hip Hop was received.
    • May 2022: Dot Hip Hop reintroduced the .hiphop gTLD with a focus on lower wholesale pricing and end-user marketing.

    Key people associated with the string include Monte Cahn, Jeff Neuman, Scott Pruitt and Ajene Watson.

    Usage and Audience

    • Target audience: artists, labels, event organizers, media outlets, brands, promoters and other individuals or businesses involved in hip hop culture and related creative industries.
    • Intended use: to provide a clear, specialized and memorable namespace that signals hip hop-related content or values.
    • Positioning: marketed as a specialty gTLD for lifestyle and music sites where registrants want a semantically accurate label that communicates purpose and content.

    Registration Rules

    • Registry model and pricing: the original applicant described .HIPHOP as a specialty gTLD with a flat pricing structure and fixed renewal costs, with no material price increases for the first five years.
    • Neutrality and access: the applicant emphasized operation by a neutral registry-services provider that would not grant preferential registration opportunities or create anti-competitive barriers.
    • Intellectual property: the registry planned to implement safeguards for intellectual property interests while fostering growth of the namespace.

    (Note: the provided sources do not list detailed technical rules such as character sets, exact eligibility constraints, or minimum/maximum registration periods.)

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Semantic value: the applicant argued that a semantically meaningful TLD like .hiphop improves mnemonic recall and immediately conveys the purpose of a site.
    • Brand positioning: .hiphop was intended to help registrants stand out from undifferentiated TLDs and to serve as a targeted branding tool for creators and businesses in the hip hop community.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • 2021 Assignment Controversy: Uniregistry's planned auction of gTLDs and the minting/transfer of corresponding ENS (Ethereum Name Service) NFTs attracted scrutiny. ICANN raised questions about the relationship between the NFTs and TLD assignments, and assignment requests were delayed pending review.
    • Dot Hip Hop acquisition and proceedings: Dot Hip Hop, LLC submitted a reconsideration request in December 2021 over ICANN's delays, later withdrew that request in January 2022, and subsequently reintroduced the TLD after formal approval.

    Operator

    Dot Hip Hop, LLC

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       HIPHOP

organisation: Dot Hip Hop, LLC
address:      2051 Waters Edge Dr.
address:      Pompano Beach FL 33062
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Chief Legal Officer
organisation: Dot Hip Hop, LLC
address:      2051 Waters Edge Dr.
address:      Pompano Beach FL 33062
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.202.549.5079
e-mail:       jeff@get.hiphop

contact:      technical
name:         Vice President, Engineering
organisation: Tucows.com, Co.
address:      96 Mowat Avenue
address:      Toronto ON M6K3M1
address:      Canada
phone:        +1 (416) 535-0123
e-mail:       trs-ops@tucows.com

nserver:      NS01.TRS-DNS.COM 2620:57:4001:0:0:0:0:1 64.96.1.1
nserver:      NS01.TRS-DNS.INFO 185.159.198.3 2620:10a:80ab:0:0:0:0:3
nserver:      NS01.TRS-DNS.NET 2620:57:4002:0:0:0:0:1 64.96.2.1
nserver:      NS01.TRS-DNS.ORG 185.159.197.3 2620:10a:80aa:0:0:0:0:3
ds-rdata:     7668 13 2 de0bde4365798b5080d31d7a5a8e7182d4924938761bfd506af371ea5cb36ab0

whois:        whois.nic.hiphop

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://get.hiphop

created:      2014-05-08
changed:      2025-05-19
source:       IANA

    Registrars