"Sites and Sounds" is going to do something different for the next few installments. In this special series I am going to be sharing with you the best Web sites out there that are dedicated to a particular genre: from pop and Top 40 to Country and Bluegrass, we will also check in on Classical and the best of the Oldies. We're going to start it off right now with the best sites devoted to R&B and Hip-Hop.

As its name may tell you, the Whoopass R&B/Hip-Hop Society is ready to open up a can on anyone who stops by. Although it is mainly dedicated to a few acts -- Mariah, Puffy, Mase and Usher -- the Whoopass site still offers you a variety of information on any number of R&B-related issues. You can check out the latest lyrics for that hard-to-decipher hit, or maybe browse through some photos of Mariah (if that sort of thing interests you). There are also a bunch of sound files from which to choose for your downloading pleasure, and some videos (again, mostly Mariah) that you may have missed on MTV. And if you want to chill with some fellow fans, be sure to find your way into the "Uncut Raw R 'n' B Chat Room," where the scene is, well?the name says it all.

Davey-D's Hip-Hop Corner is a hip-hop repository if ever there was one. Featuring links, bios and real audio on everyone from Public Enemy to Puffy, Davey-D has assembled one of the best storehouses of hip-hop information. Davey-D's site is styled like a newspaper, with headlines and articles straight from the world of rap, R&B and hip-hop. In addition, you can listen to the latest radio shows, or log in and post messages or read reviews of the latest and greatest music releases. There are also links to political news, as well as tribute pages for the late Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. All-in-all, Davey-D's Hip-Hop Corner is one corner you should stop by whenever you're in the neighborhood.

And then there's Platform, a cutting-edge Web site that deserves a stop no matter what genre of music you favor, if only so you can keep up with pop culture. Platform considers itself to be the source on "transglobal urban lifestyles," and it's definitely your source for information on everything urban. You can do the usual at Platform: listen to music, hop around the Web with its links, and post messages. But the quality of the site is just a cut above the rest, and while its content focuses on the world of hip-hop, it is not limited to it. Platform's graphics are sharp, the quotes on the site interesting, and the site is updated constantly. Platform is definitely the place to go if you need to catch up with hip-hop culture, or just pop culture in general.

By Urmila Rajagopal

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