May we have a moment of silence for some of your favorite magazines.
Vibe. King. Blaze.
And sadly, there will be more.
Looks like hip-hop mags aren't able to avoid the declining ad market, the internet onslaught and your refusal to plop down $4.95 for your monthly fix.
As we ponder the fate of hip-hop pubs, SOHH asks rappers and urban journos what will become of the future of hip-hop print. But before we turn the page, we outline some mags that contributed to the glorious history of hip-hop print.
Two Harvard University students started The Source magazine, which has commonly been referred to as "The Bible of Hip-Hop," in 1988. The Source has bounced back from bankruptcy, evicted founder David Mays and co-owner Raymond "Benzino" Scott, but has yet to return to its former prominence.
Vibe was a music and entertainment magazine founded in 1993 by multi-Grammy award winning producer, Quincy Jones. The Vibe brand expanded to include a short-lived television show, a tenth anniversary book ("VX: Ten Years of Vibe Photography"), and an annual award show before folding in June of 2009.
Ego Trip was an irreverent magazine that covered a range of underground scenes, including skateboarding, punk/indie rock and hip-hop. The magazine was started by Elliot Wilson and Sacha Jenkins in 1994 and was published until 1998.
XXL magazine was started in 1997 by former Source staffers who thought that co-owner Benzino had compromised The Source by influencing the editorial content and rating system.
Blaze magazine was launched in September 1998 as a more youthful all-rap spin-off of Vibe. In May 2000 the mag's publisher Robert Miller announced that Blaze "fell short of its circulation and advertising goals," and would no longer be published.
King was a the brainchild of Datwon Thomas and published by XXL owners, Harris Publication. King tore a page out of ladies magazine Maxim?s playbook, employing scantily clad models, musicians and actresses for cover subjects. It ceased publication in March 2009 due to failing ad sales.
Ozone magazine was founded by Julia Beverly in 2002 in Orlando, Fl. (Orlando=Ozone). Known as a Southern Voice for Hip-Hop the magazine is now distributed nationally and has expanded to cover artists from other regions.
