MAGAZINE GRAVEYARD
On The Go
On The Go
"Hip-Hop By The Pound!"
1989-1997 | Philly, then NYC
Pitch:
Philadelphia graffiti legend Stephen "ESPO" Powers launched OTG as a local graf mag, started reviewing rap in Issue #4, and later expanded it into a humorous underground hip-hop publication with greater emphasis on graffiti art than the competition.
Notable For:
OTG favored a light, Q&A style without heavy analysis, but its funny covers (Mobb Deep tying up a snowman; Cru at a rally for imprisoned member, the Mighty Ha) and pages and pages of graf photo spreads are what left a mark.
Death Knell:
Advertising dollars for the type of groups that OTG covered dried up with the explosion of radio-friendly rap.
Legacy:
The Internet did away with the need for magazines to peep graffiti, but ESPO has found great success as a fine artist and making coffee-table books like The Art of Getting Over: Graffiti at the Millennium and Studio Gangster. Music editor Max Glazer went on to gain fame with his reggae sound system Federation, and even toured with Rihanna.
Rating:
For Mobb Deep tying up a snowman (and Santa!) alone.
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