Dead Rap Magazines

Complex looks back at all the great (and not so great) hip-hop publications that are no longer with us.

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Dead Rap Magazines

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Straight From The Lip

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LEGACYWe remembered to put it on this list?

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Caught In The Middle

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LEGACYThe ego trip for college radio DJs.

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The Fever

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LEGACYIt had a hot name?

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Open Mic

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LEGACY"Let's just give it away for free" business model presages numerous failed web start-ups.

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Props

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LEGACYThe last of the rap mags named after Golden Era colloquialisms.

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The Flavor

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LEGACYFirst notable hip-hop magazine published and edited by women, with noteworthy writers included Joshua Ortega, who went on to write episodes of Battlestar Galactica and the video game Gears of War 2.

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Elementary

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LEGACYUm, Michael Eric Dyson really liked it?

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4080

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LEGACYProminent hip-hop figures like Arnold, Davey D, Chuck Creekmur, and Matt Sonzala all cut their teeth at the pub.

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Grand Royal

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LEGACYSome pretty fucking hilarious stories were the positive; continuing fetishization of all things '70s would be the negative.

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The Downlow

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LEGACYBeating out The Face and Benetton Colors for Best Designed Magazine at the Design Week Awards in 1996.

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The Vinyl Exchange

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LEGACYJapanese B-boys. Plus, it still lives online.

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Pause Police

Subculture

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LEGACYComplex E-I-C Noah Callahan-Bever's first-ever cover story (Organized Konfusion!) was in the summer 1997 issue. How embarrassing for him.

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Fat Lace

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LEGACYThe best ratings system ever (Senor Love Daddy, Lady Pink from Wild Style, Bishop from Juice, Ramo from Beat Street, Shabba Doo from Breakin'). Also, the most pauseworthily named editorial team ever. Big up Drew Huge, Dan Large, and Mike Hard! Lives online at http://fatlacemagazine.uproxx.com.

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one love

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LEGACYMinimal in the publishing world, but hey-been to Fort Greene, Brooklyn lately?

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Stress

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LEGACYFormer E-I-C (and graf legend) KET went on to join the launch team behind this little publication called Complex. True to Stress's activism roots, other key staff members went on to more serious non-music-journalism endeavors (e.g. former Senior Editor Jee Kim now works at the grantmaking Surdna Foundation).

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Notorious

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LEGACYNone, just another forgotten footnote on Diddy's resume. Just like Kain!

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Beatdown

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LEGACYBeatdown was in many ways the dry run for the ego trip crew, and provided early opportunity for freelance contributors like the then-teenaged DJ Max Glazer, Lynne D. Johnson, and the late artist Matt Doo.

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Platinum Magazine

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LEGACYThe founder/publisher/CEO/E-I-C was Carolyn Chambers Sanders, a.k.a. Deion Sanders' first wife.

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Industry Insider Magazine

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LEGACYFounder Chang Weisberg went on to independently produce tours, including The Cypress Hill Smoke Out and Rock The Bells. Also, we at Complex still appreciate pictures of hot, slutty girls at parties to this day.

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The Fridge Magazine

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LEGACYE-I-C Jonathan Levin went on to helm YRB Magazine.

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Urban Soul

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LEGACYMore jail mail from women's correctional facilities than any other rap mag.

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Grandslam Magazine

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LEGACYThe magazine's editor, George Mahood, runs online record shop Concourserecords.com. The other editor, Daddy Bones, continues to write, DJ, and reissue funk classics with his label Crowbar Records.

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Fish N' Grits

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LEGACYIn its demise, Fish N' Grits helped paved the way for other magazines like DJ Kay Slay's Straight Stuntin'. Thanks!

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emixshow

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LEGACYThe publication existed mostly in the periphery, as it was essentially a B-to-B, but featured early work by former VIBE Executive Editor (and Southern rap journalism stalwart) Benjamin Meadows-Ingram, emix's most notable E-I-C.

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Undercover

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LEGACYStill distributed at various Camden Town '90s parties.

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Elemental

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LEGACYEchoes of its design-forward, illustrative covers can be seen throughout the industry.

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Platinum Entrepreneur

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LEGACYJulia Beverly's Ozone remains one of the only surviving hip-hop magazines. Cam finally returned to rap in 2009, but hasn't made any more publishing plans.

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Scratch

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LEGACYHarris Publications neighbor XXL turned Scratch into a blog for a year after its demise. Notable alums: Wax Poetics E-I-C Andre Torres; Complex Deputy Editor Brendan Frederick; XXL Music Editor Rob Markman; Elliott Wilson; and journalists Paul Cantor and Aqua Boogie.

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Mass Appeal

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LEGACYFive former Mass Appeal editors now work at Complex, including E-I-C Noah Callahan-Bever, Justin Monroe, Brendan Frederick, Jack Erwin, and Damien Scott. Editorial director Sacha Jenkins continues to kill it with his ego trip crew in the TV world. The sister publication by Mass Appeal's former Managing Editor Mary H.K. Choi, Missbehave, was published for three years before also kicking the bucket.

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The Ave.

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LEGACYE-I-C Anslem Samuel became the music editor at XXL for a few years before focusing on his website NakedWithSocksOn.com. Executive Editor Raqiyah Mays continues to work in journalism, radio, and acting.

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Vibe

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LEGACYVIBE's 16-year run will forever define urban culture's boom in prominence during the '90s and early part of this decade. In addition VIBE was a showcase for a number of supremely talented scribes, including reality TV star-turned-journalist-turned-politician Kevin Powell; author Danyel Smith; Notorious screenwriter Cheo Hodari Coker, writer-producer Sacha Jenkins; author Alan Light; Friday Night Lights (TV) writer/producer Carter Harris, soundclash champion Rob Kenner, and Slam screenwriter Bonz Malone.

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