American music and entertainment magazine
Vibe
is an American music and entertainment
magazine
founded by producers
David Salzman
and
Quincy Jones
. The publication predominantly features
R&B
and
hip hop music
artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in the summer of 2009, it was purchased by the private equity investment fund
InterMedia Partners
, then issued bi-monthly with double covers and a larger online presence. The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip hop culture. In 2014, the magazine discontinued its print version.
[2]
The magazine features a broader range of interests than its closest competitors
The Source
and
XXL
, which focus more narrowly on rap music, or the rock- and pop-centric
Rolling Stone
and
Spin
. The May 1998
Vibe
article "Racer X" by Ken Li is credited as the basis for the 2001 film
The Fast and the Furious
and the
resulting franchise
.
[3]
Publication history
[
edit
]
Quincy Jones
launched
Vibe
in 1993,
[4]
in partnership with
Time Inc.
Originally, the publication was called
Volume
before co-founding editor,
Scott Poulson-Bryant
named it
Vibe
.
[5]
Vibe was initially "founded with a test issue in 1992 by Time Warner." [4] Though hip hop mogul
Russell Simmons
was rumored to be an initial partner, publisher Len Burnett revealed in a March 2007 interview that Simmons clashed with editor-in-chief Jonathan Van Meter. In May 1994, Meter resigned after Jones prevented the publication of the June/July 1994 issue featuring
Madonna
on
Dennis Rodman
on the cover.
[6]
[7]
Meter's successors were
Alan Light
,
Danyel Smith
,
Emil Wilbekin
, Mimi Valdes, and finally Danyel Smith again.
[8]
Miller Publishing
purchased
Vibe
in 1996, and shortly afterward bought
Spin
. A
private equity
firm, Wicks Group, bought the magazine in 2006.
[9]
On June 30, 2009, it was announced that
Vibe
was ceasing publication immediately,
[10]
although according to
Essence
, Quincy Jones stated he would like to keep it alive online.
After shutting down, private equity investment fund
InterMedia Partners
bought
Vibe
magazine. They added
Uptown
magazine to
Vibe
'
s parent company, Vibe Holdings.
Ronald Burkle
and
Magic Johnson
later invested in the company. Vibe Holdings merged with
BlackBook
Media to form Vibe Media in 2012.
[11]
On April 25, 2013 it was announced that
Vibe
magazine along with vibe.com and vibevixen.com had been sold to
Spin Media
for an undisclosed sum. Spin Media was thought likely to shut down
Vibe
'
s print magazine by the end of 2013, which a representative stating: "We're still trying to find a print model that makes economic sense in the digital age."
[12]
Instead, they cut the magazine's frequency to quarterly.
[13]
In December 2016,
Eldridge Industries
acquired SpinMedia via the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group for an undisclosed amount.
[14]
Covers
[
edit
]
Vibe
magazine was known for the creative direction of their covers.
[15]
R&B singer
Mary J. Blige
repeatedly was on the cover of
Vibe
with countless articles following her career. The trio
TLC
was photographed for the cover in firefighters' gear, referencing the fact that member
Lisa Lopes
burned down the house of then-boyfriend and
NFL
star
Andre Rison
. The first non-photograph cover of
Vibe
was an illustration of late singer
Aaliyah
by well-known artist/illustrator Alvaro; this was
Aaliyah
's first appearance on the cover as well. Other famous cover subjects are
Trey Songz
,
Brandy
,
Snoop Dogg
,
Mariah Carey
,
Beyonce
,
Amerie
,
Jennifer Lopez
,
Keyshia Cole
,
Janet Jackson
,
Lil Wayne
,
The Fugees
,
Eminem
,
T.I.
,
R. Kelly
,
Michael Jackson
(whom Quincy Jones' daughter Kidada had dressed in hip hop clothing, reportedly for the first and only time in the entertainer's career),
Ciara
, who also appeared on the cover numerous times and rap legend
Tupac Shakur
's famous cover story in which he reveals important details about his non-fatal 1994 NYC shooting (two years before his death in Las Vegas, Nevada).
[16]
Electro
-
rapper
Kesha
became the first
white
female artist to appear on the cover as a solo act in October 2012.
[17]
[18]
[19]
Content
[
edit
]
Featured segments included the back page list "20 Questions"', the
Boomshots
column about
reggae
and
Caribbean music
by Rob Kenner; "Revolutions" music reviews; "Vibe Confidential", a celebrity gossip column; and "Next", which profiled up-and-coming artists. The magazine also devoted several pages to photo spreads displaying high-end designer clothing as well as sportswear by urban labels such as
Rocawear
and
Fubu
.
Vibe
made a consistent effort to feature models of all ethnicities in these pages. Former editor Emil Wilbikin was frequently credited with styling those pages and keeping fashion in the forefront of the magazine's identity during the early 2000s. Many clothing brands created or linked to hip hop celebrities, such as
Sean Combs
'
Sean John
, Nelly's
Apple Bottoms
, and
G-Unit
by
50 Cent
found plenty of exposure in
Vibe
'
s pages.
In the September 2003 issue commemorating ten years of publication, the magazine created different covers using black and white portraits of its most popular cover subjects. It also contained "The Vibe 100: The Juiciest People, Places and Things of the Year".
Many successful writers and editors contributed to the publication, including
Alan Light
,
Jeff Chang
,
Dream Hampton
, Cheo Hodari Coker,
Kevin Powell
,
Erica Kennedy
, Sacha Jenkins, Noah Callahan-Bever and
Miles Marshall Lewis
.
Mark Shaw
was the magazine's art director.
Expanding the brand
[
edit
]
In addition to the magazine,
Vibe
also publishes books on hip hop culture. To celebrate the magazine's tenth anniversary, it published
VX: Ten Years of Vibe Photography,
which featured a bare-chested
50 Cent
on the cover. The volume also includes photos of
Alicia Keys
,
RZA
from the
Wu-Tang Clan
,
Eve
,
Chuck D
of
Public Enemy
, and
Run-D.M.C
. Works by prominent photographers
Albert Watson
,
Ellen von Unwerth
,
David LaChapelle
, and Sante D'Orazio are among the 150 photographs in the hardcover edition.
[
citation needed
]
Other books published under the
Vibe
banner cover the history of hip hop, the women of hip hop, and rappers
Tupac Shakur
and
The Notorious B.I.G.
[
citation needed
]
Additionally, the magazine published a spin-off publication,
Vibe Vixen
, from 2004 to 2007. Aimed at
Vibe
'
s female multicultural demographic,
Vibe Vixen
included features on beauty, fashion, and female entertainers. R&B starlet
Ciara
appeared on the inaugural issue's cover.
[
citation needed
]
Spencer was fired in October 1997 and replaced by comedian
Sinbad
, along with
Big Boy
as the in-house announcer.
[
citation needed
]
As was common practice for late-night talk shows (established by
Johnny Carson
and
Merv Griffin
), it had a live band, led by keyboardist Greg Phillinganes; Jones worked with him during productions for
Michael Jackson
's albums
Thriller
and
Off The Wall
.
[
citation needed
]
The program aired in first-run syndication until the summer of 1998, when it was canceled.
[
citation needed
]
The show was taped at
CBS Television City
in
Los Angeles
.
[
citation needed
]
Other platforms featuring the
Vibe
brand are
Vibe Online
, the magazine's online presence;
Vibe On Demand
, an on-demand network;
VLN TV
, an online video channel;
Vibe Film
;
MVibe
, a wireless content provider for hand-held devices as well as CD and DVD lines distributed under the same name; and
The Vibe Music Mixer
, is available for
iPhone
and
iPad
.
[
citation needed
]
In May 2015,
Vibe
expanded its brand by adding the digital extension,
Vibe Viva
.
Vibe Viva
is a space where Latinos can explore their rich history, and see what is driving Latin culture.
[20]
In October 2019
Vibe
co-hosted Billboard's 2019 Hip Hop Power Players event in NYC.
Vibe Awards
[
edit
]
Beginning in 2003,
Vibe
produced and aired its annual awards show on
UPN
through 2006, and
VH1 Soul
in 2007.
An incident occurred at the 2004
Vibe Awards
taping at the
Santa Monica Airport
hangar, in which
G-Unit
rapper
Young Buck
stabbed 26-year-old Los Angeles native, Jimmy James Johnson after Johnson approached
Dr. Dre
under the pretense of asking for an autograph, and then assaulted him.
[21]
Young Buck later pleaded no contest to a charge of "assault likely to produce great bodily harm," and was sentenced to three years' probation and 80 hours of community service.
[22]
Other editions
[
edit
]
Vibe Vixen
was a magazine geared towards female readers of
Vibe
magazine that covered beauty, dating, entertainment, fashion, and societal issues for "urban minded females". The magazine was initially released in fall of 2004, and sales were considered successful enough for the magazine to be issued on a quarterly basis.
Vibe Vixen
folded after its August/September 2007 issue due to low circulation.
[23]
Stars featured on
Vibe Vixen
'
s covers included Ciara,
Tracee Ellis Ross
,
Kimora Lee Simmons
,
Kelis
,
Lauren London
,
LaLa Anthony
and
Tia Mowry
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"DATA: Magazines by Circulation (for six months ended December 31, 2006)"
.
Advertising Age
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Sterne, Peter (September 11, 2014).
"Spin Media lays off 19, kills Vibe print edition"
.
Politico
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Zakarin, Jordan (March 26, 2015).
"Meet the Writer Who Made 'The Fast and the Furious' Possible"
.
Yahoo! Movies
. Retrieved
May 4,
2020
.
- ^
"Top 10 Topics to Pitch to Music Magazines"
.
Freelance Writing
. 21 July 2016
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
Vibe ? a quarterly hip-hop music and entertainment magazine established in 1993.
- ^
Dungca, Nicole (November 29, 2007).
"39-year-old writer returns to hit the books"
.
The Brown Daily Herald
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Jones, Quincy (2001).
Q: The autobiography of Quincy Jones
. New York : Doubleday. p. 292.
ISBN
978-0-385-48896-9
.
- ^
"THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Vibe Magazine Editor Resigns"
.
The New York Times
. 1994-05-03.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2022-04-25
.
- ^
Pasmore, John N. (March 4, 2007).
"Hip Hop History: An Interview with Vibe Magazine Publisher Len Burnett"
.
Fast Company
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
"The Wicks Group Announces Acquisition of VIBE, the Country's Leading Urban Youth Lifestyle Magazine"
(Press release). New York, NY: Wicks Group.
Business Wire
. July 5, 2006.
- ^
Bercovici, Jeff (June 30, 2009).
"Vibe magazine shutting down"
.
AOL Finance
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Botelho, Stefanie (January 6, 2012).
"Vibe Holdings to Merge with Access Network"
.
Folio
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Hunte, Justin (April 25, 2013).
"Vibe Magazine Sold To SpinMedia"
.
HipHopDX
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
McDermott, John (September 17, 2013).
"SpinMedia Revives Vibe as Quarterly, Considers the Same for Spin"
.
Advertising Age
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Ariens, Chris (December 22, 2016).
"Billboard Buys Spin and Vibe in a Quest to 'Own the Topic of Music Online'
"
.
Adweek
. Retrieved
November 14,
2017
.
- ^
Srivastava, Vinita (January 1, 2012).
"The Story of Vibe Magazine's TLC Cover: How it Helps to Explain Race, Representation and Resistance from Journalism 's Hip-hop Generation"
(PDF)
.
The International Journal of the Image
.
2
(1). Common Ground: 57?66.
doi
:
10.18848/2154-8560/CGP/v02i01/44247
.
ISSN
2154-8560
– via
Ryerson University Library
.
- ^
Douglas, Joanna (September 11, 2008).
"When airbrushing goes too far: Vibe magazine digitally removes Ciara's clothes!"
.
Shine
.
Yahoo!
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Alexis, Nadeska (October 12, 2012).
"Ke$ha Makes History, Proves She's 'Not A Train Wreck' In Vibe"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Romero, Angie (October 11, 2012).
"Ke$ha Covers VIBE Magazine, Makes History As First Solo White Living Female To Do So"
.
ABC News
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Gayles, Contessa (October 11, 2012).
"Kesha, VIBE Magazine: Singer Is First White Woman to Land on Cover"
.
The Boombox
.
Townsquare Media
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
"Viva"
.
Vibe
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Moss, Corey (November 16, 2004).
"Warrant Issued For Young Buck In Vibe Awards Stabbing"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
- ^
Blankstein, Andrew (December 13, 2005).
"Rapper Pleads No Contest in Assault Case"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
- ^
Bell, Lauren (July 25, 2007).
"VIBE Vixen folds"
.
DMNews
.
Haymarket Media Group
. Retrieved
January 31,
2017
.
[4]
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/arts/music/02vibe.html#:~:text=Founded%20with%20a%20test%20issue,culture%20in%20the%20late%201990s
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
- MRC Media & Info
- MRC Live & Alternative
- MRC Data
- MRC Film
- MRC Television
|