(no subject)
when my father was a teenager, my grandfather, a staunch believer in the first amendment, was troubled by an issue of rave magazine with mick jagger on the cover. revolted by jagger's long hair and smug smile, he told my dad he had to throw it away. as a former rocker (although, he'd probably frown at me for saying "former") and a man who a firm stronghold on one's freedom of speech, my dad always promised that this kind of behavior (even though my grandfather relented a few days later) would never be one that he engaged in.
in my adolescence, i was a voracious consumer of all music magazines, particularly the source, but most importantly, vibe magazine. when i was a pre-teen, lil' kim graced the cover of vibe clad only in a chain link bikini, on all fours, of the sex issue. i had been very good about hiding it from my parents (more out of my own embarrassment because in my early forming feminism, lil' kim was a role model (a backward ass one, but one nonetheless) and i didn't want my folks to put a ban on her). however, i would soak in each issue for the entire month it was on newsstands, 'till the seams ripped, 'till the pictures faded, 'till i memorized 20 questions. since it was always under my arm, it was inevitable that one of my parents would see it. eventually, history repeated itself and lil' kim found herself in the waste bin.
that is my first memory of vibe magazine. its significance never ceased, even when my interests changed and reformed. in 2007, i decried my plans for librarian studies and, with xxl and vibe on my person at all times yet again, said that was the final frontier. that i had re-found myself as a raphead and that i wanted to comment on the culture. be in a place to intellectualize it. months later, i was sitting in a cubicle with three other college students, updating vibe magazine's facebook page and pitching interviews to managers of rappers. in my time there, i sat in on a kirk franklin album listening, planned a sales party, interviewed lupe fiasco, freeway, dj khaled and vinnie paz on what it means to be a muslim rapper, covered the jam master jay tribute show for vibe.com (although, the review never saw digital print), had my name in the masthead four times, grew a very positive bond with the editor-in-chief, interviewed for an editorial assistant position that i ended up not getting, written twice for the album review column post-internship, realized what i want to do with the rest of my life.
today, vibe magazine has folded and i am very, very sad, but proud to have been a very, very tiny part of something so amazing.
in my adolescence, i was a voracious consumer of all music magazines, particularly the source, but most importantly, vibe magazine. when i was a pre-teen, lil' kim graced the cover of vibe clad only in a chain link bikini, on all fours, of the sex issue. i had been very good about hiding it from my parents (more out of my own embarrassment because in my early forming feminism, lil' kim was a role model (a backward ass one, but one nonetheless) and i didn't want my folks to put a ban on her). however, i would soak in each issue for the entire month it was on newsstands, 'till the seams ripped, 'till the pictures faded, 'till i memorized 20 questions. since it was always under my arm, it was inevitable that one of my parents would see it. eventually, history repeated itself and lil' kim found herself in the waste bin.
that is my first memory of vibe magazine. its significance never ceased, even when my interests changed and reformed. in 2007, i decried my plans for librarian studies and, with xxl and vibe on my person at all times yet again, said that was the final frontier. that i had re-found myself as a raphead and that i wanted to comment on the culture. be in a place to intellectualize it. months later, i was sitting in a cubicle with three other college students, updating vibe magazine's facebook page and pitching interviews to managers of rappers. in my time there, i sat in on a kirk franklin album listening, planned a sales party, interviewed lupe fiasco, freeway, dj khaled and vinnie paz on what it means to be a muslim rapper, covered the jam master jay tribute show for vibe.com (although, the review never saw digital print), had my name in the masthead four times, grew a very positive bond with the editor-in-chief, interviewed for an editorial assistant position that i ended up not getting, written twice for the album review column post-internship, realized what i want to do with the rest of my life.
today, vibe magazine has folded and i am very, very sad, but proud to have been a very, very tiny part of something so amazing.