''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment
magazine founded by producers
David Salzman and
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
. 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
InterMedia Advisors, LLC (a..k.a. InterMedia Partners), is a private equity investment firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in the media sector.
The firm, which was founded in 2005 by notable private equity investor L ...
, 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.
The magazine features a broader range of interests than its closest competitors ''
The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
'' and ''
XXL'', which focus more narrowly on rap music, or the rock and pop-centric ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' and ''
Spin''.
Publication history
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
launched ''Vibe'' in 1993, in partnership with
Time Inc.
Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Illu ...
Originally, the publication was called ''Volume'' before co-founding editor,
Scott Poulson-Bryant
Scott Poulson-Bryant is an American journalist and author. One of the co-founding editors of ''Vibe'' magazine in 1992 (and the editor who gave the magazine its name), Poulson-Bryant's journalism, profiles, reviews, and essays have appeared in ...
named it ''Vibe''. 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
Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best reboundin ...
on the cover. Meter's successors were
Alan Light
Alan Light (born August 4, 1966) is an American journalist who has been a rock critic for ''Rolling Stone'' and the editor-in-chief for ''Vibe,'' ''Spin,'' and ''Tracks''.http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2003/11/18/new_music_ ...
,
Danyel Smith
Danyel Smith Wilson (born Danyel Smith; 1965) is an American magazine editor, journalist, and novelist . Smith is the former and first African-American editor of ''Billboard'' and ''Vibe'' magazine'','' respectively. She is author of two novels a ...
,
Emil Wilbekin, Mimi Valdes, and finally Danyel Smith again.
Miller Publishing purchased ''Vibe'' in 1996, and shortly afterward bought ''
Spin''. A
private equity
In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a t ...
firm, Wicks Group, bought the magazine in 2006. On June 30, 2009, it was announced that ''Vibe'' was ceasing publication immediately, although according to ''
Essence
Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...
'', Quincy Jones stated he would like to keep it alive online.
After shutting down, private equity investment fund
InterMedia Partners
InterMedia Advisors, LLC (a..k.a. InterMedia Partners), is a private equity investment firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in the media sector.
The firm, which was founded in 2005 by notable private equity investor L ...
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
''BlackBook'' is an arts and culture magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase ...
Media to form Vibe Media in 2012.
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." Instead, they cut the magazine's frequency to quarterly.
In December 2016,
Eldridge Industries acquired SpinMedia via the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group for an undisclosed amount.
Covers
''Vibe'' magazine was known for the creative direction of their covers. 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
Andre Previn Rison (born March 18, 1967) is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally for the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers ...
. 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
Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, '' Trey Day' ...
,
Brandy,
Snoop Dogg,
Mariah Carey,
Beyoncé,
Amerie
Amerie Mi Marie Nicholson ( Rogers; born January 12, 1980) is an American singer. Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, she gained an appreciation of the classical arts from her mother Mi Suk Rogers and of music from her father Charles Rogers, and ...
,
Jennifer Lopez,
Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...
,
Janet Jackson,
Lil Wayne,
The Fugees
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,
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
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
'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).
Electro-
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
Kesha became the first
white female artist to appear on the cover as a solo act in October 2012.
Content
Featured segments included the back page list "20 Questions"', the ''Boomshots'' column about
reggae and
Caribbean music
Caribbean music genres are very diverse. They are each synthesis of African, European, Arab, Asian, and Indigenous influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves (see Afro-Caribbean music), along with contributions from other comm ...
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 Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
'
Sean John
Sean John is a privately held fashion lifestyle company created by music mogul Sean Combs. The line made its fashion debut with a men's sportswear collection for the spring 1998 season.
Individuals of note who have represented the brand in advert ...
, 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
Alan Light (born August 4, 1966) is an American journalist who has been a rock critic for ''Rolling Stone'' and the editor-in-chief for ''Vibe,'' ''Spin,'' and ''Tracks''.http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2003/11/18/new_music_ ...
,
Jeff Chang,
Dream Hampton, Cheo Hodari Coker,
Kevin Powell
Kevin Powell (born April 24, 1966) is an American writer, activist, and television personality. Powell is the author of 14 books, including ''The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood'' and ''When We Free the World'' publis ...
,
Erica Kennedy, Sacha Jenkins, Noah Callahan-Bever and
Miles Marshall Lewis.
Mark Shaw was the magazine's art director.
Expanding the brand
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
"Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
, and
Run-D.M.C. Works by prominent photographers
Albert Watson,
Ellen von Unwerth,
David LaChapelle
David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an American photographer, music video director and film director. He is best known for his work in fashion, photography, which often references art history and sometimes conveys social messages. His pho ...
, and Sante D'Orazio are among the 150 photographs in the hardcover edition.
Other books published under the ''Vibe'' banner cover the history of hip hop, the women of hip hop, and rappers
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
and
The Notorious B.I.G. 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.
Spencer was fired in October 1997 and replaced by comedian
Sinbad, along with
Big Boy as the in-house announcer. 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''. The program aired in first-run syndication until the summer of 1998, when it was canceled. The show was taped at
CBS Television City in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
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.
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.
In October 2019 ''Vibe'' co-hosted Billboard's 2019 Hip Hop Power Players event in NYC.
Vibe Awards
Beginning in 2003, ''Vibe'' produced and aired its annual awards show on
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
through 2006, and
VH1 Soul in 2007.
An incident occurred at the 2004 ''Vibe Awards'' taping at the
Santa Monica Airport
Santa Monica Airport (Santa Monica Municipal Airport) is a general aviation airport largely in Santa Monica, California, United States. The airport is about from the Pacific Ocean (Santa Monica Bay) and north of Los Angeles International Airp ...
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. 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.
Other editions
''
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.
Stars featured on ''Vibe Vixen''s covers included Ciara,
Tracee Ellis Ross
Tracee Joy Silberstein (born October 29, 1972), known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross, is an American actress. She is known for her lead roles in the television series '' Girlfriends'' (2000–2008) and '' Black-ish'' (2014–2022).
She is ...
,
Kimora Lee Simmons
Kimora Lee Simmons (née Perkins) is an American model, business woman, fashion designer, venture capitalist, entrepreneur, TV personality, philanthropist and author.
Early life
Kimora Lee Perkins was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Stephen M. ...
,
Kelis
Kelis Rogers-Mora (; born August 21, 1979), known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer, songwriter and a professionally trained chef. At age 14, she was admitted to New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Perform ...
,
Lauren London
Lauren Nicole London is an American actress. London is known for her roles in films and televisions shows including '' ATL'' (2006), ''This Christmas'' (2007), '' Madea’s Big Happy Family'' (2011), ''Baggage Claim'' (2013), '' The Game'' (20 ...
,
LaLa Anthony and
Tia Mowry
Tia Mowry is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring role as Tia Landry in the sitcom '' Sister, Sister'' (1994–1999), opposite her twin sister Tamera Mowry. The sisters then starred together in the Disney Channel Or ...
.
References
External links
*
* , an interview with the former
editor-in-chief
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vibe (magazine)
African-American magazines
Fashion magazines published in the United States
Online music magazines published in the United States
Quarterly magazines published in the United States
Hip hop magazines
Magazines disestablished in 2014
Magazines established in 1993
Magazines published in New York City
Online magazines with defunct print editions