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 Cover of the April 2008 issue, featuringJanet Jackson | |
| Editor-in-chief | Datwon Thomas |
|---|---|
| Former editors |
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| Total circulation (2006) | 858,469[1] |
| Founded | September 1993; 31 years ago (1993-09) |
| Final issue | 2014 (print) |
| Company | Eldridge Industries |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | New York City,NY |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 1070-4701 |
Vibe is an American music and entertainmentmagazine founded by producersDavid Salzman andQuincy Jones. The publication predominantly featuresR&B andhip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in the summer of 2009, it was purchased by the private equity investment fundInterMedia 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 competitorsThe Source andXXL, which focus more narrowly on rap music, or the rock- and pop-centricRolling Stone andSpin. The May 1998Vibe article "Racer X" by Ken Li is credited as the basis for the 2001 filmThe Fast and the Furious and theresulting franchise.[3]
Quincy Jones launchedVibe in 1993,[4] in partnership withTime Inc. Originally, the publication was calledVolume before co-founding editor,Scott Poulson-Bryant named itVibe.[5] Vibe was initially "founded with a test issue in 1992 by Time Warner." [4] Though hip hop mogulRussell 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 featuringMadonna onDennis Rodman on the cover.[6][7] Meter's successors wereAlan Light,Danyel Smith,Emil Wilbekin, Mimi Valdes, and finally Danyel Smith again.[8]
Miller Publishing purchasedVibe in 1996, and shortly afterward boughtSpin. Aprivate equity firm, Wicks Group, bought the magazine in 2006.[9] On June 30, 2009, it was announced thatVibe was ceasing publication immediately,[10] although according toEssence, Quincy Jones stated he would like to keep it alive online.
After shutting down, private equity investment fundInterMedia Partners boughtVibe magazine. They addedUptown magazine toVibe's parent company, Vibe Holdings.Ronald Burkle andMagic Johnson later invested in the company. Vibe Holdings merged withBlackBook Media to form Vibe Media in 2012.[11]
On April 25, 2013 it was announced thatVibe magazine along with vibe.com and vibevixen.com had been sold toSpin Media for an undisclosed sum. Spin Media was thought likely to shut downVibe'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 2014, the magazine discontinued its print version.[2]
In December 2016,Eldridge Industries acquired SpinMedia via the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group for an undisclosed amount.[14]
Vibe magazine was known for the creative direction of their covers.[15] R&B singerMary J. Blige repeatedly was on the cover ofVibe with countless articles following her career. The trioTLC was photographed for the cover in firefighters' gear, referencing the fact that memberLisa Lopes burned down the house of then-boyfriend andNFL starAndre Rison. The first non-photograph cover ofVibe was an illustration of late singerAaliyah by well-known artist/illustrator Alvaro; this wasAaliyah's first appearance on the cover as well. Other famous cover subjects areTrey Songz,Brandy,Snoop Dogg,Mariah Carey,Beyoncé,Amerie,Jennifer Lopez,Keyshia Cole,Janet Jackson,Lil Wayne,The Fugees,Eminem,T.I.,R. Kelly,Whitney Houston,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 legendTupac 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-rapperKesha became the firstwhite female artist to appear on the cover as a solo act in October 2012.[17][18][19]
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Featured segments included the back page list "20 Questions"', theBoomshots column aboutreggae andCaribbean 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 asRocawear andFubu.
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 asSean Combs'Sean John, Nelly'sApple Bottoms, andG-Unit by50 Cent found plenty of exposure inVibe'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, includingAlan Light,Jeff Chang,Dream Hampton, Cheo Hodari Coker,Kevin Powell,Erica Kennedy, Sacha Jenkins, Noah Callahan-Bever andMiles Marshall Lewis.Mark Shaw was the magazine's art director.
In addition to the magazine,Vibe also publishes books on hip hop culture. To celebrate the magazine's tenth anniversary, it publishedVX: Ten Years of Vibe Photography, which featured a bare-chested50 Cent on the cover. The volume also includes photos ofAlicia Keys,RZA from theWu-Tang Clan,Eve,Chuck D ofPublic Enemy, andRun-D.M.C. Works by prominent photographersAlbert 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 theVibe banner cover the history of hip hop, the women of hip hop, and rappersTupac Shakur andThe Notorious B.I.G.[citation needed] Additionally, the magazine published a spin-off publication,Vibe Vixen, from 2004 to 2007. Aimed atVibe's female multicultural demographic,Vibe Vixen included features on beauty, fashion, and female entertainers. R&B starletCiara appeared on the inaugural issue's cover.[citation needed]
Spencer was fired in October 1997 and replaced by comedianSinbad, along withBig Boy as the in-house announcer.[citation needed] As was common practice for late-night talk shows (established byJohnny Carson andMerv Griffin), it had a live band, led by keyboardist Greg Phillinganes; Jones worked with him during productions forMichael Jackson's albumsThriller andOff 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 atCBS Television City inLos Angeles.[citation needed]
Other platforms featuring theVibe brand areVibe 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; andThe Vibe Music Mixer, is available foriPhone andiPad.[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 2019Vibe co-hosted Billboard's 2019 Hip Hop Power Players event in NYC.
Beginning in 2003,Vibe produced and aired its annual awards show onUPN through 2006, andVH1 Soul in 2007.
An incident occurred at the 2004Vibe Awards taping at theSanta Monica Airport hangar, in whichG-Unit rapperYoung Buck stabbed 26-year-old Los Angeles native, Jimmy James Johnson after Johnson approachedDr. 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]
Vibe Vixen was a magazine geared towards female readers ofVibe 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 onVibe Vixen's covers included Ciara,Tracee Ellis Ross,Kimora Lee Simmons,Kelis,Lauren London,LaLa Anthony andTia Mowry.
Vibe – a quarterly hip-hop music and entertainment magazine established in 1993.
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