Culture

Vibe Magazine Ceases Publication After 16 Years

by Jon Azpiri | June 30, 2009 at 11:35 am

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Vibe Magazine, one of the leading hip-hop publications in the US, has ceased operations effective immediately.

Founded in 1993 by legendary music producer Quincy Jones, Vibe tried to be hip-hop's answer to Rolling Stone, hiring top-flight writers to cover hip-hop music, culture, and politics.

Like recently folded music magazine Blender, Vibe has been hit hard by the recent economic downturn.

In a memo to the staff announcing the closure, Steve Aaron, CEO of Vibe Media Group, wrote that for months, the company tried in vain to either find new investors or “to restructure the huge debt on our small company.”

“The print advertising collapse hit Vibe hard, especially as key ad categories like automotive and fashion, which represented the bulk of our top 10 advertisers, have stopped advertising or gone out of business,” he wrote.

In its heyday, Vibe was a force to be reckoned with in hip-hop culture. In 2003, the magazine put on the Vibe Awards. The award show was best known for a stabbing that took place during the 2004 Awards. The magazine also hosted a "Best Rapper Alive Tournament." Rapper Notorious B.I.G. was shot after attending a Soul Train Awards after-party hosted by Vibe.

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