word bk

So after several months of thinking about it i’m finally getting around to posting something about my huge collection of magazines – I get it from my mama. She can’t throw them away. Essence, Ebony, Jet; we’ve got piles and piles of them at home. I grew up thinking magazines are as precious as books (i HATE for someone to look through it first cause they usually treat it bad). Look, there are folks that take the time to write the article to layout that page to pick the right photograph. How can i just toss their work out? It has to be saved and cherished. NOT stuffed in my tiny mail box like the mail man seems to love to do.

Anyhow, I was growing tired of seeing them all over the place and unorganized. I took them all out and for the past 3 months they’ve been on the floor of my room. Patiently waiting for me to get on my knees and try to figure out which ones i wanted and which i could toss. I asked marcia to help me with them but that fell through (probably because we ended up drinking instead) and they just sat and sat. So last night i took the time to shoot a few of the covers. I figured I should go ahead and catalog all the different titles before i toss any of them. Below are a few from my collection. I’m saving some for later just cause i doubt you will read all i have to say about each one in one long post.

okay, enjoy:

Digital Photographer
There was a dope little magazine shop on Grandview Ave near Stauf’s a while back. I want to say i picked this up there. It is out of Europe somwhere (london maybe) It was the only one i ever picked up since it was an import and cost a lil bit extra.

PDN (Photo District News)
The best magazine about the business of photography. Gives great insight to ad campaigns and great articles about well known photogs.

ever subscribed? No. I think i will soon. maybe today

American Photo
They always get me with the covers but then the content usually sucks. Very biased and generic reviews about cameras and gear (They are afraid to eff up their advertisement dollars). I think this is one mag that was hurt by the ‘net for me.

I grabbed this for the cover shot of Naomi. Which leads me to the next magazine:

British GQ
The above mag just featured images that was shot for this magazine. Both are amazing cover images.

Trace
Mark this as the 1 of 4 magazines i wanted to work for in college. I love their design and the covers, always very minimal. The Black Girls Rule issues are/were dope. (To my white girl friends you get Maxim/Vogue/Elle/(pick any other mag you want) cover every month we need this, ha)

Fast Company

My goal is to grace the cover of Fast Company, seriously. Blazey and I chillin like yeah, we had this ridiculous idea and just made it happen, here is our story. I can’t front I was a lil salty that Mr. Legend got there first but I guess he is doing his thing. I love this magazine. I love reading it on the plane. I love the portraits inside. I love that they focus on design and business. I love the way it feels. Excellent read every month. I subscribe and will forever and ever til death do us part.

One World
Russell Simmons’ old joint. They had some great covers – this is the absolute best. Best cover for them. Best photo ever of lil Kim. Don’t you agree? The typography is great. The best gift you can get me would be a print of this cover framed.

NV
I started getting this back in ‘98 i believe. An alternative Black business magazine in place of Black Enterprise. The paper stock is great.

I was in Atlanta and met one of my dad’s friends who introduced me to this designer around the corner from me in Brooklyn. Come to find out he did the first few issues of this mag. (Mr. Boyd – look him up. he’s dope…he also did all those old G-Unit ads)

Suede
Black womens fashion magazine. They had a great photo editor. EXCELLENT for a black magazine. It lasted about 4 issues i think.

The Fader
Best outkast cover ever.

The fader seemed to pop up out of nowhere. It was more fashion mag than music mag in it’s appearance. The photo editor was top notch also.

New York Magazine
I’m not sure if any magazine has a web site as good as theirs. This issue i remember because Mari and i sat and chit chated about how much we love the city when these issues came out.

Essence
I mean c’mon it’s Essence, Essence. 100 miles better than janky Ebony mag. I think i have this issue cause my mom is in it somewhere.

Interview
Back when his head could fit more than itself on a mag cover.

ReUp
The only issue of this mag i have. It is design or something. i don’t know.

Nylon guys
I used to purchase Nylon because I loved the layouts and how they played with different elements in the spread. The photos were pretty good as well - kinda like the art direction at Urban Outfitters. Well they dropped a guys mag so i picked up a few. This issue featured Nigo. I had to get it.

SEED
It is way over my head. I love science but this is just too much. Ttick to Wired bk. I would sit in the bathroom like, huh? wha? haha…they do a great job on the illustrations and the layout.

Mugshot
I can’t remember where i picked this up. Columbus at a concert? NY? I thought it was nice to put the masthead at the bottom.

Texas Monthly
I picked it up last year when i was in San Antonio (the first time back since i was born) I picked it up because of DJ Stout. He is a partner at famed design firm Pentagram. I heard quite a bit about his skills at redesigning mags and this is one of the more famous ones.

Business 2.0
Ah another one bites the dust. They stopped publishing it about two years ago.

944 Phoenix
I picked this one up about 3 years ago in Phoenix. It is their local magazine. Maybe they share the same zip cause they make one for Las Vegas also called 944. Your standard local magazine that tries really hard to be hip. This one tried extra hard cause it was in/near Scottsdale and Las Vegas. The quality of the magazine is pretty good though it just uses PR photos for the cover and random blah blah about local restaurants. you know the deal.

C Monthly
C = Wack. Yup Columbus’ premier cool kid magazine is wack. 1 the title sucks. 2 the quality is jank. 3 the photos are boring and lame. I am also lame for not doing a magazine in cbus myself.

Shape
dont’ ask. (shut up blazey)

okay, okay. it was free. i had to pick 8 and i was suck on the last one.

Black Book
no, its not about black people. This is one of my favorite covers ever. The gold foil. The pink. Jay. It was daring and dope.

Esquire
The covers are excellent, the spreads are not. They are not GQ. I hold every mens magazine to the GQ standard. They are the Best. Period. No one is beating GQ when it comes to editorial design.

oops, we are talking about Esquire. So yeah, The covers are dope. The type treatment is unique to them. I love it. And homegirl is sexy.

Blaze
I wonder who remembers this magazine. It was from the good folks at VIBE. I dug it. I think they gave them away free my freshman year at Hampton University. This is the first issue. It lasted about a year or more.

Lil Weezy when he was little

Cargo
I loved cargo too. It was like Complex. Not sure whey they got rid of it.

XXL
This became my favorite magazine the day it dropped. I used to look at the design for hours trying to figure out why it was good. I started writing down the names of the photographers that i loved. Great photography. Good articles. Great Editor (elliot wilson aka YN). XXL came out when the source was on top of things. They slowly killed them and were not quiet about it.

Then something happened about a year or two ago. They started to go downhill. (you know, VIBE style but not as hard) I don’t know if it was when YN left or if i’m just getting older. But the things they talk about are just boring. I will say the internet is hurting the hip hop mags too. It needs to be right now. These magazines come out too late.

This is my favorite XXL cover. Paid homage to the legendary Great Day In Jazz shot by my man Gordon Parks back in the day .

Okay so that is about it for now. It was probably way too much. Maybe I should break it up? Nah, i got more coming anyway.