Long-running hip-hop rag The Source, which has seen its market share dwindle thanks to competition from XXL and Vibe, and was in bankruptcy last year, is refocusing its brand in a 20th Anniversary Issue on newsstands next week.
The Source’s new publisher, L. Londell McMillan told USA Today that the magazine will be more substantial-- covering travel, education, business, lifestyle, and other topics, while still extensively covering hip-hop.
The Source has been in a state of disarray after it was nearly run into the ground by former owners Mays and Benzino, who spearheaded that whole “We hate Eminem” movement (ouch, bad move). When Benzino and Mays were fired in 2006, the magazine ran through a bunch of editors, and ran up millions of dollars of debt.
The 20th Anniversary Issue of The Source features four separate covers with hip-hop heavyweights (no pun intended) like Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, and Nas all photographed by Spike Lee. [USA Today]
LL Cool J »
Nas »
too bad there's a typo on the Nas cover.