“I be dissing magazines, but then buy The Source…”
Written: Mar 02 '01 (Updated Mar 02 '01)
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Pros: Excellent articles, tries to stay true to hip-hop culture.
Cons: Questionable objectivity, too many ads.
The Bottom Line: The Source is definitely one of the best hip-hop magazines out there. How sad for hip-hop. If you have to buy a hip-hop magazine, buy this one.
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| madtheory's Full Review: The Source Magazine |
The title of this review is a quote from “Cold Blooded”, a song by Chicago rapper Common, off the artist’s Like Water for Chocolate LP. This line does an excellent job of paraphrasing the love/hate relationship that hip-hop artists and fans alike have with the hip-hop publications in general, and The Source specifically. The Source is a monthly periodical magazine focusing on hip-hop music, culture, and politics. It is easy for a reader of The Source to fall in love with the well authored features, unsigned artist spotlights and artist interviews, but, unfortunately, just as easy to learn to hate the inconsistent reviews, inane editorials, and excessive advertisements.
To be fair, I can imagine that it is hard to produce a publication on hip-hop for a few reasons:
1) Mass Appeal vs. Staying “True” - In order to be successful, the publisher must appeal to the mainstream hip-hop audience while still catering to the “hip-hop head”, the most dedicated hip-hop fan. This in itself is a difficult prospect as mainstream hip-hop (or, as it’s sometimes called, “hip-pop”), spearheaded by acts such as Nelly, Puff Daddy, Ja Rule, and Cypress Hill, are rarely seen as representing “real” hip-hop. The heads, wanting to see the true spirit of hip-hop represented, tend to gravitate toward more underground artists such as Mos Def, Common, and Talib Kweli. Unfortunately, since underground artists sell a great deal less records than their more commercial counterparts, The Source is forced to push them into the background, and focus on the more commercial artists. This disenfranchises underground fan and makes them feel that the magazine has gone “pop”.
2) Marketing – Compared to other music genres, rap is still a relatively new form of music. As a result, it has a much smaller fan base than most of the other genres. With a smaller amount of people spending money on hip-hop related magazines, it is difficult for The Source to draw the amount of revenue from sales that Rolling Stone or any other music magazines pull in. As a result they must compensate by selling a huge amount of advertising. This copious amount of advertising does seriously detract from the magazine, as sometimes it feels like every other page is an ad.
3) Questionable Objectivity – The “golden rule” of reporting is that the reporter must maintain objectivity. Many readers question a magazine’s objectivity based on the volume of artist advertising and promotion seen in the magazine. In The Source, it’s often the reader will see several full-page ads for a specific artist and a well-received review for that artist’s album, regardless of if the work deserves it or not.
So as a result of these problems, The Source exists as a source of dissention between hip-hop fans. It is both loved and hated by many.
The Source has many features to offer fans on every level. It is extremely difficult to find an issue with absolutely nothing to like. Some of the best features include Hip-Hop Quotable, Record Report, Unsigned Hype, and Microphone Check.
Hip-Hop Quotable
The Hip-Hop Quotable section is a small column in which the partial lyrics to an artist’s song is listed. I like this section a great deal, as it allows me to see the lyrics that I might have missed when the artist raps faster than my ears can sometimes follow. It also serves to introduce me to new artists whose work I have not had the chance to hear.
Record Report
This is definitely the most controversial section of the magazine. In it, The Source editors review rap artists’ work and assign it a value on a scale of 1 to 5 microphones, with five being the highest. As I said earlier it this review, often The Source’s review has deviated so far from the general consensus about an artist’s album, fans have accused the magazine of “selling mics”, or allowing the artist to get a higher rating if he gives them money or buys advertising space. This accusation arose with several artists, such as Made Men, The Cash Money Millionaires, and No Limit. Nothing has ever been proven, however.
Unsigned Hype
This section is definitely a favorite amongst the heads who scrounge local clubs, bars, and websites looking for the next huge hip-hop act. In it, The Source gives a quick look at a rap artist who has created a buzz in the underground scene, but has yet to sign a recording contract. Many artists featured in Unsigned Hype have gone on to have noteworthy recording careers.
Microphone Check
The Microphone Check department is dedicated to artist interviews. The Source’s interviewers often are intelligent and ask relevant questions to the artists like, “do you think the whole gangsta aesthetic in hip-hop is false?”, instead of “what’s your favorite color?”, like you might see in some other music magazines. It is definitely the best section of the magazine.
In addition to these larger sections, The Source also includes several smaller departments. One is Graf Flix, the area dedicated to featuring the work of graffiti artists. Another, Power Moves, spotlights movers and shakers in the business and entertainment industries. The section labeled Media Watch is committed to surveying the mainstream media’s coverage of hip-hop.
So, to sum up, The Source is a magazine dedicated to highlighting the best of hip-hop culture and music, but falls dreadfully short due to the commercial nature of the music industry. While having several features designed to attract the casual hip-hop fan as well as the most dedicated hip-hop head, the self-serving nature of The Source tends to work to destroy the bond it tries to create with its readers. So if you’re one of those underground, die-hard hip-hop fans who only want to read about “real” hip-hop, you are sorely out of luck. Your magazine does not exist. You’ll have to settle for The Source.
Recommended:
Yes
Favorite Type of Music: Other
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madtheory
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DON'T CALL IT A COMEB... wait. I guess you actually can call it a comeback.
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