![]() ![]() He says, “Wait a minute, we publish Sports Illustrated. Because, they said, covers with black faces didn’t sell. Does that mean we have to put black people on the cover?” It was a privately but not publicly stated policy at those magazines not to put black faces on the cover. This dapper guy in a suit and beautifully polished shoes says, “We’re publishing this. I’m summoned to this meeting on the 34th floor. Think of it as an urban youth-culture magazine.” That seemed to make them feel better. Sandow: I said, “Don’t think of it as a rap magazine. Quincy Jones: Celebrating Seven Decades of Music Because everybody was worried it was a fad. Gil Rogin (f ormer corporate editor, Time Inc.): Sandow wrote this 11-page memo about whether Time Warner should start this magazine about hip-hop. And he says, basically, “What the fuck are we going to do? We have a deal with Quincy Jones that says he can do anything he wants to do. Greg Sandow ( former music editor, Entertainment Weekly): I get a call at my desk from Gil Rogin, one of the top three editors at Time. He said, “If you got any ideas, give it to me.” Quincy Jones ( record producer/entrepreneur): Steve Ross said the “synergy” was not working quick enough for the Time Warner people. But the two very different business cultures - hip Warner and stodgy Time - weren’t blending. Two years earlier, Ross had executed the world’s first media megamerger, combining the record companies and film studios of his Warner Communications with the behemoth magazine and book publisher Time-Life to create Time Warner. In 1991, Steve Ross - the man whom Quincy Jones called his “guru” - called on the vaunted music producer for help. Mix by DJ Ea.What follows is a selective oral history of the magazine, from its birth and ascent, through its 21st century transformation into a digital cultural bellwether and its 2016 acquisition by the Billboard Music Group. Juicy The Emissary "Timber!" (Instrumental Album).50 Cent "Get Rich or Die Tryin" (2/6/03).J Dilla "Next" Feature in Vibe Magazine (June/July.Prodigy "Rewind: The Tape Deck 2010-2019" (Mixtape.Beat Factory "Rap Essentials" (Elements, Winter 1996).DJ Matman "Jay Dee The MC" (Mixtape, 2016).Ghostface "Supreme Clientele" (20th Ann.2Pac "All Eyez On Me" (February 13, 1996).Dirty Harry "Dirty Luv" (Mixtape, 1996).Mach-Hommy "Saturday Night Lights, Vol.1-2" (EP St.Benny The Butcher & J Dilla "Butcherin' Donuts" (M.EL Maryacho "That's Soul 2" (Beat Tape).Thorough "King Articulate" (Album Stream).Audio Two "The Untold Story of Audio Two" (Teaser).Phoniks "Time Goes By" (Instrumental Album).Take It Personal Podcast "Ras Kass Episode".Real Bad Man "On High Alert, Vol.1" (EP Stream).Elcamino x 38 Spesh "Martyrs Prayer" (Album Stream).Royce Da 5'9 "The Allegory" (Album Stream).DJ Smooth Denali "Follow The Leader" (Mixtape).UFO Fev & Statik Selektah "Fresh Air" (Album Stream).Planet Asia x 38 Spesh "Trust The Chain" (Album St.Guru "Gang Starr Mix Freestyles" (2005).'Cause people fall off every day." He pauses, "And I ain't the one." - Next, Vibe Magazine (June/July, 1996). "I'm steppin' back and lookin' at everything," he says evenly. But while getting such props can make living up to your rep difficult, Jay Dee doesn't think so. Plans include securing a deal for his Motor City crew, Slum Village (for which he produces and rhymes) as well as imminent collaborations with De La Soul, Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s Lil Kim, Common, and Pete Rock. Today, Jay Dee is charting the trajectory of his rising career. He has reached quite an esteemed place - especially for a self-described nerd who once aspired to be an Air Force pilot. "We had a brotherhood from when we picked up," Jay Dee explains in an easy midwestern drawl. Fittingly, Jay Dee, Q-Tip, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad recently formed a production alliance called the Ummah (Arabic for "brotherhood"), and they share track duties on Tribe's forthcoming Beats, Rhymes and Life. With a strong ear for vibrant jazz melodies, Jay Dee's work slips snugly into the low-end-y creative slot vacated in the wake of Tribe's 1993 Midnight Marauders. Then he created some of the best moments on Busta Rhymes's recent The Coming. He was, like, 'Yo, who did these beats?' After that, shit just took off." Q-Tip hooked Jay Dee up with the Pharcyde, and Jay ended up producing the hit singles "Runnin'" and "Drop" for Labcabincalifornia. "I had a group that John Salley was managing - so I gave Tip a tape, and the same day he called back. "I met Tip backstage at Lollapalooza in '94," says the humble Detroit native. ![]()
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