‘VIBE chronicles the celebrities, sounds, fashions, lifestyle, new media and business born of urban music. With an authoritative voice, VIBE creates trends as much as it records them.’ - VIBE Mission Statement
The question now becomes, ‘Is this the trend VIBE intends to create and/or promote to its young African American audience?’ It doesn’t take very long at all for any responsible adult to open the April 2006 issue of VIBE magazine and recognize one of two things: Either Mimi Valdez (Chief Editor of VIBE) has committed an act of gross irresponsibility or those who choose and maintain the moralistic direction of the magazine have decided upon what is tantamount to journalistic genocide on the mind of young African American teenagers in every neighborhood in this nation.
‘VIBE reaches more people of color age 18-24 than any other magazine.’
-VIBE Website
Or maybe, this is a very misguided attempt for the magazine to attain the golden calf in Negro music today, ‘Street Cred’. Most outsiders of the culture seem to literally kill themselves and others (in one way or another) while vying so desperately to achieve this goal.
After glancing at the photo of Lil' Wayne (Dewayne Carter), who is clearly in the act of lighting a blunt, on the Table of Contents, an optimistic man would hope Mimi simply dropped the proverbial ball. Isn’t it bad enough there are no more displays of substance on BET and that 90% of today’s radio stations, which claim to be ‘the home of Hip-Hop and R&B, do nothing more than emit nonsense to our auditory senses like D4L’s ‘Girl Shake that Laffy Taffy’? Now, even those of us who chose the more literal route and read our Hip-Hop news are assaulted intellectually with the same message of ignorance….Smoke that shit! After all this is what the stars do. Wayne is the self proclaimed Greatest Rapped Alive!!!
‘Almost 2/3 (61%) of African America [youth] read VIBE- that’s more African American teens than any other publication.’ -Vibe Website
What makes matters worse is that the 61% of black teenagers VIBE boast to reach are then treated to seeing Lil’ Wayne smoke his weed while protected from the cameraman with .45 caliber shells lined up for whoever may not agree with his proclamation. I’m guessing the empty whiskey glass was simply for good measure….that or orange juice...or possibly cyanide.
As adults we are all responsible for the direction and guidance of the young. A magazine which makes a majority of its revenue from black youth has a responsibility to that same black youth and their parents/guardians. As readers of the magazine we have a responsibility to it. With that being said, not only do I find it a duty to privilege but also my duty to VIBE, its readers, and its sponsors alike to say:
PICK UP THE TORCH. PUT A CEASE TO THE IRRESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM AND HOLD ACCOUNTABLE ANY AND ALL PARTIES INVOLVED IN SUCH AN ‘OVERSIGHT’. WHILE I KNOW AND UNDERSTAND NO ONE WILL BE FIRED OR EVEN SERIOUSLY REPRIMANDED BEHIND THIS, I STILL IMPLORE THAT SUCH NEGLIENCE AT THE BEHEST AND DETRIMENT OF OUR CHILDREN NOT BE REPEATED.
Mustafa Ahmad Shakur
Chief Information Officer
Rainbows and Lilacs
Mashakur@rainbowsandlilacs.com
