Mass Appeal Forever

I can't even believe this shit.


On one level, an iota of me believes it. Dammit, the print age is dying. There, I said it. At times, I don't know how much crazier this f'ed up planet can become. I just want to crawl into a time warp or black hole or other-worldly cosmos trap door and fall back into an era when shit made sense. Mass Appeal Magazine A publication printed and produced with the main objective (to eat, eat, eat emcees - I'm playing) of pouring all the good, gushy, gully, grimy, golden shit that lives and breathes and walks and talks on the lean, mean streets of New York City into full-color, semi-glossy pages that I could hold in my sticky hands, is wrapping it up after 10 years and 50 issues. Done, kaput, finished, gone.

I remember waiting on each new issue to be dropped in my mailbox. I had to subscribe back in the day because no one in town carried it. I'd walk over the couch, plop down, open up the cover and inhale, imagining that that's what Brooklyn smelled like. I read every editor's letter slowly, sucking in each word. I followed Patrick and Adrian as they moved from their junk office in Red Hook to new digs in Williamsburg. And then Patrick (RIP) passed away and it felt like my world had ended. Honestly, the magazine has never been the same since. But I won't go on that rant right now.

I have every issue but like, three. And those shits are stacked, protected from the weather and the elements, in the garage. I check up on them once in a while. I reference them. Whenever I feel like I'm getting dusty, I go read back issue features and mast heads and editor's letters.

I just can't believe this shit. Thank god, jesus, allah, muhammad and whoever else that I can, at the very least, say I got to be a part of the magic. Even for just a little while. Even if just for a dent in the magazine's big 5-0. I penned, interviewed, researched, took trains, lost sleep and ate cheap, greasy Chinese food for Mass Appeal. And I loved every single second of it.

So that's it. That's all that matters. That I got to be a part of it. Because it's a wrap. It's a wrap. It's a mother fucking WRAP. M.A. is moving ahead to new terrain, new platforms, along with the rest of the sane fucks who realize they have to evolve before they, and everything they care about, gets swallowed whole. Adrian and Maclean and the rest of the staff are moving the mag to an online-only format. They're putting the rest of their eggs into Colossal Media and Missbehave magazine. Thank god I got to be a part of Miss B. as well because from the tone of Mary's latest ed letter, things are sounding semi-shaky on the girls' end too and I don't think I could stand to see it go under, as snarky and self-centered as it is (love you boo).

I'll never let go of my collection. Not a single issue. Maybe I'll bring the stacks in from the garage and wrap them in plastic to keep their spines stiff and the content warm and pristine. I want future generations to know that at one time, when it mattered and it mattered hard, real publications were created aand you could touch them and hold them and turn the pages. Dammit. I'm sad as shit. I gotta go call Ricky Powell...

peace and love and shit - S.

Here's a video I lifted off some hip hop site. It's a silly clip of Lord SHR interviewing The Game for M.A.'s 50th, and last issue, on stands now. I suggest y'all skip over to Powells and snatch a piece of history while you can. I already copped three.



The following news blurb is only one of two I could find, thanks to Rae, my ever-steady right arm and left leg ::

Mass Appeal magazine, the acclaimed Brooklyn, New York-based outfit has long been celebrated for its distinctive style and celebrity columnists. After 12 years of publishing, the company announced quitting today.

The magazine, named after the Gang Starr song of the same name, will now focus on off-brands including Miss Behave magazine and Colossal Media. The Mass Appeal staff, which includes present staff from Ego Trip, VIBE, Complex and other publications, will remain devoted to event coordination and their website.

The contributors at Mass Appeal included photo-journalist Ricky Powell, author Livingroom Johnson, famed Hip Hop A&R Dante Ross, emcee and author R.A. The Rugged Man and Lord of Brooklyn artist and emcee Kaves.