Is this the best 'The Source' Magazine cover they ever did? :

[KingSol81]

Both The Source and XXL have some truly iconic covers. I don’t think one can be singled out as the greatest or best it really just comes down to personal preference

Xxl a day in Harlem/

 

[Trips]

I need to go digging. I know I got a tote filled with old Source Magazines at Mom's.
One of the best times was chilling in that zero hour period before class started flipping through the Source and talking shyt with your boys at the tables.

 

[BmoreGorilla]

The Source used to be on some shyt. I remember a article about Jeru the Damaja. They said hip hop has had some great prophets like Ice Cube, KRS One and Q Tip and how he was next in line

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

The Source & Beat were heavily in my collection.
Word Up! was cool..
Hip Hop connection was dope too. -British publication.

 

[BmoreGorilla]

Nah I had to take back my statement. OP wasn’t the best cover this was. I had forgot all about this shyt. I saw it in the mailbox and thought it was the illest shyt ever

 

[Plankton]

I know opinions are opinions but Lil Kim gracing the cover of King in 2003 is the #1 answer. No cover IMO is more iconic. King was the new mag in the game and I never bought an issue until I seem Kim doing a revisit of her iconic Hardcore promo pose. I bought every issue of King soon after.




That Kim/King spread had me resembling a cow milking itself.

 

[summwunn]

. .. this aint the best cover . . . but this issue is a personal classic .. . . . the first one i ever bought or boosted . .. cant remember . . but i read this front to back a million times . . . .

 

[Trips]

 

[Swirv]

Interscope crushed them, you are spot on.

Then after the Interscope/Aftermath/Shady monopoly that stopped their revenue they made a mistake and gave Lil Kim 5 mics and it was a wrap after that.

They are still about, but don't hold nowhere near the amount of reverence and impact within the hiphop community.

You bring up a great point about interscope crunching them. I wonder what the core of that beef really was.

They would be dead by now either way. They just accelerated it.

I think they could’ve pivoted with the right strategy because hip hop went on a tremendous run throughout the 2000s. With all the relationships built over decades, the source could’ve been leaders in the podcast game.

I know opinions are opinions but Lil Kim gracing the cover of King in 2003 is the #1 answer. No cover IMO is more iconic. King was the new mag in the game and I never bought an issue until I seem Kim doing a revisit of her iconic Hardcore promo pose. I bought every issue of King soon after.




That Kim/King spread had me resembling a cow milking itself.

Dam Lil Kim really introduced plastic surgery to hip hop now that I think about it. I can’t remember any hip hop figure before her altering their body through surgery before her.

 

[BlackDiBiase]

You bring up a great point about interscope crunching them. I wonder what the core of that beef really was.

I think they could’ve pivoted with the right strategy because hip hop went on a tremendous run throughout the 2000s. With all the relationships built over decades, the source could’ve been leaders in the podcast game.

Dam Lil Kim really introduced plastic surgery to hip hop now that I think about it. I can’t remember any hip hop figure before her altering their body through surgery before her.

I'm not sure what the core of the beef was.

I know from like 14 months in a row XXL had Interscope/Aftermath artists on the front cover each new release which tanked The Source in competition. They were just so popular. I do not know if that is when they got the Eminem racist tapes but that didn't help because the running and makings of The Source got out there with Benzino and Dave Mays exposal.

I bought XXL a lot too, I noticed The Source began to dip in quality and XXL was more fun and youth driven not a PC type magazine they were raw.

I can only guess the XXL/Interscope relationship was the catalyst.

 

[Swirv]

I'm not sure what the core of the beef was.

I know from like 14 months in a row XXL had Interscope/Aftermath artists on the front cover each new release which tanked The Source in competition. They were just so popular. I do not know if that is when they got the Eminem racist tapes but that didn't help because the running and makings of The Source got out there with Benzino and Dave Mays exposal.

I bought XXL a lot too, I noticed The Source began to dip in quality and XXL was more fun and youth driven not a PC type magazine they were raw.

I can only guess the XXL/Interscope relationship was the catalyst.

The Source could’ve taken a moral high ground due to Eminem racist tapes, but the fact that Benzino was masquerading his own music as critically acclaimed invalidated that position.

I wonder if it all goes back to money, or something else, well probably never know.

 

[BlackDiBiase]

The Source could’ve taken a moral high ground due to Eminem racist tapes, but the fact that Benzino was masquerading his own music as critically acclaimed invalidated that position.

I wonder if it all goes back to money, or something else, well probably never know.

Big Facts! They messed up big there because it was confusing. Prior to all that The Source was impeccable with its standards it didn't do cheap fodder they were like CNN type integrity. Just speak on hiphop with such passion and professionalism. It was really beneath them and they never recovered.

If The Source was still the thing, no Pitchfork TOP 10 list no Billboard TOP 10 list or RollingStone TOP 10 list of best rappers which always knock up Em a few places and include their subjective favorites like Pusha T!?

It's a wild west anyone can be a hiphop gatekeeper now and focal point ie. Adin Ross

 

[MajesticLion]

Xxl a day in Harlem/

THIS.

 

[TheNig]

The Source could’ve taken a moral high ground due to Eminem racist tapes, but the fact that Benzino was masquerading his own music as critically acclaimed invalidated that position.

I wonder if it all goes back to money, or something else, well probably never know.

Didn't he give his album 5 mics?

 

[ArchStanton]

I'm glad you see it. It's hard for Uncle LL to get any love on the coli.

At one time his Kangol bucket hat, dookie chain and boombox look was synonymous with hiphop like red and yellow is to McDonalds.

Props.

Was surprised to see all the hate after he dropped what was probably the album of the year last year, which was well received on here as well.