Is A Documentary About 'The Source' Really Necessary?


There was a time in my life when I was known for chronically missing my subway stops fueled by being completely engrossed in the latest issue of The Source magazine. Please remember that this was circa 1992 when this magazine was just reaching the pinnacle of its hip hop journalism skills. Add to that the eagerly anticipated five mic system of album reviewing and their hip hop quotables of the month, and it's no wonder that The Source was, as Raekwon says in the clip after the bounce for an upcoming documentary about the magazine, "a resource." While The Source was able to quiet the throngs who kept insisting that hip hop was not a legitimate form of music, the direction that this publication took seems to all have gone downhill beginning in 1994, the year of the first annual Source Awards. And we all know the East Coast-West Coast chaos that ensued from that shindig.

From then on, this magazine has been plagued by several lawsuits, including one for sexual harrasment involving female staff members, deposing of co-owners, David Mays and Benzino, by shareholders, and accusations that the five mic rating system was flawed depending on which staff member was sleeping with the artist whose album was up for review. Oy. Despite the daytime drama turn that this once hallowed tome took, there is no way that I am interested in watching that kind of drama. Mainly because The Source magazine is currently as irrelevant as a cootie shot. And there are already several articles that have already explored the magazine's rise and downfall. Here's to hoping this documentary can find an audience of people who care. We'll file this one under "whatever."

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