Mr. Magazine

Slow the culture so we can breathe again…

At least 30 new magazines were launched in the first five months of 2026.  Those who know me, know that my definition of a magazine is, “If it is not ink on paper, it is NOT a magazine.”  Feel free to call those digital platforms anything you want, except a magazine.  We never called television radio with pictures.

This leads me to a great editorial written by the editor of the new magazine Rap Central Station.  An oversized publication measuring 12X12 inches and refers to itself as a MAGPAPER.  The editor writes in the second issue of the magazine, and I quote, “Scrolling ain’t reading. Texting ain’t writing. That line hit even harder after the response to the debut issue of Rap Central Station earlier this year.  What we didn’t expect – but we fully respect – is how fast the magazine is becoming a collector’s item.  That tells us something important: people still need tangible culture. Something you can hold. Something that doesn’t disappear with a swipe.”

The editor continues, “I’m not gonna front I h’ve been inspired with stories of 2 fledgling magazine publishers from 75 years ago.  John Johnson with JET EBONY and Hugh Hefner from Playboy.  Both ironically from Chicago.  They had visions against insurmountable odds.”

So, what is this magazine that was inspired by two of our great magazine publishers of the last century.  The editor writes, “We are an art magazine first.  Then artist – driven storytelling.  Then music—charted with intention. We believe artists should write their own reviews. Nobody listens harder than the creator. That’s the innovation. That’s how you reverse some of the damage done to hip-hop by speed, neglect, and surface-level coverage.  This magazine slows the culture down—so it can breathe again.”

And all what Mr. Magazine™ can say to that is Amen!  Let’s slow the culture down a bit, so we can all breathe again.