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Ego trip (magazine)
Encyclopedia
ego trip was the name of a hip hop magazine started in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1994. It lasted four years and 13 issues and distinguished itself based on its irreverence and defiant attitude, eventually adopting the tagline, "the arrogant voice of musical truth."
Description
The roots of the publication began with a hip hop newspaper called Beat-Down Newspaper, founded by Haji Akhigbade and Sacha Jenkins in 1992. Sacha and Haji met and brought aboard both Elliott Wilson and later Jefferson "Chairman" Mao. All three (Jenkins, Wilson, and Mao) also had extensive freelance backgrounds writing for other publications such as Rap Pages, Vibe and URB. Technically, Jenkins and Wilson founded ego trip (with photographer/documentarian Henry ChalfantHenry Chalfant
Henry Chalfant is a well known and highly regarded urban culture photographer and videographer most notable for his graffiti and breakdance photography and film...
given honorary status as co-founder as well), though Mao was a part of the staff from the first issue and eventually became editor-in-chief after Jenkins left to become music editor at Vibe. Likewise, the fourth core member, Gabriel Alvarez, was formerly an editor at the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based Rap Pages until ego trip recruited him, eventually making him managing editor. The last core member was designer Brent Rollins who joined the magazine in their third year and took over as art director.
ego trip covered a range of so-called "underground" scenes, including skateboarders
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
and punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
ers before it became as commonplace as it is today. However, it was most identified as a hip hop magazine.
Covers
The 13 issues featured the following rap artists on the cover:- Vol. 1, Issue 1 (1994): NasNasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
- Vol. 1, Issue 2: Method ManMethod ManClifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
- Vol. 1, Issue 3: Smif-N-Wessun
- Vol. 2, Issue 1 (1995): Eazy-EEazy-EEric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
- Vol. 2, Issue 2: Cypress HillCypress HillCypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
- Vol. 2, Issue 3: KRS-OneKRS-OneLawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
- Vol. 2, Issue 4: A Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
, De La SoulDe La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, Large ProfessorLarge ProfessorLarge Professor , also known as Large Pro and Xtra P, is a New York City-based hip hop record producer and emcee. He is also best known as a founding member of the influential underground hip hop group Main Source, and as a frequent collaborator with Nas... - Vol. 2, Issue 5: Wu-TangWu-Tang ClanThe Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
/Ghostface KillahGhostface KillahDennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success... - Vol. 2, Issue 6: Redman
- Vol. 3, Issue 1 (1997): Biggie Smalls
- Vol. 3, Issue 2: RakimRakimWilliam Michael Griffin Jr. , known by his stage names Rakim , Rakim Allah, R.A.K.I.M., and The Master, is an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and most skilled emcees of all time. Eric B...
- Vol. 3, Issue 3: Gang StarrGang StarrGang Starr was an influential East Coast hip hop duo that consisted of the late MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier. Their style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop.-Background:...
- Vol. 4, Issue 1 (1998): Def SquadDef SquadDef Squad is a rap supergroup consisting of Erick Sermon, Redman & Keith Murray. Mally G is considered an honorary member of the Def Squad. Before officially forming as a group to release an album in 1998, they had each been featured on tracks by each other...
Post-ego trip
After closing the magazine, the ego trip team (Jenkins, Wilson, Mao, Alvarez and Rollins) continued on to a series of multimedia projects, such as the old-school rap music compilation The Big Playback (Rawkus RecordsRawkus Records
Rawkus Records is an American hip-hop record label known for jump-starting the careers of both Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Rawkus started in 1996 with initial releases ranging from hip-hop to drum and bass...
, 2000), inspired by their first book, ego trip's Book of Rap Lists (St. Martin's Press, 1999). Their second book ego trip's Big Book of Racism! (Regan Books, 2002) spawned a relationship with the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
cable network. The staff have written and produced three television shows for the cable network, including "TV's Illest Minority Moments presented by ego trip," the three-part "ego trip's Race-O-Rama!", ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show, and ego trip's Miss Rap Supreme. 'ego trip' is currently authoring a book on the history of white rappers.
Books
- ego trip's Big Book of Racism! by Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Chairman Jefferson Mao, Gabriel Alvarez and Brent Rollins
- ego trip's Book of Rap Lists by Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Chairman Jefferson Mao, Gabriel Alvarez and Brent Rollins
External links
- ego trip website
- Audio interview with Brent Rollins and Gabriel Alvarez on public radio program The Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young America is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California and distributed by Public Radio International...