The document discusses Hip Hop magazines and their target audiences. It provides details about several popular Hip Hop magazines, including XXL Magazine, Vibe Magazine, and Hip Hop Weekly. XXL Magazine was founded in 1997 and is known for its album rating system from S to XXL. It targets young adult fans of Hip Hop/rap music. Vibe Magazine uses bold colors and images of Hip Hop artists to draw in readers. Hip Hop Weekly also utilizes colors like red, white, and black that are common in Hip Hop magazines. The document examines conventions for magazine covers, content pages, and double page spreads, showing examples from these Hip Hop titles.

1. By Rushelle Mckoy

2. Hip Hop
 I came to the decision to produce a Hip Hop related
magazine. My first step was to do some secondary
research I found that that R&B magazines are heavy
favourites for people aged between 14 and 30.
Artists like Ed Sheeran and Beyonce have brought a
lot more maturity into the genre which draws in the
an older generation of buyers. Magazines such as
vibe and Billboard are very popular in this particular
genre and there doesn‟t seem to be many
magazines that do not do so well in this genre due to
the large fan base. I‟m looking forward to the
challenge due to the amount of popular magazines in
this genre and I will use the large fan base to my
advantage and aim to market my magazine to
compete with these other leading sellers.

3. XXL magazine
 XXL magazine was established in 1997
and is a well known hip hop magazine. It
was founded by Jules Winnfield. It is
known for it rating system for different
albums from „S‟ to „XXL

4. Target audience of XXL
Magazine
 The target audience of XXL magazine is
very similar to the target audience of the
Source Magazine, so it will be fans of
Hip-hop/rap music.
 It is also probably at young adults
because genre appeals more to younger
audience.

5. Comparing music magazine
 My magazine going to
relate to XXL magazine
with the colour pallet and
text style of the title. The
colour pallet is mix with
black, white and red. A lot
of Hip-hop magazine uses
this colour pallet as black
represents mystery and
secrecy, red presents
excitement and passion or
danger, and white stands
for clean and fresh. This
text style used in XXL
magazine is focused on
the outline of the title, as
what going to be used in
my magazine.

6. Convention of a magazine
Masthead Cover lines Main cover line
 The title of a magazine
is also known as • Cover lines tell  This tends to be very
masthead. reader what the large and takes up
about a quarter of the
 The title is what drags main stories of the cover page.
the attention people. magazine are.  It tends to be around
 It tends to be big, bold the main image.
and bright so that it is • This kind of like the
eye catching masthead being
Main image bold and bright but
 The main image will
always be large so that doesn‟t tent to be
it stands out. as large.
 The person on the main Date line
image will be looking
directly at the camera • Month and year of
as though they‟re publication, often
making eye contact with
the reader with the price

7. XXL Magazine
 Excusive features inside the
magazine usually contains
competitions or free prizes within
magazine, which will erg people
into buying the magazine as they
see the change of getting
something free.
 Red and white masthead set the
theme throughout the magazine.
 Star persona of Eminem by doing
this XXL magazine are targeting
teenage audience possible older
to purchase there magazine as
Eminem is one of the best and
big rapper.
 Headline, main cover line which
also stays within the theme of red
and white.
 Barcode

8. Vibe magazine
 The bold masthead stand out
to the buyer so they know
straight away its Vibe
Magazine
 Features within the magazine
 Medium shot image of Ciara
show some type of sensation.
By showing a medium shot of
Ciara, readers will want to
read Vibe magazine to see
what‟s going on with Ciara.
 Headline
 Memorable and catchy cover
line which also known as the
lure
 Lead, which is main story
within the issue of the
magazine

9. Exclusive The bold
Exclusive features masthead stand out
inside the to the buyer so they
magazine know straight away
its Vibe Magazine
features inside the
magazine
Lead which is
the main story in
the magazine Close up picture for the
main picture so that the
reader have direct
contact with him
because he look like
Headline, main he‟s look straight at the
cover line which reader. By using close
also stays within up it would get the
the theme of blue, people attention
pink and gray. quicker.

10. Masthead
Main image The front cover used is
The image is used to edgy and suits the title
show the Hip-hop and well. The light gray and
rapper star “drake” they dark gray fits the well with
used medium shot of the image which makes it
Drake to make the stands out. The masthead
everything on the front is set to the left of the
cover stands out cover.
Main headline
Other features “Drake” is the main
There are few other headline, which is very
features on the cover simple and unique but
page, and they blend in also effective. Prior to the
with the main image and boldest part say “MR.
the headline. They date NICE GUY...” this is kind
issue. of an introduction to both
the main image and the
headline.

11. XXL content page Title in
bold font
 The main image used is very effective
because it XXL links in with „the A-side‟ as
the two rappers are placed side by side. Mast
Also the image includes two well known
rappers of today The colours used for the head
contents page are(50 CENT and Soulja
Boy) and they are both the same as the
colours used for the front looking directly at
the reader (mode of cover. This again
shows how simple and address) which
makes the reader feel consistent XXL
magazine are. important as not one but two
rappers are looking directly at them and
paying attention. The fact that 50 CENT is
bigger than yet is at the back having to turn
around to look at the reader could mean
that he is coming back and isn‟t afraid to
show his face anymore, which means that
XXL could be showing the re-launch of 50
CENT.
 Has significance importance as its telling to
readers to read on, its almost like a
command.

12. Hip-Hop Weekly
 The contents page does not have a
heading although it does have
sections such as 'in every issue’
which helps the audience to
familiarise themselves with the
structure of the magazine-and ‘word
on the street. 'I think this choice has
been made because it is quite clear
from the layout of then page that it is
the contents page
 Like many magazines the Name,
logo, volume and issue number of
the magazine appear in the top right
and corner of the contents page.
There are different subheadings such
a sent entrainment and music. The
contents page uses the colours red,
white and black as well as a flash of
yellow from the colour theme on the

13. Date line of when the Medium shot of the
magazine have been main image with 50
issued cent is very effective
to the reader on the
content page
The contents page of
this magazine is
probably the clearest
tore ad and the easiest
to find the features as it
is written in bold and
with a font that it is not
confusing or had for the
reader to read. Also, the
features are supported
by red folios which
stands out of the white
background and makes
it easy for the reader to
navigate to.

14. Title Design
This goes against most The design fits well
magazine conventions as with the front cover
the word is separated out as the main colours
making it edgy and eye
catching. The simple front are black, white and
is used in contrast to the gray as on the front
strange layout. cover; although it
Main feature does not display the
The main feature of this same bold red font
page is the image, which anywhere on the
also acts on the content page.
background of the page Layout
and is in black and white. This contents page
This is the first thing that
catches the reader eyes has a simple layout,
upon seeing the page showing one main
therefore it is important image as the
that the main image puts background with just
across the right message one other familiar
and fits with the style, image, which is the
genre of the magazine. front cover on the
bottom left corner.

15. Vibe double spread page
There is only image on
This double spread this double spread
page is continue from page, as this image
the previous page says more than one
thing to the audience.
It also show poverty.
The use of slang is used a
lot on Vibe magazine
“WANNA” “GONNA” and This image has a lot
“GOIN”. This reflects with of dark colour
the theme of the magazine: showing the danger
rappers, violence, money and how life is living
and “BLING”. in the “slum”
The used of large amount of On this page you can see that the
impenetrable text is quite publisher focus more on the text
unusual in most magazine than image as of the text is shown in
but it tells the reader the this page with only one picture
rapper or singer life. covering a third of both pages.

16. XXL double spread page
All the Hip-hop
magazine seem They used the
to have one colour theme of
image of an artist the magazine to
with a whole page carry on
of text. representing the
genre.
This shows that the
Hip-hop or rap fan
will take all the time
to read and find out
the latest news on
their favourite star.