Source magazine founders David Mays and Ray "Benzino" Scott – fired from the monthly in January – have teamed with Vibe magazine’s fired editor-in-chief Mimi Valdes to create Hip Hop Weekly, a new entertainment news and celebrity lifestyle publication set to launch on Oct. 16.
The magazine will also feature a weekly column from New York radio personality Star, the former Power 105 personality fired by parent company Clear Channel after launching a scathing verbal assault on a rival DJ. Star will author the column along with his old radio partner Buc Wild; and gossip maven Wendy Williams will also contribute to the publication each week.
"This is a great day for our team up at Hip Hop Weekly and for hip-hop as a whole," said Benzino, Chief Brand Executive of Hip Hop Global Media, the holding company that is backing the launch of Hip Hop Weekly. "I want the readers to know that they can expect something incredible. It only makes sense, considering that between myself, Dave, Mimi, Wendy and Star, the years of experience we have -- stretching from the street side to the corporate side to magazines to radio to TV -- is incomparable. We will continue to give the people what they desire, and that's the realness, which they will now be able to get every week in our new magazine."
Valdés will serve as Hip Hop Weekly's Executive Vice President and Editor-In-Chief, as well as its co-owner.
"With HHW's revolutionary format, we're better equipped to document this culture as it happens,” she said in a statement. “Readers can depend on us for insight, criticism, and perspective on how hip-hop influences the world. Our entire team, both business and editorial, is filled with passionate fans that understand the hip-hop lifestyle. Believe me, that's going to make all the difference."
The magazine will also feature a weekly column from New York radio personality Star, the former Power 105 personality fired by parent company Clear Channel after launching a scathing verbal assault on a rival DJ. Star will author the column along with his old radio partner Buc Wild; and gossip maven Wendy Williams will also contribute to the publication each week.
"This is a great day for our team up at Hip Hop Weekly and for hip-hop as a whole," said Benzino, Chief Brand Executive of Hip Hop Global Media, the holding company that is backing the launch of Hip Hop Weekly. "I want the readers to know that they can expect something incredible. It only makes sense, considering that between myself, Dave, Mimi, Wendy and Star, the years of experience we have -- stretching from the street side to the corporate side to magazines to radio to TV -- is incomparable. We will continue to give the people what they desire, and that's the realness, which they will now be able to get every week in our new magazine."
Valdés will serve as Hip Hop Weekly's Executive Vice President and Editor-In-Chief, as well as its co-owner.
"With HHW's revolutionary format, we're better equipped to document this culture as it happens,” she said in a statement. “Readers can depend on us for insight, criticism, and perspective on how hip-hop influences the world. Our entire team, both business and editorial, is filled with passionate fans that understand the hip-hop lifestyle. Believe me, that's going to make all the difference."
