Hype magazine goes digital

Hip hop fans who also love to surf the net will be pleased to know that Hype Magazine is going to be 100% digital. This was revealed in an official statement posted on their website and Facebook page.

“After 12 years of serving the hip hop and street culture communities through monthly and alternate monthly print issues, as well as the ineffable Hype sessions CD, Hype Magazine has made the decision to embark on its next chapter in the digital space,” the statement read.

“The pressures of print as a medium are not exclusive to just the countless of print publications that saw their last day on shelves on the past few years… In addition to this, the amount of material and content that we receive and generate has for a long time exceeded what we can print in 80 pages and the internet is better suited to help us grow, influence culture and create opportunities for the next wave of great local artists,” it further read.

The magazines current editor Fred Kayembe says he believes online is currently the future.  “Many of the major platforms in our space have already made this move (shout-out to XXL, Complex, Vibe, The Fader, Slikouronline) in the past couple of years, and rightfully so, as it is a space where we will be able to give you a higher level of creativity and raw cultural content, faster and with much fewer limitations. When I think about sustainability of the culture, online is the future,” Kayembe mentioned.

The statement however states that the final regular issue of Hype, Issue #72 (the collector’s edition), is available on shelves nationwide.