(CNN) -- Vibe magazine founder Quincy Jones may attempt to buy back the now-shuttered hip-hop magazine, according to a published report.
"I'm trying to buy my magazine back now," Jones told EbonyJet.com on Tuesday, according to an article posted on the Web site.
Vibe, one of the best-selling hip-hop magazines in the country, shut down on Tuesday. Its chief executive officer, Steve Aaron, said the magazine has a debt of "several millions of dollars" and also faced a declining market and decreased advertising revenue.
Jones, a music producer, said he envisioned an online-only future for Vibe, EbonyJet.com reported.
"They just messed my magazine all up, but I'm gonna get it back," he said, EbonyJet.com reported.
Additional details were not available in the report, and Arnold Robinson, a spokesman for Jones, told CNN he had no comment.
Jones established the magazine in 1993. It had a circulation of about 600,000, according to Aaron.
The closure eliminates jobs for all 48 staff members, Aaron said. The issue currently on newsstands, featuring Eminem on the cover, is Vibe's last. (Source)
Now, it is my understanding that the issue below with Christina Milian and The Dream on the cover was supposed to be Vibe's last. I, as well as countless other Vibe readers, could have told Quincy they jacked up his magazine just look at this cover. MJB made it clear that Vibe was in the toliet when she went hard at past editor-in-chief Mimi Valdez during the Vibe Music Awards. Vibe once upon of time use to be a very good magazine. It was one of those magazine I had to pick up along with Essence and Ebony. Now, I have to admit that I don't have a subscription to any. The problem with Vibe appears to be the problem with most of "our" magazines: commercialization and lack of imagination. Just like "our" music, "our" magazines are nothing more than watered down versions of their former selves. Gone are the days of creativity and thinking out the box. I mean I don't have a problem with nudity on the cover, but they could have done it in a way that was both creative and tasteful. Just placing a nude Christina on the cover with The Dream covering her breast is so played. Janet Jackson did it on the cover of Rolling Stone back in the 90s and back then it actually worked because it was provocative. There just isn't any creativity anymore.
Take Essence for example. Essence use to be a magazine that celebrated the true beauty of black women. It depicted a true representation of the diaspora of the black woman, but not any more. Now, it appears as though Essence only recycles its covers. There appears to be only a handful of black women who are worthy of the cover: Beyonce, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Gabrielle Union, Sanaa Lathan, Halle Berry and every now and then they'll throw in Mo'nique. Why can't we show other beautiful sistas. Surely there are other black women out there that are doing the damn thing that are worthy of a cover. I mean look at sistas like Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson. I mean can someone tell me why Chanel Iman is the hottest model out there, but yet she hasn't graced the cover of Essence? If we don't celebrate ourselves how can we expect others to celebrate us. Oh, and please don't even get me started on the articles inside the magazine. All I am saying is you can truly see a difference post-Susan L. Taylor.
I know a lot of people wish to blame the internet for the down fall of these magazines, but had the people at the helm of them been proactive instead of reactive we wouldn't be having this discussion. Magazines like Essence and Ebony were able to survive so long because of the innovative ideas they set forth. They need to go back to their genesis and start thinking outside the box again.
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