The Flavor was an American hip hop magazine published between 1992 and 1996.
History The Flavor was co-founded by Alison Pember and Rachel Crick. Published in Seattle, the first issue arrived in March 1992, and the magazine included interviews, features, reviews, and "scene reports" from across North America and around the globe. Within the Pacific Northwest, the magazine was distributed for free at record stores, barber shops, clothing stores, and other community businesses. Outside the region, it was distributed globally through Tower Records where it was sold for $1.
Initially they had a print run of 10,000 copies per issue, which grew to a peak of 70,000. After several of the editorial staff members left for other jobs, The Flavor closed in 1996.
Issue history
The Flavor Magazine published 34 issues between 1992 and 1996. The following tables provide a chronological overview of the publication's issues.
1992 Issue Publication Month Stories & Interviews 1 Mar. Debut issue - Cypress Hill, Resident Alien, Tim Dog, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Brothers of The Same Mind 2 Jun. Beastie Boys, Lord Finesse, Black Sheep, Fu-Schnickens, Gang Starr, Organized Konfusion, Ex-Presidents, Sir Jinx 3 Sept. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Fu-Schnickens, Das Efx, Nice & Smooth, Show Biz & A.G., Nasty Nes 4 Dec. Da Lench Mob, Digable Planets, J The Law & B-Mello, MC Serch, Zhigge, Diamond D, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, YZ
1993 Issue Publication Month Stories & Interviews 5 Jan./Feb. Brand Nubian, The Pharcyde, Pete Nice, Language of The Hip, Kurious Jorge, Bobbito & Stretch Armstrong 6 Apr./May Guru, The Beatnuts, Mobb Deep, Positive K, El Mafioso, Freestyle Fellowship 7 Jun./Jul. The Jungle Brothers, Cypress Hill, Funkdoobiest, Da Youngstas, Masta Ace, Elevators, Lords of The Underground 8 Aug./Sept. Leaders of The New School, Del, Ultramagnetic MC's, Yo-Yo, The Pharcyde, Phat Wax Artists 9 Oct./Nov. De La Soul, KRS One, Monica Lynch, Souls of Mischief, Black Moon, B-Mello, Casual, A Tribe Called Quest 10 Dec./Jan. The First Annual Flavor Awards, Poor Righteous Teachers, Wu Tang Clan, Kurious, Erick Sermon, M.C. Class, Sin Q
1994 * Note: Issue #14 was printed as June in error Issue Publication Month Stories & Interviews 11 Feb. Nas, Ice Cube, Shyheim, Del The Funky Homosapien, Ghetto Chilldren 12 Mar. Gang Starr, Coolio, Hard 2 Obtain, Sinsemilla, Blind Council, Jace and The Fourth Party 13 Apr. The Beatnuts, KMD, MC Solaar, Crooked Path, Silver Shadow D, The Flavor's 2nd Annual Anniversary Bash 14 *Jun. Seattle Hip History, Chilly Uptown, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Nasty Nes, Beastie Boys, M.O.P., Dred Scott 15 Jun. Jeru The Damaja, Smif-N-Wessun, MC Eiht, Carmelita Sanchez, 22nd Precinct 16 Jul. Organized Konfusion, Warren G, Artifacts, Source of Labor, Steve Rifkind Company 17 Aug. OC, Mic Geronimo, Ricardo Frazer, Saafir, Black Moon, Tha Alkaholiks 18 Sept. Extra Prolific, Gravediggaz, Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack, Common Sense, Russell Simmons 19 Oct. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Digable Planets, Lollapalooza 20 Nov. Black Sheep, Ras Kass, The Coup 21 Dec. Tha Alkaholiks, Jemini, Keith Murray, Brand Nubian
1995 Issue Publication Month Stories & Interviews 22 Feb. Lord Finesse, Big L, The Roots, Milk, Bas Blasta 23 Mar. Mobb Deep, The B.U.M.S., Channel Live, Blackalicious 24 Apr. Show & A.G., Ol' Dirty Bastard, Masta Ace, Milkbone 25 May. Western Hemisfear, Funkdoobiest, Heather B 26 Jul. Special Ed, Grand Puba, Naughty By Nature, Mad Skillz, Sea Sick Records, Beastie Boys, Mack 10, Tribal Productions, Hurricane, Key Kool & Rhettmatic, Source of Labor, Show & A.G. 27 Aug. The Genius, Kool G. Rap, W.C. & The MAAD Circle, Raekwon, Aceyalone, King Just, Moore Paine Inc., Prose & Concepts, Sharpshooters, Urban Threadz 28 Sept. The Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Ill Biskits, Cipher, Blind Council, Spyc-e, Raw Produce, Tracii McGregor, Rocksteady Anniversary, Bomb The Suburbs 29 Oct. AZ, DVS Floorrockers, Fat Joe, Lost Boyz, Narcotik, Infinite, Peanut Butter Wolf, Homeliss Derilex, Jurassic 5, Funk Daddy 30 Nov. Group Home, Mic Geronimo, Bahamadia, Mr. Supreme & B-Max, Jive Radio Jam, How Can I Be Down?, Zulu Nation Anniversary, Powerrule, Slum Brothers, RMF/Bad Boy Funk Entertainment, Gordon Curvey 31 Dec. Funk Daddy, Mystikal, Q-Ball & Curt Cazal, What's The Name of This Nation, Black Anger, Ethnomusicology, JT The Bigga Figga, The Vinyl Exchange, West Coast DMC Championships
1996 Issue Publication Month Stories & Interviews 32 Feb. The Fugees, The X-Men, Class of 1996: Seattle Hip-Hop Graduateds to The Next Level on 14 Fathoms Deep, Beyond Reality, Blind Council, The Crew Clockwise, DMS, Ghetto Chilldren, Jace, Supreme (Mad Fanatic), Narkotic, Native So/Un, Prose & Concepts, Sinsemilla, DJ Kamikaze of S.O.L., 22nd Precinct, Union of Opposites 33 Busta Rhymes, Chino XL, Source of Labor, Bobby Seale, B-Boy Summit III, Mystik Journeymen 34 De La Soul, J-Live, Goodie Mob, Def Jam 10 Year Anniversary - The final issue
Staff & Contributors Founder(s)
Alison Pember - Co-Founder Rachel Crick - Co-Founder
Staff
Traé Abraham James Browne Mike Clark Robin Counts (Force) Stephanie Cross (Selden) DJ B Mello Sarah "SK" Honda Carl Johnson Josh Kendall Pamela Kreider (art director), Mr. Supreme (Danny Clavesilla aka Supreme La Rock) Mr. Tracy Armour Joshua Ortega Chris Risdon Joe Schloss Strath Shepard Spyridon Delon Williams
Ad Sales
Scott Griggs Steffani Jesus
Graphic Designers
Son Duong Soul One Specs
Intern
Collette Robinson
Photographers
Ron Archer B+ (Brian Cross) Leonard Carter Rachel Crick
Contributors
Roy Atizado Jay Barber Steve Bassett Beni B, BGD Black Tek Concave Dave Blackburn Bobbito Garcia Fred Bomber Boogie Boy Charlie R. Braxton Matt "Head Clown" Brown C-Rule Sarah Cain Jay E. Cee Chas Chino Dao-Yi Chow (Durwin Chow/Shcemz GNS) Tobin Costen Cut Cannibal C Wendy Day DJ Neil Armstrong DJ Powerlord DJ Zed Kay Dougherty Dulce-Love (Cristina Verán) DV One E-Legal (Ian McNee) E-Rok Marc Ferman Antoine "Wave" Garnier Graham Grammer Gavin Graves Marc Greevey Tom Hackett Eric "E-Sharp" Hansen Teresa Holt Mark Humphries Shane “Sureshot” Hunt J-Swing Jacqui M Joey Robert Johnson Jumbo Kardbord Klown/Phanatik Kay B, Kilocee Know One Kool Mike James L. Lance Lisa Latendresse MC Emil Tracii McGregor Adrian Miller Mike Nardone Nouka Novocaine 132 O-Dub Jess Ortega Joseph Patel Peanut Butter Wolf Frank Quattlebaum Real Thorough Jeny Roy Ben Saunders MC Serch Sert Side A (Keith Griego) Skitz Spence Dookey Scott Spencer * Sean Spooner Pei Sun Supa Dupa Supherb Syze T. Eric Monroe Joanna "Jo Jo" Tabora (Dyckhoff) Ray Tamara Taminika Terry John Valez Jasmine Vega Jake Wicklund Aubrey Williams Elliott Wilson Emily Wines Ted Woodberry Yusef Afloat Z-Trip
Legacy In 2021, issues of The Flavor were featured in Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop, a traveling exhibition curated by Vikki Tobak and directed by Fab 5 Freddy, in its installation at the Museum of Pop Culture.
In 2018, 206 Zulu presented The Flavor with a 206 Zulu Vanguard Award.
The Flavor has been discussed in hip-hop history books and press retrospectives. Daudi Abe's book Emerald Street: A History of Hip Hop in Seattle (2020) examines the magazine's role in Seattle's hip-hop scene, and Matthew Gasteier's book Nas's Illmatic (2009) states that The Flavor was the first magazine to put Nas on its cover, ahead of the release of Illmatic. A 2023 SPIN magazine retrospective on Seattle hip-hop group the Elevators corroborates this, also noting The Flavor was the first to feature Nas on its cover.
References
External links
Propadata Films (November 3, 2018). The Flavor: A Real Hip-Hop Magazine. Retrieved July 31, 2026 – via YouTube.