 | This article contains an excessive amount of intricate detail. (August 2026) |
| Editor | Alison Pember |
|---|---|
| Categories | Music Magazine |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Alison Pember |
| Founder | Alison Pember (Founder), Rachel Crick (Co-Founder) |
| Founded | 1992 |
| First issue | Issue #1 - March 1992 |
| Final issue | Issue #34 - 1996 |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Seattle, WA |
| Language | English |
The Flavor was an American hip hop magazine published between 1992 and 1996.
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.[citation needed]
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.
The Flavor Magazine published 34 issues between 1992 and 1996. The following tables provide a chronological overview of the publication's issues.
| 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 |
| 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 |
* 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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John Valez
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.