Old(er) skool magz from the 239
woah!!! I was cleaning out the garage and found a crate of local old school magz. These were free publications from the earlier half of the decade (doesn't seem that long ago) that were picked up around swfl. Just looking at this is a head trip that brings back some memories.
FLASH was a downtown Ft. Myers mag started by photographer Seth Barlow. It seemed to cater to the upscale techno scene which dominated the clubs at the turn of the century. The mag itself is a pocket size 5" x 4" printed on thick, glossy card stock. I dug it. I think there was an autographed calendar of local bikini models that came with this.
Almost forgot that we were the 941 before we became the 239. Ya Heard Magazine was printed in black and white and later it was printed in full color. It was cool seeing articles on underground rappers like Golden Child whom I've seen in freestyle cyphers, just killin' it. (Actually there was a whole crop of really talented emcees in swfl coming up around this time). Local rapper, Polo Abasi was connected to this mag. I met him one time at Unity Gain Studios in Ft. Myers. I was hanging with a rapper named 04TK, and Polo did a verse for his song and he seemed like a straight up kind of guy. Later I found out that Polo died of cancer shortly after that.
There is also an article on Dream Team Radio founder J-Styles. Back then he was known as DJ N'Famous... You can still see J-Styles smashing up the clubs locally down here... maybe we should do a detailed article on that in a future issue? humm...
2Three9 was a monthly newspaper. I think the guy who published this went to FGCU. This issue had alot of articles on "How to decorate your dorm" with advice like "get a plant" or "buy silverware" - gee, they must have been giving away degrees back then if you needed advice like that ... However, there was a cool article on DJ Ramo G. It talked about how he was recruited by a radio station due to the crowds he drew while spinning at (club) Area 51 out in Port Charlotte.
Originally called The Orlando Source (until The Source Magazine threatened to sue due to copyright infringement), Ozone Magazine was started by Julia Beverly and went on to become one of the leading hip-hop mags in the industry. But back in the day, Ozone was a Florida mag that used to get picked up for free down here because DJ Quest was the main distributor for this area and one of it's early supporters. The mags were given out every couple of months. Pictured are the earlier issues which were printed on thick glossy card stock - not like the flimsy stuff you get today. I remember first reading about guys like Pit Bull, the artists from TJ's Dj's, Mike Jones- when they all first came out before they exploded and helped put the South on the map. I also got the chance to meet Julia at a $2 bill tour in Miami.
Crown Magazine was a local Hip-hop mag that was slightly before its time. I had worked there as an editor. I remember talking to local club owners who looked at us like we were the anti-christ as they flat out refused to carry it because (in a screaming voice) "We don't play that urban shit in our clubs!". Then you have guys like DJ 007 who paved the way down here locally for hip-hop to be played in the upscale or size-able venues. A couple of years later, you see Paris Hilton and Ashton Kutcher dancing to DJ AM on Mtv and then ALL the local clubs were playing "that urban shit" - go figure…
I'm sure there are more local magazines out there but these were the main one's that I found...
Shameless plug (evil laughter)... A new issue of Finnado Mag! is at the printers and coming soon for the 239. It's a free publication, jammed packed with local talent from Rock to Hip-Hop, DJ's to Models.
** We are looking for people who'd like to be distributors to the parts of town that you know and live by. We're also looking for street teamers ** help support local artists. email for more info: [email protected]
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