Magazines and other periodicals, 1979-2015

Magazines, books, photographs, flyers, posters, label and artist promotional press packets, business records, and music sales and distribution catalogs document numerous Hip Hop artists and events, particularly in Atlanta and throughout the South. Nearly 2,000 issues of national and regional Hip Hop and urban music magazines chronicle the rise and spread of Hip Hop culture, and its specific look and sound as it emerged in different regions of the country. The collection is especially strong in the 1980s, 1990s, and the early 2000s - the era before online content began to suppress the number and variety of paper publications. The archive provides information about urban arts, music, entertainment, and the black alternative press during the last quarter of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st.