''King'' is a website geared toward
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
and
urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
male audiences. It features articles about
hip-hop and
R&B as well as sports and fashion. The magazine is published by
Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
and was a spinoff from ''
XXL''.
The magazine was started in 2002. It ceased publication on March 31, 2009, citing failing ad sales as a result of the poor economy and plans to release monthly installments soon. It resumed publication, this time as a quarterly magazine, in late 2009. It was later suspended again, and the website was sold by
Harris Publications
Harris Publications Inc. was an American special interest media company, operating over 75 brands with print, digital, mobile and live event platforms prior to its sale to Athlon Media in 2016. It produced magazines that educate, entertain, inf ...
to Townsquare Media in 2014.
''King'' magazine is mainly characterized by its lavish
photoshoots, which usually feature scantily-clad women, often complete with an interview from the featured model. The subjects of these shoots range from professional models such as
Melyssa Ford
Melyssa Savannah Ford (born November 7, 1976) is a Canadian media personality, actress, and former video vixen. She attended York University and studied in the field of forensic psychology. She is often referred to as Jessica Rabbit, an animated ...
and
Toccara to well-known musicians and actresses, including
Trina
Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga".
Trina has been described by '' XXL'' as "the mos ...
,
Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...
and
Elise Neal
Elise Demetria Neal (born March 14, 1966) is an American actress. Her big break came with three 1997 films, appearing in ''Rosewood'', '' Money Talks'' and ''Scream 2''.
From 1998 to 2002, Neal starred as Yvonne Hughley in the ABC/ UPN sitcom ...
. It also features interviews with rappers. The magazine almost exclusively uses pictures from its photoshoots as the cover of the magazine. The
Lycos 50 Daily Report noted the magazine received more online searches than ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' or ''
Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...
''.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Official site''Kings Myspace Page
African-American magazines
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Harris Publications titles
Hip hop magazines
Magazines established in 2005
Magazines disestablished in 2009
Magazines published in Connecticut
Men's magazines published in the United States
Online magazines with defunct print editions
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