Vibe Revived: Reflections from Vibe Magazine’s Trailblazing Writers and Editors
Part of the yearlong event series Quincy Jones: Beyond Category

ADMISSION & CAMPUS ACCESS:
Admission is free. Reservations are required. Campus access is limited to registered guests and USC students, staff, and faculty with current USC ID.

RSVP 

DESCRIPTION:
In the early 1990s, Quincy Jones launched Vibe, a hugely influential publication that forever changed the landscape of Black popular culture. According to Complex, it was “the first periodical to cover rap, R&B, rock, reggae, dance music, fashion, sports, and politics—all through the prism of what people were just beginning to call ‘urban culture.’”  The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts notes that “the magazine included interviews with notable figures in American hip-hop, stories showcasing Black intellectuals, such as Dr. Cornel West, and advertised Black-owned businesses such as Phat Farm and FUBU.”

Held in conjunction with the 2025 Pop Conference hosted at the USC Thornton School of Music, this event will gather original music writers, critics, and editors from the early days of Vibe to discuss their experiences, the magazine, and its legacy.

Guests will include:
Keith Clinkscales, President
Rob Kenner, Founding Editor
Joan Morgan, Staff Writer
Scott Poulson-Bryant, Founding Editor
Emil Wilbekin, Editor-in-Chief

 

This event is part of Quincy Jones: Beyond Category, an event series organized by the USC Thornton School of Music to explore, elevate, and celebrate Quincy Jones’s life and legacy. Working across styles and idioms including classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and film scoring—and breaking ground for African American achievement in the entertainment industries—Jones has garnered the highest levels of critical and commercial acclaim. 

Related events:

Screening Quincy Jones: Duke Ellington… We Love You Madly
Friday, September 20, 2024, at 7 p.m.
Norris Cinema Theatre
Get more info HERE.

Presenting Patti Austin: A Vocal Masterclass
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, from 3 to 5 p.m. 
Carson Soundstage
Get more info HERE.

In Tune with Quincy Jones: A Special Panel Event Featuring Q’s Key Collaborators
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. 
Bovard Auditorium
Get more info HERE.

The Making of Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration—A Close Listening Session
Thursday, November 21, 2024, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Carson Soundstage
Get more info HERE.

Quincy Jones Symphonic: A USC Concert Experience
Friday, March 14, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
Bovard Auditorium
Get more info HERE.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC Thornton School of Music in collaboration with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Pop Con.