Word Up! (magazine)

Word Up! was an American magazine focusing on teen entertainment and music. The magazine was part of Enoble Media Group.^[1] Its main focuses were African-American teen singers, rappers, models, and prodigies. The magazine came out monthly and usually had many posters and contests for fans of famous "To Die For" celebrities. It was very popular in the 1980s. The magazine mostly covered information concerning rap, Hip-hop and R&B music. The headquarters was in Paramus, New Jersey.^[1]

In Fall 2006, Run-D.M.C.'s Rev Run's daughter Angela Simmons had a mini mag with Word Up called Angela's Rundown.^[2] It was to generate interest and give Angela her own spin off magazine.^[3] In November 2007 Word Up printed Angela's own stand alone magazine^[4] that had Bow Wow, Omarion, and herself on the cover.

As of 2012, Word Up has ceased publication.^[5] The last dated issue was April 2012.

Trivia

The late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. referenced the magazine in his song "Juicy". He opens with the line "It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine". He then refers to a specific photo appearing in the magazine portraying Salt N Pepa in a limousine with Heavy D. The line also appears in Jay-Z's song, "Dream". This line was also used in the Tamar Braxton song "The One".

References