Cover Stories
John is a creative and tactical content executive with nearly 20 years of experience writing, editing, and documenting culture, race, and men's interests for print and online mediums. He has a proven track record of building media brands from the ground floor and helping established entities successfully pivot and grow.
John has held senior editorial positions at high-pressure, deadline-centric magazines (VIBE, XXL) as well as in ever-changing startup environments (Medium, Genius), where he remained adaptable and able to wear several hats. He has a passion for storytelling, whether long- or short-form writing, social or ad copy, still graphics, or video.
Cover Stories
Wrote and reported this 2014 VIBE magazine cover story Q&A with Drake, also interviewing his 'Nothing Was the Same' collaborators for added context that appears in the article's footnotes.
XXL's Winter 2018 cover story, written in narrative format with multiple interviews with Offset, Quavo, Takeoff, and others.
Reported and conducted interviews for this narrative VIBE magazine cover story (my first!).
Pitched and interviewed Nas and J. Cole for VIBE's 2013 magazine cover story Q&A.
I reported and wrote this digital cover story Q&A with Earn Your Leisure co-founders Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, also providing art direction for the cover image and video oversight for social content.
Wrote this narrative feature on Ed Sheeran with first-hand and secondary reporting. Also managed and provided direction on video content.
Reporting
An oral history of Nas' classic compilation album 'The Lost Tapes,' featuring interviews with producers, executives, DJs, and Nas himself. Pitched, researched, reported, and written by me.
Narrative profile on the rapper IDK, with first-hand and secondary reporting.
A deep dive on Rihanna's musical life before blowing up. Pitched, written, and reported by me.
Interviewed Queens rapper turned community watchman Anthony Herron Jr., writing and reporting the story in an as-told-to style.
The making of Dreamville's 'Revenge of the Dreamers III' album. Concepted the piece; wrote the intro; coordinated, planned and executed interviews; and managed a team of writers to bring this to completion.
An interview with the late Nipsey Hussle about his personal investment in cryptocurrency and Bitcoin, and why you may want to get involved.
Essays
A personal essay about loss, good times, and rediscovery through Howard University homecoming.
A personal essay about my relationship with my hair, from growth to maintenance.
A personal essay about an ironic turn of events amid the meme stock craze of 2020 and 2021.
Lists
I ranked and reviewed nearly 300 Jay-Z songs.