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ABOUT XXL XXL is a hip-hop magazine from Harris Publications. Since 1997, XXL has competed with hip-hop powerhouses such as The Source magazine and Vibe magazine. It was started by former Source staffers James Bernard, Robert Marriott and Reginald Dennis, as well as others who wanted to create a better magazine than The Source,. XXL is an urban lifestyle magazine that covers all aspects of Hip-Hop culture. As the new voice of the Hip-Hop generation, XXL focuses on music, style, sports and politics with intelligence, sophistication, integrity and, most of all, respect. In August, 2005, Eminem and XXL teamed up to release a special issue titled XXL Presents Shade 45, and was designed to give maximum exposure to Shade 45 as a radio station, and at the same time give maximum exposure to the Shady Records label as a whole, as well as the radio DJ's and G-Unit Records' artists. XXL executive Publisher, Jonathan Rheingold, stated that typically magazines based around particular artists were not favourable, but "since Shade 45 is a truly authentic and uncensored rap radio channel, the marriage with the XXL brand made sense," before adding that it is what would interest rap fans.
ANALYSING THE FRONT COVER The model is Lil Wayne who is one of the most famous hip-hop artist around. The magazine is using the celebrity to sell the magazine. He is using a direct mode of address and he handles his clothes in a certain way that gives out the fact that he is a hip-hop artist (e.g. baggy trousers.) “XXL” is slightly covered by the model. The name of the magazine is written in a big white font with a red back ground. It stands out from the rest of the cover because the colour is eye catching and bright. It’s a good way of capturing people’s attention. The colour scheme is kept simple by using only red, black and white. This way the readers will be more focused on the picture and the writings on the magazine. The colour is quite masculine which suggests that the magazine is aimed for men. On the right side is a list of the artists included in the content of the magazine which is a good way to attract potential buyers. People would be more interested on buying a magazine if their idol is being talked about. This is another way to grab the readers’ attention . The font is written big and bold and it’s on the center of the magazine. The quote is also very catchy and people would want to know straight away what makes him say that.
COMPARING THE FRONT COVERS From looking at all these front covers, I can see that they have slightly covered the name in all the magazines. This suggests that the magazine is well known and they assume that people would know their magazine straight away without showing the name fully. The front cover models are also male which suggests that the target audience is mostly male. All of them are also black which means that the magazine is aimed mainly for black hip-hop fans. I’ve also noticed that Lil Wayne has been on the front covers of this magazine for numerous times. This shows that the magazine is using certain artists to sell their magazine and by using a famous artist like Lil Wayne who is know worldwide, it would increase their sales. The colour scheme used in the magazines is mostly black, red and white. These colours are used to attract male readers as these colours won’t be as appealing to the female audiences.
TARGET AUDIENCE The target audience for XXL magazine is male hip-hop fans. This is because the contents inside the magazine is more appealing to men and sexual images is also common . The advertisement in the magazine are also male products and there were only a few female products. The products were also expensive from looking at the labels which indicates the economic status of the target audience. The magazine is mostly talking about hip-hop artists, albums, interviews etc. This tells us that the target audience is for people who are into the hip-hop lifestyle and music. This magazine won’t be appealing to rock or pop fans.
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