BONAFIDE MAGAZINE
Ladies and Gentlemen, B-Boys and B-Girls, welcome to Bonafide Magazine. Check the Freshness.
Bonafide is devoted to individuals who have not compromised their ideas and values in pursuit of success. Heads who have changed the rules of the game. Without trying to frantically put a thumb on the zeitgeist, Bonafide is a celebration of dope old school, mid school and new school creativity.
The magazine is produced by people who care. It’s crafted outside of our 9-5s to create something that we’d like to read and know there are a loads of people out there who like it too. Our aim is simple; provide original coverage on where hip-hop has been, is at and where it’s heading.
Bookmark this site for regular news, reviews, competitions, updates and links. And shit.
Bonafide started out as a printed magazine and still very much is a printed magazine. Bonafide 01 dropped the bomb. A limited run printed with blood, sweat and tears, it gathered interest from all over the globe. We’re now on issue 03 and if you hadn’t already gathered it’s bigger, better and badass-ier. Not sure if that’s an actual word but I think you get the idea.
BONAFIDE 05
Bonafide set out with the aim to celebrate ‘old-school, mid-school and new-school creativity’, five issues on we’re proud to present the old school x new school issue. In hip-hop chronological order we speak to the Godfather of it all, Grandmaster Flash, profile EPMD, the funky Long Island duo from the golden age of rap and get crazy with ‘the lazy hustler’ and fourth Beastie Boy, Ricky Powell. Still in NYC, we speak to a leading voice for alternative hip-hop, EL-P, who, nearly 15 years on from the release of the Funcrusher Plus (as part of Company Flow), reveals that there’s plenty of drive left in the tank. From the West Coast we catch up with the revered turntablist and Beat Junkie, J Rocc.
In the new-school side of the magazine, we break bread with those responsible for some of the most exhilarating new sounds in British urban music. We have exclusives with DELS and Ghostpoet as they launch their careers with original and nuanced albums. For this issue’s roundtable we speak with the men behind Numbers, the Glasgow based record label that has rewritten the rulebook on how techno, electronic, R’n’B, house and hip-hop music should sound. And the resulting mutant strain of bass music is destroying dance floors the world over. On the visual side, we delve deep into the Brainfeeder psyche, speaking with designer and artist Charles Munka about his contribution to the label’s distinct art direction.
The first 100 issues bought via the Bonafide shop will receive a redeemable code (sent via email within 48 hours) for a free copy of DELS’ Gob EP, including the original single and remixes by Dave Sitek of Tv on the Radio (catch a listen here), Untold and Ry9n.
You can also buy Bonafide in the TATE Modern bookshop, Rough Trade, Fopp, Magma, all good online and physical record stores and for the first time, HMV, from May 15th.
BONAFIDE 04
As usual we’ve raised the stakes and aimed to put out something that you won’t find anywhere else. A UK themed issue from the red and blue colour scheme to the fashion imagery through to the innovative musicians and artists we’ve spoken to, issue 04 celebrates our very own local originators.
Peep the roll call of exclusives. On the music tip we’ve got exclusive features with the bedrock of UK hip-hop. From the grey High Plains of Huddersfield, Jehst and the YNR crew, cover star Klashnekoff reloading for his next saga, the cerebral thoughts of Ty, electronic pioneers Coldcut/Ninja Tune and Daddy Skitz. Also in the mix is the un-definable Jamie Lidell, floating vocals from Fatima, the relentless underground warrior Cappo and Radio 1xtra DJs Benji B, Mista Jam and DJ Target.
On the visual side of things we chat to street artist agent provocateur D*Face, visual storyteller Slinkachu, dope designers Oscar and Ewan, and include illustrations by some of the UK’s finest pencil wielding talent.
Oh yeah, and from across the Pond, the one and only Mutha Fecking Gaslamp Killer drops in for a cup of tea. Cop your copy here or from the usual stockists including TATE, Fopp, Magma, Rough Trade and all good record stores.
BONAFIDE 03
For this issue we some how managed to convince one of our favourite, and modern music’s most imaginative art directors to design our front cover. And Jeff Jank (Stones Throw records) certainly comes up with the goods in this comic book-inspired cut-up of a Strong Arm Steady/Planet Asia/J Rocc image – dope to the power of a gazillion.
Inside the magazine we delve deep into the psyche of some of the most exciting MCs of the last 20 years including the polemical Mr Lif, renaissance man Raekwon the Chef, avant-garde sound sorcerers Anti-Pop Consortium and native tongue pioneers De La Soul. As well as getting the lo-down from two of the finest purveyors of modern funk, Malcolm Catto and Dam Funk who reveals he’s “more Gary Numan” than Sly Stone. On a slightly surreal tip we speak to an animated Jamaican commando who lost his arm in a secret zombie war – it could only be party animal Major Lazer. We also continue our theme of exploration into the art & design of music promotion with Jeff Jank and closer to home, Jonathon Cooke from Village Green, the team behind Fabric’s distinct art direction and countless album covers. Continuing on the UK angle we got down with Sheffield club kid-come-Radio 1- tastemaker Toddla T, beat boxer extraordinaire Shlomo and Task Force’s Farma G who reveals another side to the UK’s rowdiest rap group.
BONAFIDE 02
With crispy clean visuals and incisive editorial throughout, issue 02 has exclusive features and in-depth interviews with Neon Neon, Large Professor, Peanut Butter Wolf, Kid Acne, Kidkanevil, Flying Lotus, Ben Eine, Gareth Bayliss, Mo’ Wax and more. You can get one here. Stocks are limited so hurry up and grab one ’cause once they’re gone they’re gone for good. Peep it.
BONAFIDE 01
This is where it all kicked off, featuring One Self, Kool Keith, George Dubose, DJ Woody, Mystro, Ehquestionmark?, Answer, Eelus and more. Click Here to grab a copy. We only have a few copies left so be sure to secure your piece of publication history.
