Smokey Fontaine
Encyclopedia
Smokey D. Fontaine is an American
writer, music critic
and editor. he is editor-in-chief of Giant
magazine. Sincs 2007, he also has been Chief Content Officer
of Interactive One, a digital network.
Jewish actress Pat Hartley (who appeared in several Andy Warhol
films as well as Rainbow Bridge and Absolute Beginners
) and British
documentary film
maker Dick Fontaine
(maker of the 1984 BBC
documentary Beat This: A Hip-Hop History
, in which the young Fontaine can briefly be seen sitting next to DJ Kool Herc). Growing up on Manhattan
's Upper West Side
around the corner from Rock Steady Park, home of the breakdancing pioneers Rock Steady Crew
, Fontaine did some DJ'ing himself while attending Bronx High School of Science
.
At Wesleyan University
(Middletown, Connecticut
, United States
), Fontaine double-majored in English
and African American studies
; while in college he met Stephanie Addison, his future wife.
After two years teaching in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
as part of the Teach for America
program, he returned to New York City, interned for VIBE
, and began writing on the side for British hip hop
magazine True, soon renamed as Trace
, where he eventually became an editor and hired away his own previous editor at VIBE, Scott Poulson-Bryant.
While at True/Trace he befriended Sean "Puffy" Combs
. His editor-in-chief thought the relationship was too close, and that Combs was using him. "We were certainly being hustled," said Fontaine later, "but in all hustles, there has to be a counter-hustle." Fontaine thought that their "little magazine with no money and no marketing" stood to "ride [Combs'] coattails"; the editor-in-chief disagreed; Fontaine soon left to become features editor for The Source
.
An assignment to write a cover story on rapper DMX
resulted in his spending two years as part of DMX's posse, getting 350 hours of interviews with him, which he shaped into E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.
In 2001, Fontaine hooked up with Damon Dash
(rapper Jay-Z
's manager); Dash financed the magazine America, with Fontaine running the show. The magazine first appeared in spring 2004. Fontaine left in 2006 after a falling out with Dash; he left to become editor-in-chief of Giant, starting with the August 2006 issue.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, music critic
Music criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
and editor. he is editor-in-chief of Giant
Giant (magazine)
GIANT was a magazine headquartered in New York geared to the urban music market. It began in October 2004 as a bimonthly publication catering to the interests of 20-something men, focusing on pop culture including reviews of video games, movies, fine tobacco, music, everyday happenings and...
magazine. Sincs 2007, he also has been Chief Content Officer
Chief content officer
A chief content officer is a senior officer in a broadcasting organisation and generally the highest ranking creative member of the organization....
of Interactive One, a digital network.
Life
Fontaine's parents are African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Jewish actress Pat Hartley (who appeared in several Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
films as well as Rainbow Bridge and Absolute Beginners
Absolute Beginners (film)
Absolute Beginners is a 1986 British rock musical film adapted from the Colin MacInnes book of the same name about life in late 1950s London. The film was directed by Julien Temple, featured David Bowie and Sade, and a breakout role by Patsy Kensit...
) and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
maker Dick Fontaine
Dick Fontaine
Dick Fontaine is an English documentary filmmaker, currently head of documentary direction at the National Film and Television School .Fontaine was one of the founders of Granada Television's World in Action series. He has made numerous films on African American music and other closely related...
(maker of the 1984 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary Beat This: A Hip-Hop History
Beat This: A Hip-Hop History
Beat This: A Hip-Hop History is a 1984 BBC documentary film about hip-hop culture, directed by Dick Fontaine. The cast includes Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Kool Herc — the film includes footage from Herc's original dance parties — The Cold Crush Brothers, Jazzy Jay, Brim Fuentes, and The Dynamic Rockers....
, in which the young Fontaine can briefly be seen sitting next to DJ Kool Herc). Growing up on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
around the corner from Rock Steady Park, home of the breakdancing pioneers Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew is a b-boying crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. The group was initially formed by b-boys named Jimmy D and Jojo. In subsequent years, Rock Steady Crew became a franchise name for groups in other locations. The Manhattan branch was...
, Fontaine did some DJ'ing himself while attending Bronx High School of Science
Bronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...
.
At Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
(Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), Fontaine double-majored in English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
and African American studies
African American studies
African American studies is a subset of Black studies or Africana studies. It is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans...
; while in college he met Stephanie Addison, his future wife.
After two years teaching in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as part of the Teach for America
Teach For America
Teach For America is an American non-profit organization that aims to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation's most promising future leaders to teach for two or more years in low-income communities throughout the United States...
program, he returned to New York City, interned for VIBE
VIBE
Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers...
, and began writing on the side for British hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
magazine True, soon renamed as Trace
Trace (magazine)
TRACE is a quarterly, internationally-distributed magazine with the tagline, 'transcultural styles + ideas'. It focuses on urban culture, and has featured on its cover some of the most significant black artists and models of the last decade, including Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Biggie Smalls,...
, where he eventually became an editor and hired away his own previous editor at VIBE, Scott Poulson-Bryant.
While at True/Trace he befriended Sean "Puffy" Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
. His editor-in-chief thought the relationship was too close, and that Combs was using him. "We were certainly being hustled," said Fontaine later, "but in all hustles, there has to be a counter-hustle." Fontaine thought that their "little magazine with no money and no marketing" stood to "ride [Combs'] coattails"; the editor-in-chief disagreed; Fontaine soon left to become features editor for The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
.
An assignment to write a cover story on rapper DMX
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
resulted in his spending two years as part of DMX's posse, getting 350 hours of interviews with him, which he shaped into E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.
In 2001, Fontaine hooked up with Damon Dash
Damon Dash
__NOINDEX__...
(rapper Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's manager); Dash financed the magazine America, with Fontaine running the show. The magazine first appeared in spring 2004. Fontaine left in 2006 after a falling out with Dash; he left to become editor-in-chief of Giant, starting with the August 2006 issue.
Works
- Coauthor with DMXDMX (rapper)Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
: E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX - Screenplay for Angel: One More Road to Cross (direct-to-video film, 2001)