1990S HIP HOP PUBLICIST ON ROLLING STONE

Leyla Turkkan Represented Ice Cube, Public Enemy and other golden age acts

Jann Wenner’s recent sexist/racist remarks in the New York Times has had the music world talking. So much so that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame board has removed him from a seat on the very institution he helped found. Yesterday I received an email frol Leyla Turkkan, who once ran Set To Run public relations company, who represented some of the most progressive and aggressive rap artists, including Public Enemy and Ice Cube. Acts, that despite Wenner’s comments, were extremely “articulate.” I asked her could I repost her memories of dealing of Rolling Stone as a publicist for hip hop. I thought Leyla experiences really showed the practical impact of Wenner’s prejudices on black music in general and hip hop music specifically.

LEYLA TURKKAN:

“You do know about my boycott with the magazine back in the day when they began to cover black artists as they were selling so many records/cd’s on the radio and touring? It had gotten to a point they could no longer ignore it. 

“Still wish I could have said something this past year with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop and what is was like to do PR in the early seminal days of hip hop. Anyway, when I had huge clients that they wanted to cover, they always assigned the same white writers. 

“I got so pissed, I spoke to my artists and they got pissed and we all decided to tell rolling stone that if they wanted to write about them they needed to hire black writers. I took it a step further. The initial response was “there are no black writers that are good enough to write for rolling stone”

“Bad answer. You can imagine the reaction I had to that response. I sent samples of at least ten great writers to chose from. 

“Then I told them that not only did they have to use black writers but they had to create a staff position for one so they could also get all the benefits that came along with working there. Health care etc. Or else black artists would not allow rolling stone to interview them.  Of course the record companies and managers were furious with me. But it worked!  That’s how Toure got his first job as a staff writer at rolling stone. 

“I’m not saying I did anything special, but when I here Jan Wenner’s name and how many times I’ve been told Jan says blacks on the cover doesn’t sell magazines, my stomach would just get sick.”

Hip Hop won the war with the arrival of the Source and Vibe, but its a struggle that would have been made easier if gatekeepers at Rolling Stone, MTV and mainstream media hadn’t been so ignorant. So when see one of those insipd Rolling Stone best list, take into consideration the myoptic vision of those who compile it.