Substack Chronicles
My URB odyssey at six months
“You coulda been anywhere in the world, but you’re here with me.” —Jay-Z
On March 29th of this year, I was grateful to be free from a corporate job for the first time in over a decade. More on that later. Sitting in my home office, curious about what I could do with the URB Archive, I started to test-drive Substack. I wanted to see if it would be a good home for a relaunched pilot. I had no real plan or idea of how people would respond, but I was eager to share my journey. I started an account and uploaded a test post, quickly followed by two more.
In my third post, I detailed our struggles in the late-2000s when the print edition of this magazine was dying. Writing honestly about my personal experience and the trauma I’d internalized for years was cathartic. I saw how this platform could provide me with a new outlet. Or, in my case, a form of free therapy.
For entrepreneurs like me, Substack prides itself on being a place where storytellers can build their audience outside of gunked-up social feeds—and get paid. So, as prompted, I set up annual and monthly subscription options, including a “Founding Member” level.
Within a few hours, I got my first paid subscription. It was also clear this beta test would be more public than I had planned. Next came my first founding member. And several free subscribers followed. I hadn’t even figured out my content strategy. It didn’t matter. The “new” URB Magazine had launched.
By April 4th, I had doubled down with a LinkedIn post, essentially committing my professional self to this adventure. The last time I’d been a full-time writer was as a contributor to the Huffington Post, writing about social and political issues in the late aughts. Substack was my return.
Return to Office
If I hadn’t left my full-time corporate job earlier this year, freeing up much-needed mental space, I doubt I’d have taken the leap of faith as an independent writer and curator again. But secretly, I had been desperate to. I found myself on a mission that aligned with my passion for culture, storytelling, photography, and history, in whatever form that took.
So, it was onward into Substack Land with a handful of paid subs in the bank. I quickly realized this wasn’t going to replace a big tech salary. The dollars from paid memberships for most Substacks don’t come anywhere near a sustainable income. (Of course, there are stunning exceptions).
Most mornings, I report to my new job after a 30-second commute to another part of the house. Artwork hangs on the walls, and a bottle of mezcal sits within reach of a low-slung Modernica guest chair. Every inch is overflowing with packed Ikea shelves full of vinyl, books, and magazines. Archival photo boxes are stacked neatly like a gallery office. Record crates are nested in five-foot-high towers. It’s heaven.
History in the Making
Every archive is delicate. Most people don’t realize that until one disappears or is in jeopardy. As much as I know this to be fact, I’m still in awe when I pull out an image from a file and marvel at how it survived for three decades, immaculate. My next thought is how to protect it for another three.
At the heart of this mission is history. Not as an exclusive island for curious nerds or a boring course in middle school. But as stories that inform and enrich our lives. It’s why we get nostalgic. Or why “50 years of hip-hop” matter. The future is a reflection of our past.
History is why new music, as unique as it might sound, is likely an echo of something from years before. The music itself is history. The culture we are creating right now is history.
1K Subscribers
In these six months, I’ve learned to ask for your feedback. Comments, emails, and little red hearts inspire me to keep going.
But what should exist beyond this blog? A book? A return to print?
What about URB.COM? Would an exhibit or a traveling tour of underground memorabilia be cool? A YouTube series? TikTok?
Some of you want all the issues digitized. I’m working on that.
I plan to create exclusive content and perks for paid subscribers in the coming six months. It’s an honor to have even a small base of paying readers. I want to reward those of you who do support at a financial level.
My next milestone is reaching 1,000 subscribers, and I think I can get there in October. If you’re not a subscriber, it’s 100% free to become one. Another way you can help is by sharing my posts with your followers.
This will remain a free newsletter for the foreseeable future, but if you have the means, please consider upgrading to a paid membership. It will help me continue to grow. There’s a special offer below for you.
As always, THANK YOU for being here.
Where do we go next?
Please Please Please post the covers in order on one page. It would be like finding a Time Machine and visiting my teenage self.
A few years ago I saw the excellent Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop at The Annenberg Space for Photography, and then again at The Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. An URB-curated exhibit focusing on the last 30+ years of underground music and urban culture would be just as compelling!