What you have before you is the final issue of Vibe magazine. It’s true, Vibe is closing shop. I was going to say that I called it months ago but, really, who didn’t see this one coming?

Says the New York Times:

Vibe, one of the nation’s leading popular music magazines, is closing immediately, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Word leaked to music and media news Web sites early this afternoon, and the spokeswoman, Tracy Nguyen, said the Vibe staff would be formally notified in a meeting at 2 p.m. She said she did not know how many people would be laid off as a result of the closure.

Vibe’s closure leaves just one large-circulation magazine, The Source, focusing on hip-hop and R&B. The Source has had its own troubles, going through a bankruptcy and emerging under new ownership last year. A rock-focused magazine, Blender, folded last year.

It’s worth noting that Vibe’s demise says more about the collapse of print advertising than it does the decline of hip-hop or even the music business. Sadly, this one hits close to heart not only because I actually read it. Plus, I have some friends there who now have to go find new jobs in this sh*tty economy.

[Cover via: Rap Radar]