All Hail the Queens: The Ave Presents Breakthrough Women's Issue

The Ave magazine -- a quarterly hip-hop publication that covers music, fashion and entertainment while addressing important social and political issues relevant to hip-hop culture -- will present its first ever Women's Issue with its Summer '05 edition.

Acknowledging the important contributions of women from all walks of life, the self-proclaimed "street movement in print" will highlight some of the greatest moments in women's history and spotlight 76 significant female figures that have made major contributions to our society and culture. Also to be included in the groundbreaking issue is a pair of investigative pieces on the lack of feminism in hip-hop and the growing problem of AIDS within the black community, particularly among African American women.

Terror Squad's First Lady Remy Ma is set to grace the cover page of the landmark issue. Inside the cover pages, the Bronx bombshell discusses her role, or lack thereof, in the dissemination of over-sexed images of women in hip-hop and an artist's responsibility in helping to change them. Remy also opens up about her mother's battle with drugs, contemplating abortion as a teen, and her overall perspective on the state of hip-hop.

In the second cover story, veteran emcee Common takes some time to discuss his critically acclaimed new album, Be. The windy city rhymer also reveals his experiences with the women who have influenced his life and career, including neo-soulstress Erykah Badu.

Other highlights in The Ave's Summer '05 edition include Bad Boy recording artist Babs, who recounts the death of her boyfriend; Murphy Lee and Lil Wayne's pursuit of a college degree; and a tribute to political exile Assata Shakur, a former Black Panther who recently has had a bounty of one million dollars placed on her by the federal government.

The Ave's coverage of both the music and issues has affected the hip-hop community in a major way, since its birth a little over a year ago. Even other magazine editors have commented on the effect the magazine has had on them.

"The Ave magazine commands respect from the streets on up, due to its political yet stylish view on the social issues that concern everyone from the average cat to the corporate heavyweight through hip-hop and urban culture's ever expanding world," says Datwon Thomas, Editor-In Chief of King magazine.

From the biggest stars to relevant community issues, The Ave is truly a street movement in print. It is distributed nationally on newsstands and at all Tower Records, Virgin Mega Stores, Barnes & Nobles and Borders Books.

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