“Stress Magazine”
a book by Living Proof.
Stress Magazine o!icially went out of business in 2003.
Living Proof has worked with KET to release a book in
celebration of the 30 year anniversary of its launch,
containing the defining stories of every issue, 1995-
2003.
Founded in New York City in 1995 by a group of gra!iti
writers, artists, and hustlers with no editorial experience,
Stress Magazine emerged as one of New York’s most
influential magazines that rejected the perspective
of mainstream media in favor of firsthand accounts
from rappers, gra!iti writers, hustlers, convicts, and
neighborhood figures.
Launching with Raekwon on its first cover, Stress went
on to champion artists including Jay-Z, RZA, Mobb Deep,
Fat Joe, and CNN, while placing gra!iti at the center of its
identity through the work of writers such as REVS, GIZ,
GHOST, JAKEE, SANE SMITH, and JA ONE.
