VIBE brought together hip-hop, R&B, style and wider Black popular culture through cover stories, photography and cultural reporting.

About this issue and its era: Whitney Houston anchors this special year-end double issue, which also advertises coverage of Def Jam, Queensbridge, the Bay Area and Andre Harrell. Houston’s extraordinary voice had made her a global pop and R&B star; this cover falls in the Waiting to Exhale period, when her film work and soundtrack presence connected music, cinema and Black women’s popular culture.

Issue: VIBE, December 1995 / January 1996. Physical vintage magazine; one copy available.

Visible cover condition: Visible spine creasing and rubbing, corner wear and small edge chips. The lower-left cover edge and upper corners show handling wear.

Interior pages, inserts, posters and binding have not been inspected; no claim of completeness or a formal condition grade is made. Photograph shows the actual copy offered. The background has been removed, with artwork, labels, creases and wear preserved.