Keri Hilson & T.I. Cover VIBE Dec/Jan Issue

VIBE’s December/January 2011 issue (on newsstands November 30th) features a holiday issue with two presents: a glamorous cover shoot with R&B honey Keri Hilson and a candid interview with cover subject T.I. that took place one week before he began serving a jail sentence.

In “Pretty Good,” Keri Hilson talks about her second solo album “No Boys Allowed,” her journey from songwriter to performer and how she plans to break out from her role as the feature artist for Timberland, T.I., Nas and Kanye.

“Mercy Me,” T.I.’s last interview before he headed off to serve a jail term for drug possession, gives him a forum to discuss his path from fatherless child to teenage drug and gun runner to successful rapper and back to using drugs. His new album “No Mercy” will be released while he serves time in Arkansas’ Forrest City prison.

“We are very excited about this issue as it marks our one year anniversary under new management and pushes the content to new heights,” said Brett Wright, VIBE’s Co-CEO and Chief Creative Officer.

The issue also features “Once Again, It’s the Life,” a photo essay and story about Jay-Z’s triumphant concert at NY’s new Yankee Stadium and his meteoric rise and long term reign on the top of the hip-hop heap, written by dream hampton, co-author of Jay-Z’s New York Times bestselling book Decoded; and “Losing Isiah,” an interview with Isiah Thomas about highs and lows of coaching in the NBA.

“A sold out hip-hop show in Yankee Stadium is historical and it’s only fitting that it took place in the borough where hip-hop was birthed,” said Jermaine Hall, VIBE’s Editor-in-Chief. “Jay-Z raised the bar for the culture again that night.”