Interview by Priya Pansuria

At the age of 21 Sean Lynch, better known as Kidd Future, interned with The Source magazine and showed how, “…[if] you want to see growth, you have to make growth.” Lynch, only twenty-four years young, is currently the Assistant Editor for the magazine and the host of The Source TV. With The Source approaching its twenty-fifth anniversary next year, Lynch wants us to know why The Source should be seen as Hip-Hop’s authority figure.

When did you start reading the The Source?

Early 2000s, junior high school. It had a Kanye West cover.

As a reader, what was The Source to you growing up?

It stuck out more than any other publication. As far as Hip-Hop magazines, the only one I really picked up was The Source. The Source would pop out. The covers drew me toward it, along with who was on them.

Check out the rest of the interview after the jump!

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You joined The Source at a time when they were re-branding. How have you seen it change or grow?

Two years and one month ago, we were in a transition period. It was a difficult period. Our goal was to keep reminding people who we were and why we were important to the culture. It was more of a “Do It Yourself” time when that happened. Now I’m in a position where the interns are left up to me. I find myself more on the other side of the fence. I think that’s important. It’s important to know where you came from. The better your intern’s do, the better the staff does, the better everyone does as a whole.

Don Morris, our creative director, does a great job of pulling it all together. Our editor Kim Osorio has mentored me a lot. She gave me opportunities when others didn’t. And the publisher of the Source, [L.] Londell McMillan, is great. We just have a great team.

If people don’t think we’re winning now, in the near future they’re going to know. It’s something that should be documented one day. I find it to be the best job in the world. I don’t consider it a job. I consider it an art form. I don’t wake up in the morning and hate what I do. It’s an over-zealous experience but it’s worthwhile.

During the re-branding process The Source brought in a group of young people, you being among them, then all of those young people were no longer a part of the Source except for you. What happened?

Any place is going to bring on young people. Getting young ears. We’re in an industry where money isn’t the easiest thing to find. I wasn’t brought on in a big group of people. We went through an Editor-In-Chief change. It was more of a characterized movement––not a youth movement.

What was it like being the youngest one there? What did you learn?

A lot more about the industry. Nothing about the industry is taught in school. You have to find out by working in the industry. There aren’t any books or classes for that. I had to learn all the intern trades. But being a small sized staff I picked up a lot of other stuff. I was learning about the brand itself. I would study everything––Its ups and downs, the trials and errors they faced, the bad era of the magazine. Everything.

I learned a lot about the publication before I could learn anything about the industry. I then went in and learned how to talk to people, how to approach people. It was my way of becoming self-sufficient. Some people leave their job and don’t think about it. To me it was constantly on my mind. I was constantly thinking about it.

What direction would you like to see The Source go in?

I think we have more of a digital process right now. Magazines are in a dark time right now. We’re doing well, but everything’s going digital. I just want people to see The Source for what The Source is. It is the number one Hip-Hop magazine. I don’t have a problem saying that.

I think bloggers have become the new authority figures. Anyone can make a blog. I can just make a blog and go around and say, “This is wack, this is hot.” I would like The Source to be accepted for what it is––the authority of Hip-Hop. We’re going to be in existence for 25 years next year. But think of all the magazines that have come in 25 years, and we’re still here. There’s so much history here. The Biggie cover, the Lil Kim and Foxy cover. If all these blogs were out back then, think of how different it’d all be.

I’d like for The Source to be seen and respected as the authority, because I think people lean a little bit too much towards the blogs.

Is A&Ring something you see yourself doing more of outside of The Source in the future?

I totally see myself being an A&R and helping labels. If you think about it, labels are in a bad situation. They’re doing well, but now independent seems to be the way to go and [labels are] going to have to go back to the drawing boards.

I could see myself working for a record label. I can trust my ear. I’ve been listening to Kendrick Lamar since he was K Dot. It comes down to trusting my ear and knowing what’s hot and what’s not. I can see myself doing that because it’s something fun and something I like doing. Knowing that I can do something because I have access to it is cool. It’s another one of those things that I can do on my own.

What advice would you give to another young person trying to come up in the industry that you wish someone had told you?

Never say no. There aren’t too many jobs out there––in any industry. If you’re an intern and you’re young and you want to see growth, you have to make growth. Every time you say no, someone else behind you will say yes 10 times faster.

Know your craft. Let the work speak for itself. Sometimes people are too over ambitious for it and try to be noticed. There’s no blueprint of how to succeed in the industry, you just have to work for it.

Who do you listen to the most right now?

A lot of different things: Kendrick’s “Swimming Pool,” Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf’s new project. A lot of old stuff too. MF Doom, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane. A lot of good Hip-Hop. I’m not really the guy to listen to club music. I like stuff with meaning.

Which upcoming artist do you feel people need to keep their eye on?

Tef Poe From St. Louis, Steez, CJ Fly of Pro.Era. Danny Swain a young cat catching the ears of Quest Love and Jay-Z. Nitty Scott MC one of the dopest young female MC’s. Action Bronson, Killa Kyleon, Rockie Fresh, Jhene Aiko, Flatbush Zombies, Mr Muthafukin eXquire and a group I manage named The Underachievers.

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