In the spring of 1996, a gang of skater hip-hop nerds in London, Canada (of all places), tripped out listening to rapper Divine Styler's Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light.

Inspired by the revelations of that spring evening, Ryan Somers (a.k.a. Fritz tha Cat) decided that he had to bring the Brooklyn-born, one-semi-hit-wonder rapper out of retirement to save hip-hop. Using money from his welfare cheque, Ryan started a cut-and-paste, photocopied magazine named after Divine himself. His mission: to send the magazine all around the world, until eventually somehow, somewhere, it would get into Mr. Styler's hands, and inspire him to record and release music again. The magazine title also reflected the content of the magazine, representing all of the creative, inspired, forward-thinking, and ultimately slept-on artists in the rising independent underground hip-hop scene of the mid- to late-'90s.

Ryan dedicated himself to this magazine. Operating with no money, learning on the fly, he published eight issues over three years. The magazine grew from 100 copies of the original photocopied ‘zine to 10,000-copy print runs that were distributed across North America. It documented your favorite rappers of today—long before anybody knew their names. The magazine became the focal point in a growing Canadian underground, united people from London to Toronto, Halifax to Vancouver, Ottawa to Los Angeles. Eventually, in the spring of 1999, the magazine published its last issue and went out of business, victim of both its unorthodox content (Ouija board interviews with dead rappers?) and its inability to get any type of funding.

This book tells a story. It tells a few stories. It is a time capsule that documents hip-hop's independent era. It describes one young man’s quest to make an impact on a culture he believed in, a quest that would lead him to author a longstanding column for Vice magazine, among others. This is the story of Divine Styler Magazine, told by its creator, with contributions from many of the people who were somehow involved or affected by it.

Author Bio:

Ryan Somers, a.k.a. Fritz tha Cat began to apply his tag to hip-hop in the early 90s, as an MC, DJ, B-boy, and graffiti artist. In 1996, the London, Ontario native founded a hip-hop 'zine named after the legendary underground Los Angeles MC, Divine Styler. The 'zine quickly developed a loyal fan base and by the time he published his final issue in 1999, Somers was printing more than 10 000 copies per issue.

Somers also founded Toronto's longest-running weekly hip-hop event, "In Divine Style," and has worked as a columnist for Vice Magazine and as a talent scout for Universal Music, among other things. He is currently focusing on a number of artistic projects, including his alternative rap group OK Cobra, acting in film, painting, and writing his first novel. Ryan can be found online at fritzthacat.com.

Book Review

To mark the ten-year anniversary of the arrival of his groundbreaking Canadian hip-hop ‘zine In Search of . . . Divine Styler, founder Fritz tha Cat has unearthed stacks of dusty rap interviews with a variety of artists—many of them today’s hip-hop heroes. The book, which includes a collage of flyers, photos, and artwork from the mid- to late-‘90s, documents both the evolution of the ‘zine and Fritz tha Cat’s trajectory from 18-year-old rap fan to one of the leaders of an underground movement.

In addition to sharing his name, the life of Fritz tha Cat’s ‘zine paralleled Divine Styler’s career. Like the rapper, the ‘zine had an unorthodox style, was slept on by the mainstream, and was way ahead of its time. Despite the fact that Somers only printed eight issues in the three years that he published the ‘zine, Thomas Quinlan, a regular contributor to Exclaim magazine, dubbed it “Canada's best hip-hop magazine.” The power of this project lay in the fact that it reflected the DIY ethic that had been adopted by underground Canadian hip-hop artists with an intense passion to succeed in the industry on their own terms. By honing in on innovative MCs busting rhymes below the radar, Somers and his crew provided their readers with an original and insightful insider’s perspective. As DJ Neoteric points out, “It often felt like I knew a juicy secret others didn’t . . . It was kind of like being a hipster, without the tight pants, funny haircuts, or fair-weather tastes.”

As fresh and engaging as the ‘zine was back in the day, the book features an eclectic mix of interviews, with topics ranging from industry politics and spoken word to phone sex and black skinheads. The artists featured include: The Arsonists, The Fugees, Saul Williams, Aceyalone, Sebutones, Company Flow, Moka Only, MF Doom, Swollen Members, and Styles of Beyond, among others. The material is woven together with Somers’ reflections on the past, which serve as a sort of director’s commentary and illustrate the ‘zine’s process of creation. In addition, the book features comments from Canadian music critics, DJs, and photographers, as well as a conclusion penned by Divine Styler himself.

The scope of Somers’ influence can’t be underestimated. In the words of DJ Fatmike, “In Search of Divine Styler served as a voice of a movement . . . Before the terms ‘underground’ and ‘independent’ hip-hop became the calling cards of anyone searching for musical validation and instantaneous credibility, those two words actually meant something to all those involved in it.” --Brendan Edwards


Quotes:

In a short eight issues, In Search of Divine Styler became more than just a magazine. It became the voice of a movement, and the echoes of that voice can still be heard if one only puts their ear close enough to the underground.
-- Thomas Quinlan

Your magazine is the shilznil . . . You don't fall prey to that old "hip-hop pressure" that breeds conservatism and stagnation. For that braveness, you shall rule.
-- DJ Shadow

I remember his mag was like a paper newsletter, but it covered all sorts of underground shit that at the time was only happening in certain patches from coast to coast--us (Project Blowed) being at the forefront of that movement. I also tripped that it was named after Divine Styler the MC, who I looked up to when I was coming up rhyming, on some abstract shit. It was cool that some Canadian cats way up there were hip to the trenches of the underground scene in L.A.
-- Abstract Rude, Abstract Tribe Unique / Project Blowed

Very few hip-hop magazines, Canadian or not, have done as many daring things as In Search Of . . . Divine Styler, and its legacy will always stand as a testament to the mysterious and infinite power of hip hop to connect everyone in the culture who understand the same wavelengths of music, regardless of where they live, and to inspire others to dream, because you never know what magic and miracle may manifest. Ryan a.k.a. Fritz tha Cat made some classic material when he put together that paper shrine to hip-hop's forgotten gods. I'm blessed to have contributed to the history, I'm happy to see that it hasn't been forgotten ten years later . . . and I still have every single issue.
-- Addi "Mindbender" Stewart of the Supreme Being Unit