Urbanology magazine is about urban culture

By FELICIA CARTY

Somewhere in between The Source , Vibe and XXL , sits Urbanology on the magazine racks.

Urbanology , a quarterly magazine that comes out of the Malvern community in Scarborough, Ontario, is the product of the journalistic efforts of Priya Ramanujam and the digital media art skills of her fellow publisher Adrian McKenzie.

Two years ago, after going to college, the high school friends started talking about putting out a magazine. Now with five issues to date, Urbanology is published on a quarterly basis and distributed throughout Canada and the United States. There are also plans to distribute the magazine in Britain.

While Urbanology is distributed throughout North America, says Ramanujam, it caters to the needs of Canadians interested in urban culture.

“There is a lot of Canadian content,” Ramanujam says. “Even when we feature an American, everything (questions and writing) comes from a Canadian perspective. It shows Canadians do have a place in the media market.”

Ramanujam also says that while Urbanology is based on the hip-hop culture, with R&B and reggae influences, it is not just about music.

“It’s a lifestyles magazine, with arts, sports, politics and fashion,” she says.

Through Urbanology we try to look at things differently and bring a new perspective to the urban culture.

“A lot of images in the mainstream media are negative because that’s what sells,” says Ramanujam. “People rely on that; they focus on that. But, if you dig deep into urban culture there are some beautiful things.

“We want to share the more positive vibe. I don’t know if we can solve the problem, but we try to make it a bit better.”

Like most new publications, Urbanology has also seen its share of struggles. Money is just one problem both Ramanujam and McKenzie — now in their 20s – must deal have to deal with.

Ramanujam says: “It’s a struggle to make ourselves noticed and to get people to take us seriously. We don’t look the corporate role. We have to put out really good quality to try and get the product to speak for itself. We just have to work that much harder.”