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Get Familiar Magazine

@getfamiliarmag

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A print publication exploring how hip-hop intersects with culture, politics, and society at large.
🥇2021 European Independent Magazine of the Year
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In conversation with dream hampton, Get Familiar Magazine was interested in painting an as-holistic-as-possible profile of the Detroit-native filmmaker, writer, critic, and activist. While our conversation extensively acknowledges and dissects some of dream’s impressive contributions to journalism around hip-hop – having briefly but impactfully worked for titles like The Source and VIBE, alongside having recently made a documentary on the topic – the goal, instead, was to unearth the framework that guides her professional work beyond the music genre. From speaking to her about her role within the New York chapter of the Malcolm X Grassroots movement to working on the documentary television-series “Surviving R. Kelly”, and from talking about her relationship to art and criticism to discussing her impressive short films like “Clear Water” and “I AM ALI”, our interview with dream reveals how Black resistance, class and gender politics underpin much (if not all) of her creative work. The unlikely thread that, in retrospect, appears to glue much of her multi-disciplinary career together, alongside Black resistance, is a meditation on memory (real, imagined, individual and collective). Specifically attempting to understand memory by sometimes reframing it, while always asking her audience to contend with it. dream’s creative voice is rightfully celebrated in all of the fields within which she operates, and her perspective (which we're extremely proud to have captured in Get Familiar) is one that we consider essential to the greater Black American framework within which hip-hop exists. Get Familiar Magazine issue 07 is available through our link in bio for €14 – shipped globally (free shipping for addresses within the Netherlands). #getfamiliarmag #dreamhampton #hiphopculture #blackresistance #indiemagazine by @getfamiliarmag
Celebrated equally as a musician, poet, playwright, and author, Kae Tempest’s decades‑long creative success can somewhat be traced back to a handful of artistic choices that repeatedly resurface throughout all of his work — both in written and spoken form. In particular, Kae’s unique ability to address societal discontent through narrative (sometimes through a single character) — consistently transforming granular frustrations into universal ones — is where the multi-hyphenate's talent remains unrivaled. Often critiquing the greed and apathy that dominate our post-industrial society, while also maintaining an innate sense of hope — peppered with wordplay and humor — Kae’s work is as intuitive as it is joyful and analytical. In our conversation with Kae, we speak about, amongst other things, his experience of working with institutions like The National Theatre, about comparing James Joyce’s approach to writing "Ulysses" to that of Rage Against the Machine's lyrics, as well as about his talent for weaving hope together with despair. Ultimately, the conversation revolves around centring his deep love for hip‑hop, and tracking how that seed of inspiration blossomed into a multidisciplinary, award-winning garden. Get Familiar Magazine issue 07 is available through our link in bio for €14 — shipped globally (free shipping for addresses within the Netherlands). #kaetempest #getfamiliar #hiphopculture #indiemagazine #getfamiliarmag @kaetempest by @getfamiliarmag
In speaking with Ali Smith, the revered Scottish author and playwright, Get Familiar Magazine was interested in revealing her writing's unlikely shared kinship with hip-hop. While obvious elements like wordplay, centering marginalised voices, amplifying societal discontent, and double-narratives form a surface-level relationship between the two, it's her ability to naturally cross-polinate, borrow, and rearrange different and seemingly 'incompatible' disciplines alongside each other (much like the purposeful use of samples) where the real likeness comes to light. In an effort to better understand this symbiosis, we speak, throughout our conversation with Ali, about (amongst other things) how she essentially 'collages' her work together, the inspiration she draws from a rapper like Noname, the importance of mutliplicity and non-linear storytelling, the use of voice and 'white space' in her written dialogues, as well as how modernism is often misunderstood as an 'anti-tradition' movement. By exploring this somewhat unintentional overlap — between Ali's work and hip-hop's creative signature — our conversation surfaces an important and creative viewpoint where it seems natural to consider one of the most celebrated contemporary authors in the world as one that's inherently hip-hop. Get Familiar Magazine issue 07 is available through our link in bio, for €14 — shipped globally (free shipping for addresses within the Netherlands). #alismith #literature #novels #indiemags #hiphopculture by @getfamiliarmag
In conversation with Melina Matsoukas — the two-time Grammy Award winning and famed director that brought you "Queen & Slim", Beyoncé's "Lemonade", and eight episodes of "Insecure", amongst many other things — we wanted to uncover the decisions that helped to shape her directorial lens, and develop her cinematographic talent (the choices and considerations that go into every frame). Having worked her way through many different modes of film making — from music videos to advertisements, and from television to cinema — much of Melina's praise, accolades, and highly recognisable visual language comes from being confidently loud in the subtleties of directing — always favouring well-researched choices over decorative ones. In an effort to better understand what makes Melina's work as great as it is, as well as what drives her professional work, our conversation highlights, amongst other things, her conscious decisions to specialise in music videos, to study film at the American Film Institute, to carry the ethos of the Cuban Revolution into the arts, and the interplay between being independent and working with incumbents. Get Familiar Magazine issue 07 is available through our link in bio, for €14 — shipped globally (free shipping for addresses within the Netherlands). #melinamatsoukas #film #queenandslim #indiemagazines #journalism @msmelina @delarevolucion by @getfamiliarmag
In speaking with Jeff Staple — designer and founder of STAPLE and REED ART DEPARTMENT — we were interested in understanding Jeff’s design language, its undeniable relationship to hip-hop culture, as well as the principles that guide his decision-making. Starting off his career by designing album covers for the likes of Rawkus Records and magazines like The Fader, Jeff — like many of his generational-peers that wanted to carry hip-hop’s creative ‘signature’ into disciplines outside of music, because they weren’t musicians themselves — went on to bring hip-hop’s creative language to sneakers, furniture, apparel, and stage-design. With the release of his infamous Nike collaboration (the ‘Pigeon Dunk’) in 2005, his design-language became celebrated on the global stage, while unintentionally helping to shape what we now consider ‘mainstream sneaker culture’ — a world where reselling and commercialisation reign supreme. Yet despite this shift and subsequent success, Jeff continues to tie everything he does back to hip-hop, even as his generational-peers have drifted away from that approach. Still translating, interpreting, and applying the tenets of hip-hop’s creative language to unlikely spaces like fast-food, furniture, luggage brands, and watches, Jeff moves with a rare sense of integrity that’s consumed with getting you to love hip-hop culture as much as he does. From opening retail locations that showcase more brands than just his own, to collaborating with retail discount chains, Jeff has, over the years, found himself become somewhat of an ambassador of hip-hop culture’s creative language outside of music. Cognisant of the role that race plays in hip-hop culture (he considers himself to be a contributor and not an originator), we spoke extensively about ways to ‘protect’ culture in commercial environments, his need to subvert expectations, as well as the importance of consciously looking for opportunities outside of his ecosystem. Get Familiar Magazine issue 07 is available through our link in bio, for €14 — shipped globally (free shipping for addresses within the Netherlands). #jeffstaple #sneakerculture #hiphopculture #journalism #indiemagazine by @getfamiliarmag
Similar to how learning about the samples used in hip-hop music can surface the music’s intentionality (more than just a good sounding loop), we set out, in our conversation with Kamasi Washington, to uncover the context that allowed the saxophonist and composer to have such a big impact on contemporary jazz. Yes, he’s toured with the likes of Chaka Khan and Herbie Hancock, and yes, he’s gone on to work with the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino, but to better grasp the intentions behind his path, it helps to hear him speak about how he experienced the music scene in Los Angeles while growing up, the years he spent as a touring and studio musician for others, as well as the bittersweet freedom that came as a result of LA being an neglected hub for jazz and non-mainstream music. Throughout our conversation we spoke about (amongst other things), the origins of the saxophone as a replacement for the violin, the cost of sacrificing paid gigs in order to pursue solo ambitions, and the inter-generational lessons he’s learned from his parents, all while steadily unearthing the spiritual language that his music’s ink is steeped in. Get Familiar Magazine issue 07 is available through our link in bio for €14 — shipped globally (free shipping for addresses within the Netherlands). #kamasiwashington #jazz #hiphop #musicjournalism #indiemagazine @kamasiwashington by @getfamiliarmag
Issue 07 of Get Familiar Magazine contains six long-form interviews with the likes of Kamsi Washington, Jeff Staple, Melina Matsoukas, Kae Tempest (cover), Ali Smith, and dream hampton.  Titled 'there is no spoon' issue 07 highlights the work, voices, and stories of six distinct creatives that have each (both intentionally and/or unintentionally) employed the creative tenets of hip-hop in new and unsuspecting fields and environments. The attempt, editorially, was to establish hip-hop as a creative language that lives outside of itself. Get Familiar Magaazine issue 07 is now available through our link in bio for €14, and is shipped globally — free shipping for addresses within the Netherlands.  📸: cover shot by Jesse Glazzard #getfamiliar #getfamiliarmag #kaetempest #hiphopculture #magazine @kaetempest @jesse_glazzard by @getfamiliarmag
Get Familiar Magazine is an independent print publication that, through long-form interviews, continually looks to explore (and document) how hip-hop intersects with culture, politics, and society at large. Our latest issue (titled ‘there is no spoon’), highlights the work and stories of six distinct multi-disciplinary creatives who’ve each successfully translated and employed hip-hop’s creative framework (both intentionally and unintentionally) in new and unsuspecting environments — establishing hip-hop as a creative language. The result is a collection of thought-provoking interviews with: Kamasi Washington, Jeff Staple, Melina Matsoukas (cover), Kae Tempest, Ali Smith, and dream hampton. Get Familiar Magazine issue 07 is available through our link in bio for €14, and is shipped globally — free shipping for addresses within the Netherlands. 📸: cover shot by Emman Montalvan #getfamiliar #getfamiliarmag #hiphopmagazine #indiemags #musicjournalism @msmelina @delarevolucion @emmanmontalvan by @getfamiliarmag
@getfamiliarmag in the window! by @getfamiliarmag
We're back! Get Familiar Magazine issue 07 is now available through our link in bio for €14 (free shipping within the Netherlands), and contains six long-form interviews with: • Kamasi Washington • Jeff Staple • Melina Matsoukas (cover) • Kae Tempest (cover) • Ali Smith • dream hampton Shipped globally. Thank you for your (continued) support ❤️ Get Familiar Magazine is an independent print publication exploring how hip-hop intersects with culture, politics, and society at large. #getfamiliar #getfamiliarmag #hiphopculture #musicjournalism #indiemagazine by @getfamiliarmag
Instalment 07 of Get Familiar Magazine will be available for purchase this Monday (12 January 2026) ❤️ #getfamiliar #getfamiliarmag #musicjournalism #hiphopculture #indiemagazine by @getfamiliarmag
Get Familiar Magazine instalment 7 coming soon! Can't wait to share more with you all. Hang tight ❤️ #getfamiliar #getfamiliarmag #musicjournalism #hiphopculture #indiemagazine by @getfamiliarmag

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