African-American lad mags

Melyssa Ford, Gloria Velez, Ki Toy become pin-up queens

I dimly knew there were magazines similar to Maxim, FHM, Stuff and the other "lad mags" aimed at young black men. An article in today's New York Times shows African-American periodical publishing is booming at least for the publishers of King, BlackMen and Smooth.

"That's what our readers have come to expect from us," said Datwon Thomas, King's editor since it began publishing three years ago. "They want to see the thick girls, the girls with " Mr. Thomas, a 29-year-old married father of two, stammered here, searching for a description that would work in the pages of a family newspaper, "with, you know, a big backside."

Lola Ogunnaike, New Magazines for Black Men Proudly Redefine the Pinup

With a tip of the keyboard to Fleshbot.