Russell Simmons Presents B.A.D Magazine

Russell Simmons Presents B.A.D Magazine (AKA: Black Mad Magazine) was an attempt by Time/Warner to develop an “urban” oriented spin off from its Mad Magazine brand. The project began when Rap mogul Russell Simmons pitched the idea to Mad Publisher Jenette Kahn after the two met on a plane in 1998.

Danny Simmons (brother of Russell and producer of HBO’s Def Jam Poetry) was brought in to oversee the project, and recruited writer/editor Horatio Weisfeld and art director Floyd Hughes to get things moving.

Initial concept was for B.A.D content to be created by comedians who appeared on HBO television series, Russell Simmons Present Def Comedy Jam, but this proved unworkable, and editor Weisfeld was charged with creating most of B.A.D’s content in short order. Warner executives eventually singed off on Weisfeld’s version and production began in 1999. Contributing talent included Deborah Gregory (who later created Disney’s Cheetah Girls), Arthur Suydam (who is widely credited with the success of Marvel Zombies), John Cebollero, Walter Moore and Kyle Baker.

Eventually, Warner deemed the produced material (which bore a similar tone to the recent Dave Chappell Show) to be too edgy for America’s conservative newsstand outlets, and declined to take the magazine to market.

B.A.D was then reconceived as an animated show for HBO, but this became mired in contractual issues between HBO and Warner Publishing, and a pilot was never completed.