“On behalf of the VIBE content staff (the best in this business), it is with great sadness, and with heads held high, that we leave the building today,” said Danyel Smith, former Chief Content Officer of Vibe Media Group and Editor in Chief of Vibe. “We were assigning and editing a Michael Jackson tribute issue when we got the news,” Smith said in a statement released to AllHipHop.com.

“It’s a tragic week in overall, but as the doors of VIBE Media Group close, on the eve of the magazine’s sixteenth anniversary, it’s a sad day for music, for Hip Hop in particular, and for the millions of readers and users who have loved and who continue to love the VIBE brand. We thank you, we have served you with joy, pride and excellence, and we will miss you.”

We can’t wait to see what’s next…