Sacha Jenkins Director, Ego Trip Co-founder And Historian Dies At 53

Sacha Jenkins, a hip-hop journalist and documentarian known for Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men (2019) and Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues (2022), has died. He was 53. The Emmy nominee’s death after his wife Raquel Cepeda asked fans to “please respect our family’s privacy during this difficult moment” as they prepare an official statement. Born August 22, 1971 in Philadelphia, Jenkins launched the graffiti zine Graphic Scenes & Xplicit Language in 1989, and the groundbreaking hip-hop newspaper Beat Down shortly after. He co-founded the hip-hop magazine Ego Trip in 1994, which also launched the VH1 reality series The (White) Rapper Show in 2007. As a documentary filmmaker, Jenkins made his directorial debut at Sundance Film Festival with the 2015 urban fashion exploration Fresh Dressed. “It’s so amazing how there’s so much love and respect for storytelling,” he said of the Park City, Utah film festival. “Before I did this, I was a journalist, so storytelling is extremely important. And to see the dedication and respect that storytellers get, for me it’s almost overwhelming how much love and support I’m getting. I’m like, ‘Woah, it’s not even about me. It’s about the story, but thank you!' Jenkins also served as a writer and producer on such docs as Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men (2019), Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James (2021), Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues (2022) and All Up in the Biz (2023). Jenkins is survived by wife Raquel, son Marceau and stepdaughter Djali Brown-Cepeda.

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