Madonna and Dennis Rodman photographed for Vibe Magazine, 1994.
Madonna had a crush on Dennis Rodman and called him “the Madonna of basketball.” Madonna’s Publicist Liz Rosenberg and Vibe Magazine Editor-in-chief Jonathan Van Meter collaborated to come up with an idea of them meeting for a photo shoot and Madonna conducting a Q&A for the magazine. The moment they met the sexual attraction was instant. After the photo shoot Madonna conducted a private 2 hour interview with Rodman. The title of the unpublished article was Madonna’s idea: “Game Recognizes Game.”
Quincy Jones, founder of the magazine saw the photos and opposed the story which prevented it being printed. According to Quincy Jones’ autobiography, He said: “Over my dead body, because it makes it look as though we’re pandering, that we’re not sure Vibe can be a black magazine and make it.” He felt Vibe founded in 1993 hadn’t been around long enough to establish a personality as an urban magazine. Van Meter was furious and quit. Quincy called Madonna to tell her it wasn’t personal but she was still offended. She said: “Quincy, you and I could change the world together if we wanted to. See you around, pal.”
