From hip hop journalist to television executive, Kim Osorio is still writing her own story. Trying to survive in a male-dominated industry, Kim Osorio, also known as Kimberly Osorio, became the first ever Editor In Chief of The Source Magazine. She made history back in 2006 when she was victorious in a landmark federal lawsuit against her former employer, The Source. In 2023, NPR featured Kim’s story in their Louder Than A Riot podcast series, one that focused on misogynoir in Hip Hop. Almost twenty years later, the lawsuit was still making headlines. Osorio’s claims of sexual harassment and gender discrimination were a precursor to a movement that would later be dubbed #MeToo.
Kim led the magazine’s editorial vision that resulted in the highest selling issue of the publication’s history, all while dealing with the internal drama that comes along with a being a woman in power at a magazine that documented a music that was slowly turning misogynistic.
Osorio transitioned to television after the magazine, holding positions at BET and Global Grind, and working in production for networks that include MTV, VH1, Lifetime, A&E, WeTV and others. She also brought her reporting skills to the television screen as an on-air correspondent and expert commentator for CNN, NewsNation, MSNBC and BET. With a long list of television credits that include hit shows such as Love and Hip Hop, The Impact New York, and Hustle In Brooklyn, Osorio lent her writing talents and made a name for herself in the unscripted genre.
Born to a Puerto Rican father and a mother of mixed racial background (African-American and Chinese), Kim understands firsthand what it is to defy the odds. Osorio has delivered keynote speeches for Universities across the nation, and worked with community and youth organizations to inspire the next generation of writers. In 2004, she was voted one of the top 25 influential Latinos in the New York Post. The Bronx, New York native also works as an adjunct professor, mentoring students to help guide them in their own career choices.
In September 2008, she became an author, releasing her personal memoir, entitled Straight From The Source: An Expose From The Former Editor In Chief of the Hip Hop Bible, to officially set the record straight. Her upcoming book, The People Vs. Hip Hop: A Musical Movement On Trial, will e released in August of 2027 on Andscape/Disney.
