James Bernard, the music journalist who provided the editorial vision that powered The Source magazine during its 1990s peak and who later co-founded XXL, has died. The news was first reported by Allhiphop.com. A cause of death was not provided.

Questlove paid tribute to Bernard on Instagram, writing, "His passion of music was legendary. A class act. James helped shepherd Hip-Hop from skepticism to seriousness, from novelty to culture. This loss hits deep for everyone who learned how to listen through his words."

A 1992 graduate of Harvard Law School, Bernard joined The Source staff as a student, amassing bylines at The New York Times and The Village Voice along the way. Rising to the role of co-editor-in chief, Bernard pushed the publication to treat hip-hop as a serious cultural force. Under his direction, The Source became a haven for rap criticism and investigative journalism. Bernard later told Pitchfork, "We used to say every issue was like an album. We saw it as a work of art." The magazine's achievements were acknowledged by the artists they covered: Public Enemy's Chuck D called it "the bible of the hip-hop industry" in 1990, a phrase that became the magazine's slogan.

Bernard stayed with The Source until 1994, when he was part of a group of senior editors who departed the publication over a dispute regarding the magazine's editorial independence. He and his colleague Reginald Dennis established XXL in 1997, which quickly occupied the space The Source vacated by concentrating on sharp, perceptive profiles and cultural features.

Later in his career, Bernard left music journalism for political activism and entrepreneurship. He worked as the national field director for the Hip-Hop Political Convention, an organization designed to usher young hip-hop fans into the political process. He extended his activist work by serving as the executive coordinator of the Project Forum on Race and Democracy, a project of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Bernard published one book, collaborating with Dave Marsh on 1994's The New Book of Rock Lists.