by Mary Spirar
May 24, 2025
Jenkins died of complications caused by multiple systems atrophy.
Influential journalist and filmmaker Sacha Jenkins has passed away. Hollywood Reporter The cultural legend, who co-founded the magazine Ego Travel in the 1990s, confirmed that he died on May 23rd at the age of 54 from health complications.
Jenkins’ cause of death was confirmed by his wife, fellow journalist Raquel Cepeda. On the morning of May 23rd, Jenkins suffered from multiple system atrophy, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting both the central and autonomic nervous systems.
Originally from Philadelphia, Jenkins has built a long and diverse career in journalism through his passion for culture and the arts. His career began when he launched Graphic Scenes and Xplict Language.
Later he partnered with his longtime friend Elliot Wilson. Elliot Wilson continued to work in both journalism and television, and began beatdowns for hip-hop newspapers. Jenkins and Wilson’s next major project was the iconic ego trip, a magazine that blends hip-hop culture with skateboarding.
He was originally born in Philadelphia, but Jenkins himself grew up and shaped in New York City. He moved to Queens in the late 1970s and placed his fingers on his hip-hop pulse. Doodles and skateboarding have emerged as popular mediums of expression in the city’s epicenter.
Jenkins explained in an interview with the Ideas Generation in 2024. “It was very important to be directly involved because I learn anything from hip hop, hardcore, graffiti. Being a practitioner, being involved, or understanding these cultures and subcultures has always been very closely related to my evolution.
Jenkins had a prolific and creative career. In journalism, Jenkins began by writing underground jeans, but continued to write and edit in major magazines such as Vibe, Rolling Stone, and Spin. Recently, he was the creative director of Mass Appeal.
Over the years he spoke with well-known artists from various musical backgrounds, worked in poignant interviews, wrote several books centered on graffiti, created off-Broadway plays, and directed multiple films.
As a filmmaker, Jenkins was also a force in the industry. Most recently he produced the documentary “Lawyer Armstrong’s Black & Blues,” but still has a new film called “Harley Flanagan: Wired Focus.”
Jenkins directed several notable films in 2021, including “Bitchin: Bitchin: Rick James’ Sound and Fury.” In 2015, “Fresh Dress” will dive into the history of hip-hop fashion in 2023. Other credits for Jenkins include “Everything Becomes White”, “Around the Way”, “Best Team”, “Generation Dead: The Walking Dead Fund Documentary”, “Watching Video Music Box”, “Rolling Like Thunder”, “Cypress Hill: The Madness in the Brain” and “City Girls Point Blank Era.”
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