50 Cent & Soulja Boy “Mean Mug” for XXL’s November Cover

Hate it or love it, 50 Cent and Soulja Boy—two of the most polarizing figures in hip-hop—will appear on the magazine’s forthcoming November issue. [CLICK HERE for behind the scenes footage]

The unlikely friends and always-controversial artists came together for a provocative photo shoot and three-part cover story, which includes separate profiles on 50 and Soulja, followed by a Q&A roundtable discussion between the two. Over the course of the conversation, the cover stars explain their unlikely union on SB’s collabo single “Mean Mug,” their mutual respect for each other and why their social media and musical dominance continue to be a hater’s worst nightmare.

With his highly-anticipated third solo album, The DeAndre Way, on deck, SB has seen his name in the headlines and Twitter timelines for more than just music. A magnet for controversy, the young star has always managed to persevere despite persistent haters and even personal scandals. “I’m still learning,” Soulja Boy told XXL writer Matt Barone. “I’ve been through a lot this year, and it’s nothing I expected. I just wanna rap, and I wake up and have some shit on me, out the blue, every single day. But, really, all it does is feed my ego.”

SB on his connection to 50 Cent: “Being Black, with money, from the hood, struggles, and coming from nothing to something, of course you’re going to share the common struggles. You going to have people hate. You going to have people that change on you, and all that. So of course, watching 50, and him going through what he did—if there wasn’t no 50 Cent, there would be no Soulja Boy. You know what I mean?”

50, who has come to SB’s defense on numerous occasions and has taken on the role of mentor to the young Atlanta rapper, can relate. The on-again off-again industry outcast tells XXL Deputy Editor, Rondell Conway, “I’m more comfortable in a space where people are doubting me than when I’m the favorite. They doubted me before. Obviously, I was the only crazy person that believed in me at one point.”

About his young counterpart, Fif says, “If I had the wish to be another artist, just for right now, it would be Soulja Boy.”

In addition to the cover story, XXL’s November issue also includes feature stories on G-Unit soldier Lloyd Banks as he makes his triumphant return with the sequel to his platinum-selling debut with Hunger For More 2, and an intensive celebration of the 10-year anniversary of R. Kelly’s 2000 opus, TP-2.com, complete with an exclusive interview with the Pied Piper himself for a Hip-Hop Soul special. Also, we check back in with Shyne for the third and final installment of XXL’s feature series with the embattled rap star, and investigate the troubling trend of early album leaks and its impact on the music industry.

Look for XXL’s November issue to hit newsstands nationwide on Tuesday, November 2.