Dan Buyanovsky
It Wasn’t Me! Rappers Impersonating Non-Rappers
Yesterday, unfortunate news broke in that Chicago rapper Lil Reese—real name Tavares Taylor—was arrested for illegally purchasing a vehicle on April 13. According to the charges, Reese "presented false documentation to obtain a 2006 BMW 750 Li." Though further...
Wale Discusses Upbringing And ‘The Album About Nothing’
With the release of his third album The Gifted just a day away, Wale should be excited. With a great deal of hype and anticipation leading up to Gifted, listeners who were granted an early stream of the LP have been quick to call it his best work yet. Still, i...
Meet Jacob Williams, New Cast Member On Nick Cannon’s ‘Wild ‘N Out’
Following the lead of hip-hop’s warm embrace of comedy—from rappers’ enthusiastic references of bits from comics like Eddie Murphy, Katt Williams, Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart, to hip-hop/comedy fusion shows like Def Comedy Jam—Nick Cannon capitalized on the early 2000s with his hilarious live battle show Wild 'N Out. The show, which ran fr...
In The Cut: Mac Miller And Juicy J Made XXL’s Top Songs Of The Week
This week was an important one for hip-hop. On Tuesday, four mainstream albums (and a litany of mixtapes, singles and album announcements) dropped, marking June 18 as 2013's first major release date. So, whether you spent the last five days arguing about J...
Waka Flocka Flame Is Producing Amanda Bynes’ Rap Album
Just days after news hit that Wyclef Jean would be producing Amanda Bynes' upcoming album, some even wilder hip-hop news hit the net today, in that Atlanta rapper Waka Flocka has been working with her as well.
According to TMZ, Wak—who is the head of Brick Squad Monopoly Records and has reportedly been working on his own forthcoming EDM-inspired album—has been talking with Amanda regularly and tr
Vince Staples Releases ‘Stolen Youth’ Mixtape
At the top of last year, wily Odd Future affiliate Vince Staples dropped his debut mixtape Shyne ColdChain Vol. 1. Nearly 18 months later, Staples is back with Shyne's followup, Stolen Youth, a ten-track trippy ride through the witty mind of the LA spitter. It's worth no...
Exclusive: The Initial Treatment For Juicy J’s “One Of Those Nights” Video
This morning, Trippy connoisseur Juicy J dropped the incredible video for his new single "One Of Those Nights," featuring sometimes-creepy Canadian crooner The Weeknd. While the song, which came out in mid-February, was strong enough on its own, director Sam Pilling's cold, emotionless visuals complement it perfectly, giving the song an unexpected and harsh edge...
5 Recent Deaths Of Rising Rappers Affiliated With Stars
Early this morning, unfortunate news broke that Philly rapper Meek Mill's affiliate Lil Snupe was murdered. While details about the killing have been scant, several artists including DJ Khaled and Turk have expressed their condolences to Snupe's family in this time of turmoil...
A Gift Guide For DJ Khaled, Purveyor Of “Gifts”
Last night, a few lucky XXL staffers got to hang out with DJ Khaled, Ace Hood and the rest of the We The Best unit at a listening event for Ace Hood's forthcoming album Trials & Tribulations. After the listening, we caught up with Khaled to talk about his own impending project, Suffering From Success, which we've been hearing a whole lot about. Kh...
Jay-Z’s 5 Biggest Corporate Collaborations
Just two days before the release of his cohort Kanye West's new album Yeezus, Brooklyn icon Jay-Z slightly stole Ye's thunder by taking over halftime of Game 5 of the NBA Finals to announce his forthcoming album Magna Carta Holy Grail via a 3-minute black and white trailer...
YG Confirms Signing To Young Jeezy’s CTE World Imprint
Former XXL Freshman YG revealed some big news last night after a performance, when he caught up with DJ Bootleg Kev. In the exclusive interview, the two discuss label woes, DJ Mustard's rapid ascent to fame and YG's current street anthem "You Broke." YG, a C...
Potential Titles For Wyclef Jean And Amanda Bynes’ Album
Late last night, the unlikely news broke that the recently-troubled actor/singer Amanda Bynes was at work with hip-hop icon Wyclef Jean on an upcoming as-yet-untitled musical endeavor. According to Chinga Chang Records CEO Dan Herman, who apparently had a hand in making the collaboration happen, "Linking the two of them will be something major...