The Music Biz

Yesterday (May 13), it was announced that Michael Clervoix—better known as Sha Money XL—officially left his post as SVP of A&R for Island Def Jam to now become EVP of Urban A&R for Epic Records. Speaking exclusively with XXL recently, Sha touched on the new gig and the reasons behind the move.  Here's what he had to ...

Michael Clervoix—better known as Sha Money XL—has left his position as SVP of A&R for Island Def Jam and been named EVP of Urban A&R for Epic Records. In an announcement posted on Billboard, Sha Money will oversee artist development and their recording process. He will also help ...

Former hip-hop mogul Dame Dash's finances are in shambles and the Roc-A-Fella co-founder may be close to losing his home in Carmel, New York. Dash filed a five-page report with courts on Tuesday spelling out his troubled finances. According to the documents obtained by, New York Daily News, Dash's pockets have diminished substantially...

This sales week proved rather tumultuous for the hip-hop genre, as most artists saw a dip in their sales. While mainstays like Justin Timberlake and Kendrick Lamar have continued to hover around their respective spot, others like Tyga and will...

In a new weekly segment, XXL will be documenting the latest hip-hop albums dropping every Tuesday. This week finds releases from a number of time-tested MCs and a few highly anticipated collaborative projects hitting stores. The legendary LL Cool J comes through with his 13th studio album Authentic, while veterans Talib Kweli and Havoc release their latest solo efforts Prisoner of Conscious and 1

This week found hip-hop more or less absent from the top ten spots on the Billboard Top 100 chart - however, Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience and Kid Cudi's Indicud held steady at #3 and #7, respectively. Debuting on the charts this week is will...

Nicki Minaj is set to make her live-action film debut with Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton. The Hollywood Reporter announced today that the YMCMB starlet will co-star in the upcoming film The Other Woman. Directed by veteran Nick Cassavetes, the film follows Cameron Diaz, who finds out that she is "the other woman" in an extramarital relationship and teams up with her partner's wife (Knocke

It looks like Seattle duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have scored a platinum plaque with their second straight single. RapRadar reports that the XXL Freshman Class of 2012 alum's latest single "Can't Hold Us" featuring Ray Dalton has been certified platinum by the RIAA. "Ca...

As of today, Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group has a new Vice President. Billboard has announced that Kendall "Young Sav" Freeman has been named the new Vice President of Maybach Music Group. Prior to this new position, Freeman had worked at Def Jam as the manager of the Mixshow...

Nas was the first artist to appear on Mass Appeal in 2002. 11 years later, Nas is an owner of the magazine. During an interview with Forbes, the Queens rapper revealed he invested a “six-figure” sum in Mass Appeal, which recently lifted its five-year hiatus from print with Earl Sweatshirt and Blake Anderson on their latest issue. Nas wil...

Anwar “Carrots” Taj Washington always loved getting fresh. One day, the New Jersey-native came into his home and saw one of his father's friends making a T-shirt. It was on that day—watching the creative process behind the shirt— that the 22-year-old garnered an interest in clothing and lead to the creation of his own brand, Peas & Carrots, with friends Joshton Peas and Casey Veggies. Today,