XXL‘s Freshman Class of 2013 will now be coming to a New York City stage for a live performance.

On Tuesday May 21, the XXL Freshmen Class of 2013 will convene on the Best Buy Theater’s stage for a live performance. Acts will include the entire Freshmen Class – ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Logic, Joey Bada$$, Kirko Bangz, Action Bronson, Angel Haze, Dizzy Wright, Travi$ Scott and Trinidad Jame$ – as well as performances from special guests.

Tickets for the concert are currently available for purchase via Ticketmaster.

Make sure to check out XXL‘s Freshmen Live 2013 tour page and the ticket purchase website for more information on the New York performance as well as other performances. A flier for the New York can be seen below.

The post Tickets For XXL’s Freshmen Concert In New York City Now Available appeared first on XXL.

Young Scooter is currently serving time in DeKalb County Jail for probation violation. Most rappers wouldn’t be working while locked up, but Scooter is an entirely different street rapper. In an effort to continue feeding the streets with new material, the Bricksquad rapper dropped his Zaytoven-produced track titled “I Wonder.” You can’t say you have been behind bars if you haven’t rapped a jail phone verse.

Read his open letter to his fans and cop Street Lottery 2 on July 4.

[via XclusivesZone]

Previously: 10 Things Gucci Mane and Young Scooter are Doing in Their Shared Jail Cell

The post Listen To Young Scooter’s Recorded Jail Phone Track “I Wonder” appeared first on XXL.

Phil Ade puts out the visual for his new single “Nas Told Me,” off of his upcoming project R.O.S.E. The track is produced by Sunny Norway and the video is directed by Jerome D. On this heartfelt record, we see Phil talk about some of the things he has been through. We also see through his lyrics that he is motivated and inspired by Nas. The DMV native expresses the hardships and tribulations he has had to overcome and how it became his motivation to finding his niche in the industry. You can watch the video above.

The post Phil Ade Drops New Video To “Nas Told Me” appeared first on XXL.

Big K.R.I.T. released his latest mixtape, King Remembered In Time, back on April 10. The Def Jam Records artist just announced that he is touring the tape domestically at a couple of venues. Beginning on May 24, the Meridian, Mississippi MC/producer will be hitting the road.

K.R.I.T. will be joined by Smoke DZA, along with Clyde Carson on the following dates:

5/24 | Tempe, AZ @ Club Red

5/25 | La Jolla, CA @ Porter’s Pub

5/26 | Hollywood, CA @ Tru

5/28 | San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge

5/29 | Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s

5/30 | Petaluma, CA @ Phoenix Theatre

5/31 | Portland, OR @ Refuge

6/1 | Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

[via HHDX]

Previously: Mixtape Review: Big K.R.I.T., King Remembered In Time

The post Big K.R.I.T. Releases “King Remembered In Time” Tour Dates appeared first on XXL.

B.o.B released a stunning short film for his new song, “Through My Head.” The Grand Hustle rapper is not featured in the video, but rather we follow a young man running from the law. It is set in a futuristic setting, where high-tech police are tracking his every move. Eventually, the chase takes an interesting turn when the suspect utilizes his superhero powers and gets away.

The visuals produced by Ricardo de Montreuil and Eliz Eskeranli also included the title of Bobby Ray’s next studio album in the description. It will be called Underground Luxury. You can watch the video below.

[via HHNM]

UPDATE: B.o.B says Underground Luxury is dropping this summer.

The post B.o.B Announces ‘Underground Luxury’ Album And Releases “Through My Head” Video appeared first on XXL.

Memorial Day weekend is near and while the actual holiday is when we pay tribute to our fallen troops, the weekend marks the unofficial start of summer madness. As many of you decide on which barbecues to hit, beaches to mob or just about anything that requires taking a trip, you’ll need to be prepared and ready for anything. Lo and behold our official XXL stamped Memorial Day Weekend shopping guide which includes just about everything you’re going to need from Supreme henleys to shorts from Play Cloths, and a must-have camera from Sony. So click over and check out everything that you’ll need to make it through this holiday weekend. We got ya covered.

The post XXL‘s Memorial Day Weekend Survival Kit appeared first on XXL.

August Alsina gets a G-Mix to his single “I Luv This Shit” off his The Product 2 mixtape. The Number One Stunna replaces Trinidad James for this track and does what he does best—boast on unprecedented levels. Birdman actually delivers on this record providing as a nice complement to Alsina. You can listen to the song below.

The post August Alsina Gets Birdman For “I Luv This Sh*t (Remix)” appeared first on XXL.

Mary J. Blige is deep in financial problems. Back in February, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul was order to pay around $900,000 tax lien to the State of New Jersey. To make matters worse, TMZ has obtained new documents saying she owes the IRS $3.4 million.

The IRS filed a federal tax lien that says she failed to pay all her income taxes from 2009 to 2011. The grand total comes out to be $3,426,255.43.

Blige and her team have yet to comment on the tax lien.

The post Mary J. Blige Is Hit With $3.4 Million Tax Lien appeared first on XXL.

Rising Bronx rapper Doley Bernays returns and premieres this brand new single, “Blessed”. The single serves as the follow up to the critically-acclaimed “Raise Your Weapon” visual, as premiered by MTV Hive. “Blessed” was produced by MP Williams and will appear on Doley’s forthcoming EP, Just In Case.

More Doley Bernays:

The Break Presents: Doley Bernays
Video Premiere: Doley Bernays “Bad Guy”

The post Doley Bernays “Blessed” appeared first on XXL.

On this day, May 20, in hip-hop history…

1972: Busta Rhymes is turning 41 today.

The New York veteran has been a major pillar in hip-hop culture. His career began as a member of the Leaders of the New School. He came into mainstream prominence after appearing on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario,” in which his verse was the most compelling and memorable. Through the years, Busta has released nine solo albums, with five of them going Platinum. He has also worked with industry mainstays such as DMX, Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne and plenty more.

Busta is in the studio currently working on his next studio album. He is consistently evolving his craft, as seen in his Pharrell-produced single “Twerk It,” where he channels a Jamaican accent that sounds futuristic. With the party anthem definitely inspiring a nice set of sexy twerk videos, Busta is still one of the greatest MCs to ever do it.

Happy birthday Busta Buss!

The post Today In Hip-Hop: Busta Rhymes Celebrates 41st Birthday appeared first on XXL.

Philly’s own Gillie Da Kid officially drops the new visual for his track “Tryna Get Me One.” The video, which features an appearance by Pusha T, finds them in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. While it doesn’t take cues from the Walking Dead, their street talk shows they aren’t scared of anything.

You can watch the video above. If you haven’t yet, grab Gillie’s latest mixtape, King Of Philly 2.

The post Gillie Da Kid ft. Pusha T “Tryna Get Me One” [Video] appeared first on XXL.

T.I. drops new music today. “Wit Me” featuring Lil Wayne brings a fast tempo song that the two lock in on. Tip’s upcoming album Trouble Man: He Who Wears The Crown is set to release later this year.  The video for the track should release later today as well. The two MCs will be on the America’s Most Wanted Tour together, which starts in July. You can listen to the track below.

[via Smoking Section]

The post Listen To T.I.’s New Single “Wit Me” Featuring Lil Wayne appeared first on XXL.

Clemm Rishad’s already earned his victories behind the scenes, credited as a writer on Nicki Minaj’s Platinum-certified “Fly”. Now, the 25-year-old out of Tacoma, Washington looks to step into the spotlight himself.

Standout: “I Think I Love Her”

Also check out: “Forever” featuring Kurupt

And: “Beginning”

Name: Clemm Rishad

Age: 25

Hometown: Tacoma, WA

I grew up listening to: Everyone from The Temptations to OutKast, Nas and the whole Roc-A-Fella team. A lot of 90′s R&B and Hip-Hop. My parents raised us in the church so a lot of gospel music.

Most people don’t know I: Started rappin when I was 16

My style’s been compared to: Jay Z

My standout records an moments to date have been: Getting my first placement as a writer with Nikki Minaj on the single “Fly” which went Platinum and giving back knowledge of experience to my people.

My goal in Hip-Hop is: To bring back honesty and originality back to the craft. “The Freedom to be you” supaflyness.

I’m gonna be the next: Voice of my generation.

The post The Break Presents: Clemm Rishad appeared first on XXL.

She’s as sweet as can be—and a soon-to-be college graduate. This hostess and calendar model clearly has more aspirations than the average urban model, but while we still have her in our field, she’s definitely worthy of a feature. Check out her interview below.

—Bernadette Giacomazzo (@berngiacomazzo)

Twitter: @dominiquejolie
Facebook: DominiqueJolie
Instagram: DominqueJolie
Website: http://www.dominiquejolie.com/
Measurements: 36DD-26-40

Tell us about the projects you have coming up this summer. Which are you most excited about and why?
The upcoming projects that I have over the summer consist of hostings, photo-shoots, and acting auditions. I enjoy taking photos, playing ‘dress up’ and all but I’m really interested in acting and showing my personality on camera and projected to the big screen. I believe I can do it, I’m just afraid to do it…for the most part, I’m afraid of the rejection that I might receive or not meeting the expectations for myself, the directors, and the fan base. It would be a lot of pressure, but I don’t want to ‘wish I did it when I had the chance.’

You’re attending college. What are you attending college for, and what do you hope to do with your degree?

Yes, I’m attending college. I currently attend Morgan State University and will be graduating in May of 2014 with a degree in social work and sociology. I plan to counsel families and children in hopes of directing and owning my own adoption agency in the near future.

What would you say is the biggest misconception of urban models? What are you doing to combat that misconception?

The biggest misconception of urban models in the industry, in my opinion, is based off of personality and work ethic. When it comes to ‘personality’, most individuals that haven’t gotten the chance to personally meet the model—they assume that she is ‘stuck-up’ and/or wouldn’t be down to earth. Sometimes I feel like a fan base can forget that the model is a real person, consisting of feelings, mood-swings, bad days, or what some may call ‘off days’ (just because she doesn’t have pounds of makeup on and is under a fitted cap). Ways for the model to try to beat the odds, in this case, is to become social and take advantage of social networks by interacting with their fans and providing updates and meet and greets for the people who love their work. When it comes to work ethic, I think everyone believes that the work is easy. Not that I’m complaining, but long hours of videos, fittings for custom clothing, preparation with hair and makeup, and photo shoots are the most pro-longing and everlasting ventures that have to take place when trying to fulfill your dreams and maintain as an interest. Building your career takes a lot of practice, hard work, and dedication; as any other job.

Who is your celebrity crush, and why?

Denzel Washington has to be my number one celebrity crush. With his interviews as a reference, I think that he’s one of the most intellectual, professional, and beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my life. I like his style and the character that he becomes in every movie and love his signature ‘lickin of the brown juicy lips’… He’s just a sexy ol’ man.

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring urban models, what would it be, and why?

To any of the aspiring models who want to be in the industry, I’d say to come into this place of work with a goal. ‘Come in, have fun, and get out.’ Believe none of what you see in the music videos nor what you hear in the lyrics. Carry yourself what how you would want others to perceive you, and keep a smile on your face.

The post Dominique Jolie is a Joy Forever appeared first on XXL.

Aside from Kanye West’s artwork for Yeezus, J. Cole has also unveiled his album cover for Born Sinner. Above is the deluxe edition and below is the standard edition. The deluxe will have 21 tracks, while the standard will have 16. Check them out and be sure to grab Born Sinner on June 18.

[via HHNM]

More J. Cole:

• J.Cole Releases New Free EP “Truly Yours”
• EP: J. Cole’s “Truly Yours 2″

The post Cover Artwork: J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” appeared first on XXL.

Wale is pulling out all the stops for his third studio album, The Gifted. We’ve seen recent studio sessions with him and Rihanna, recording the remix to “Bad” that should be releasing shortly. To follow-up the success of “Bad,” the MMG rapper delivers “Love Hate Thing.” It features somber singing and has Wale contemplating the thin line between love and hate.

You can listen to the track below. The Gifted is slated to drop on June 25.

[via RapRadar]

The post Wale “Love Hate Thing” appeared first on XXL.

It’s the T-shirt that’s been spotted on a number of your favorite rappers and celebrities, from Drake to Pusha T, Maxwell and more.  Argentinean designer, Marcelo Burlon and his County of Milan line of tees have been really popular in recent months.  This white/black version of the dubbed “Moon” t-shirts is limited edition and made exclusively for a few stores. Featuring snake print on the collar, you can pick one up today for $208 over at Union.

Price: $208

Website: Union

The post Marcelo Burlon’s County of Milan Moon T-Shirt appeared first on XXL.

Today’s #dailytwerk is from Ms. Minaj. Just skip to the 1:15 mark on the video and enjoy. Nicki Minaj gives Lil Wayne the lap dance of the century while performing “High School” last night during the Billboard Music Awards.

Nicki Minaj Twerks On Lil Wayne

Oh and just a reminder, if you want have your video featured in #dailytwerk, email your video link to dailytwerk@xxlmag.com

Also, be sure to follow @dailytwerk on Twitter.

The post Nicki Minaj #Dailytwerk appeared first on XXL.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone when we say that Kanye West owned this past weekend. In the event that you’ve been living under a rock though, Yeezy took to 66 buildings across the world on Friday night to premiere the song and visual for “New Slaves” off his forthcoming album. On Saturday, it was confirmed that his sixth studio album would be entitled Yeezus and would be arriving in stores on June 18^th. Then Saturday night, Kanye returned to Saturday Night Live to perform “New Slaves” as well as a new cut entitled “Black Skinheads.” And with that, Yeezy Season was upon us. Between the new music and genius marketing behind the Yeezus campaign, Kanye has been the talk of the town these past few days. We combed through Twitter to get the industry’s thoughts on everything that went down this weekend. Here’s what everyone had to say.  

The post Hip-Hop Reacts To Kanye West’s Epic Weekend appeared first on XXL.

Kendrick Lamar’s star power is growing at a rapid pace. The TDE rapper’s services have been called on by artists such as Miguel, 50 Cent, Solange, Dido and others. Last night, Q-Tip of the legendary A Tribe Called Quest crew got us excited because he revealed the pair have been working together.

Kendrick has made no announcements to follow-up good kid, m.A.A.d city yet. However, Q-Tip has been giving fans hints on how his next album, The Last Zulu, will be shaping up. In March, Q-Tip told Billboard that he wants to have an ATCQ reunion and take it back to his Zulu roots. If this Kendrick collaboration makes the final cut of the album, we can’t wait to see what else he is cooking up.

The post Q-Tip And Kendrick Lamar Have A Song Together appeared first on XXL.