I guess I should write 1st.

i guess i should write 2nd… thats if im really second….

Guess i should also mention that Death Row, Bad Boy,No limit,So So Def & honour mention 2 Rawkus were 1nce hip-hop record label powerhouse.

Only Ca$h Mone w/ Young Money seems 2 b heading in that direction now.
Rather go indie if u ask me,Record labels now sucks

[...] XXL [...]

true that. record labels suck, they could give a fuck about the ‘artist’ himself. & wtf? is warren g doing on that bitch.?

[...] XXL « Beyonce Talks About Kanye’s [...]

[...] of the label’s roster, past and present, to grace the cover of the November issue. Props to XXL. addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fcontent.onsmash.com%2Farchives%2F25134′; addthis_title = [...]

Warren G’s first 2 albums were released under Def Jam.

I think Defjam has had the most STARS on there lable compared to any lable in history. Having Slick rick,LL cool j,Public enemy,The beastie boys alone make you a force because how many lables can say they have or have had legends ? it’s easy to say what there not as well as all these other lables,but Defjam was the blueprint of what a hip hop lable should be.

Warren G did move a lot of units for Def Jam back in the mid 90’s with his first CD. I think these artists were a good pick for the cover

[...] via XXL: [...]

Def Jam has been a force to be reckoned with from day one! Big labels do suck, but for some reason Def Jam has had a lock on hip hop and a formula that nobody can beat. I think their biggest days were back in the late 90’s. When they had numerous multi plantinum albums in the span of a year at most two:

Method Man Tical 2000
Redman Docs Da Name
Ja Rule Venni Vetti Vettci
Jay-Z Hard Knock Life
DMX It’s dark and Hell is Hot
DMX Flesh of my Flesh Blood of my Blood
Onyx-Shut Em Down

That’s only half of the albums I could recall from that time that went plantinum or more in teh span of one year or a year and a half (98-99) and all Def Jam.

[...] According to XXL: [...]

[...] celebration of Def Jam’s quarter century in the music business, XXL has selected a handful of the label’s roster, past and present, to grace the cover of the [...]

Wont front. Solid cover. Def Jam is the brick house of record labels.

[...] XXL Share and [...]

[...] Via: XXL [...]

[...] celebration of Def Jam’s quarter century in the music business, XXL has selected a handful of the label’s roster, past and present, to grace the cover of the [...]

DAM!LL COOL J MUST REALLY HAVE A BEEF WITH DEF JAM.HE BASICALLY BUILT THE LABEL AN J SANTANA IS IN THE FRONT.THAT IS SAD SITUATION .LL DESERVES MORE RESPECT THAN THAT.PEACE!!!

Damn I haven’t even read the October issue yet…

[...] In celebration of Def Jam’s quarter century in the music business, XXL has selected a handful of the label’s roster, past and present, to grace the cover of the November issue. Props to XXL. [...]

good concept XXL. come on though, Ross and Juelz on the cover but no LL, Slick Rick, DMX, Jay-Z? get the fuck out of here.

is it just me or does PMD look kind of sickly?

[...] to XXL: In celebration of Def Jam’s quarter century in the music business, XXL has selected a handful of [...]

You guys messed this up, it could’ve been good, what are/are you thinking?

[...] XXL Share and Enjoy: [...]

ll should definitely be on the cover, he basically made def jam the powerhouse that it became, and slick rick should be on there too, he was also instrumental in making def jam what it is today.

I agree Slick Rick & LL should have been on the cover. Even Chuck D, but it’s still cool.

[...] XXL [...]

Luda couldnt even get a spot on the cover?

[...] *wipes away tear* I closed my first magazine last week… and even though I wasn’t there for the entire process, I still feel very attached to the November XXL. It hits stands Oct. 27. [...]

it woulda been cool to see 3rd bass on the cover too

[...] Via XXL [...]

People saying that other lables should give a front page of the xxl is wrong, this is about the history of one of the longest running hip-hop lables in history, now i dnt care 4 Def Jam at this moment either but u cant ignore the impact they had on not only Hip-Hop but pop culture as a whole, when those other lables make it at 25 then they will have their shine, now LL Cool J, he doesent at this point want 2 be asscioated with hip-hop which is sad, when Def Jam gave him ownership of his masters & publishing in 2004 people should have seen this coming hes worth more then ever so he doesent wont anything 2 do with Def Jam, even when he was bitching about Jay-Z they offer him Jay’s position in 1993 but he turned it down so he felt disrecpected & blame Jay & Def Jam 4 not pushing his last 2 records when he could have done that himself he has the capital he owns his music so after all that went dwn, thats why he wasent at the Hip-Hop honors or the Def Jam 25 anniversary cover shoot, hes doing CSI now remember that…

[...] Props XXL. [...]

[...] XXL: In celebration of Def Jam’s quarter century in the music business, XXL has selected a handful of [...]

[...] celebration of Def Jam’s quarter century in the music business, XXL has selected a handful of the label’s roster, past and present, to grace the cover of the [...]

Yeah yeah so and so should’ve been on and so and so wasn’t but ONYX IS ON THE COVER OF XXL. Truly this is a great day in Hip-Hop, glad to see the team is still making dope moves.

Now I’m goin to listen to Slam until I get a concussion.

wow…if all those artists are on def jam now (which iu;m assuming they are)…they suck

No Ludacris, No Public Enemy, No Jay-Z, No Ja Rule and Irv Gotti, No LL Cool J, No Slick Rick, No DMX, No Kanye, No Rutthhheelll, Lyor, or Kevin?
Wow !!!!

If Scarface is on there then WC should be on there (both dropped only 1 dope as fuck albums on DefJam)

So whats next a Interscope cover with No Tupac (yes I know, im just sayin), Suge Knight, or Snoop Dogg?

What about a Rawkus cover with no Pharoahe Monch, Mos Def or Talib Kweli?

Im sorry but yall dropped the ball on this one.

This is like you guys just did the Motown Anniversary cover and only had DeBarge, Tony! Toni! Toné, Boys II Men, Michael McDonald, Queen Latifah and Ashford & Simpson on that shit.

Apart from the obvious R&R, LL, Slick Rick, PE, Beastie Boys, DMX etc fail, you telling me you couldn’t find T La Rock to jump on this shit? You’ve only featured artists from the second generation on. Where’s the artists that BUILT Def Jam?

no maroon album cover on the cover?? Failure….

It’s about time that Def Jam get props. Been in business for 25 years. Back then it was roling with Rush! XXL made a Big mistake for not putting the best Def Jam Rappers on the cover.