will.i.am Fills in for Kanye West at Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

Nov 16th, '07  •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  17 Comments

Kanye West pulled out of a scheduled appearance at this year’s Victoria Secret Fashion show in the wake of the sudden death of his mother, Dr. Donda West. According to the Associated Press, Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am was tapped ...

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ESPN Enlists Duck Down Artists for Men’s College Basketball Promo Spots

Nov 15th, '07  •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  7 Comments

The ESPN cable network has enlisted Duck Down Records and their roster of artists to create five original tracks for their upcoming coverage of Men’s College Basketball. The tracks will air throughout the college basketball season which begins this ...

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Foxy’s Manager and Black Hand Entertainment CEO Chaz Williams to be Featured on BET’s American Gangster

Nov 15th, '07  •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  47 Comments

Chaz Williams, the CEO of Queens, NY based Black Hand Entertainment, and manager of Foxy Brown, will be profiled on an upcoming episode of BET’s American Gangster series. Williams is said to have robbed over 60 banks during the 1970’s ...

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PROFILE: The Machine That Defined New York Hip-Hop

Nov 15th, '07  •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  9 Comments

In the new Village Voice, regular XXL contributor Ben Detrick talks to Pete Rock, Hank Shocklee, Lord Finesse and Ski about the importance of the SP-1200. For those who aren't familiar, here's Detrick's break down of the machine's importance: Just as the ...

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A Brief Check-In

Nov 15th, '07  •  Bloggers  •  by Black Ice  •  18 Comments

I have a love/hate relationship with Hip Hop right now. I'm sure a lot of you can relate. I mean, "I Used To Love H.E.R." is one of the greatest songs ever made, but I never really looked at Hip ...

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What a bunch of fuck-ups

Nov 15th, '07  •  Bloggers  •  by XXL Staff  •  39 Comments

Right now I'm running a poll on my own site to determine which is the most highly anticipated of several rap albums that will supposedly be released in the next month or so. Choices include the new albums by the ...

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MSN to Air Jay-Z’s American Gangster Concert Online

Nov 15th, '07  •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  15 Comments

On Tuesday (November 20), MSN and concert production company Control Room will be airing Jay-Z’s recent performance at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City in its entirety on music.msn.com. The show was part of Jay’s six city mini-tour in ...

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Smif-N-Wessun
The Album

Nov 15th, '07  •  Reviews  •  by XXL Staff  •  13 Comments

DUCK DOWN Smif-N-Wessun transcended many of their contemporaries with their 1995 opus Dah Shinin’. Yet, while their debut spawned unforgettable anthems like “Bucktown” and “Sound Bwoy Bureill,” the Brooklyn duo’s subsequent works—’98’s The Rude Awakening and ’05’s Smif ’N’ Wessun: Reloaded—failed ...

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David Banner:
Gotta Say It

Nov 15th, '07  •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  18 Comments

Whether testifying in front of congress, making raucous rebel records or voicing his own hit cartoon, Mississippi's mainstay David Banner is not afraid to tell the truth and nothing but. But with so many parts of his persona vying for ...

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