XXL Mag

This morning (Feb. 26), Bobby Shmurda called into Hot 97 from the protective custody section of Manhattan Detention Complex. In the brief call--authorities didn't allow the call to run for more than three minutes--Shmurda reported that he had been with fellow GS9 member Rowdy Rebel for most of his incarceration, up to a recent incident involving both artists that landed Rowdy in solitary confineme

Following a successful show at S.O.B.'s last night, Chance The Rapper and Donnie Trumpet wiped the cold out their eyes early this morning for an interview with The Breakfast Club. The 40-plus minute interview touched on Chance's career, his father's political ties and working with Madonna ...

Jordan Brand is known for their highly popular holiday releases and 2015 will be no different as the brand unveils their upcoming silhouettes for the end of the year. This year the Jordan Brand will release three different colorways of the Air Jordan 8...

Chicago MC Chance the Rapper’s following grows by the minute. With a discography of only mixtapes and no major label affiliation (yet), Chano has managed to headline festivals and collab with some of hip-hop’s best. The former XXL Freshman's shows, like the one last night at SOB’s, have a reputation for selling out fast. Born on the inte...

Zuse releases "Rigamaro" featuring Runway Richy exclusively through XXL. "Rigamaro," which stands for remix, is chilling. Over a head-slapping FKi-produced beat, the Jamaican-born MC delivers the hook and goes unconscious for his verse showing off his dancehall/trap hybrid flow...

Common and John Legend’s Academy Award victory for Best Original Song last Sunday (Feb. 22) was a big moment in hip-hop history. But it wasn’t the first time hip-hop got a nod on Hollywood’s biggest night. The socially conscious collab “Glory,” written for the Oprah Winfrey-produced Civil Rights film Selma, is only the third hip-hop song to win an Academy Award in the ceremony’s 87-year history. T

With Big Sean's third studio album, Dark Sky Paradise, hitting shelves this week, the Detroit rapper has found himself the topic of much chatter on the rap internet. Yet, while the album is expected to make a strong commercial showing in its first week, just as with 2013's Hall Of Fame, Sean's record is once again overshadowed by a song that isn't on the final tracklist...

J-Swift may be facing deportation to Spain. It was reported earlier this month that he was being held by U.S. Customs at the Canadian border after trying to return to the United States following a Pharcyde show in January.  Since then, Swift has been detained in a Canadian prison where he awaits deportation to Spain, the country he was born in. J-Swift ...

Vans designers take a trip down memory lane by delivering an updated range of low and high-tops nostalgic of '90s grunge. Outfitted in treated plaid materials, Vans’ original Sidestriped silhouettes, the Old Skool and Sk8-Hi Reissue, are released alongside the Era 59 in a five-piece Distressed Plaid pack. The ...

Kendrick Lamar has been tight lipped about his upcoming album and very little news has leaked about the project. But, an unlikely source has had the privilege of hearing new songs from the album. Prince Jackson, the son of pop icon Michael Jackson, sent out a tweet late Tuesday night with pictures of him and K ...

Wale is taking things back to his roots on his upcoming fourth studio LP, The Album About Nothing, returning to the Jerry Seinfeld-influenced tradition of his early mixtapes, The Mixtape About Nothing and More About Nothing. And the best ...

Drake definitely has a lot to celebrate. His surprise mixtape, If You're Reading This It's Too Late, which dropped two weeks ago, broke another record. The latest one is that every song on the Toronto native's new mixtape charted on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. That surpasses hi...