XXL Mag

Lil Reese fans are not too happy with the rapper right now. The Def Jam signee posted a picture of a child holding a gun on his Instagram page causing onlookers not to take to the photo too kindly. Reese is said to have given the child the firearm while both were on FaceTime...

Mick Jenkins, a representative from Chicago's more conscious-minded sect, has announced his signing to Cinematic Music Group. "Jonny Shipes is the only person that approached me offering to work for free," he tells XXL exclusively. After growing and working together, as well as exploring other options, I'm happy to make the decision to partner with Cinematic Music Group...

As independent record labels continue to evolve, more and more rights are being implemented to ensure that artists and labels are paid properly for their work. Today, the Worldwide Independent Network announced that it has set up the "Fair Digital Deals Declaration" which will commit the signatory companies to "treat their artists fairly in agreements relating to digital explotiati

Ever since Chuck D aired out his grievances and called Hot 97's Summer Jam a "sloppy fiasco," Chuck and the station's DJ's have been going back and forth on Twitter and over the airwaves. Chuck D sat down with The Combat Jack Show to let the hip-hop community know what exactly has bothered him so much about Hot 97. “T ...

Previously: DJ Premier’s Five Favorite Beats Of All Time DJ Premier Remembers Jeru The Damaja’s ‘The Sun Rises In The East’ 20 Years Later DJ Premier Didn’t Like The Beat To Nas’ “Memory Lane” 15 Of The Greatest Rapper-Producer Duos Of All Time iStandard Selects The XXL 2014 Freshmen Producers

Cam'ron is pretty much an NYC legend. Still, he's a man with unlegendary problems. On "So Bad," it's if can he impress an owner enough to allow him to grab an apartment worth $20,000. The twist is that the owner just happens to be Nicki Minaj...

A new website called "Please Help Me Ja Rule" has made it a mission to pair Ja Rule ballads with exactly how you're feeling at the time and your level of thugness. The user gets to pick "how thug" they are feeling and "how emotional" they are feeling from a drop down menu that includes choices like "very prestigiously," "more thug than 50 Cent at the Ca

Last night, J. Cole's highly anticipated second installment of the Dollar And A Dream Tour touched down in his second home, NYC, at the Highline Ballroom. Created to celebrate the five-year-anniversary of his epic career-changing mixtape, The Warm Up, the tour offered fans a show filled with classic hits all for a $1...

Dreamville's own Bas started off his album rollout with this single "Charles De Gaulle To JFK," which described his journey from his hometown Paris to his new home in Queens. After J. Cole's Dollar And A Dream Tour stopped in NYC at Highline Ballroom, Bas decided to release the official video for the song off Last Winter... Read More ...

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has been riding a hot hand lately. After re-signing NBA megastar LeBron James, Gilbert revealed that he invested $40 million into the "Genius Project," formerly known as Rap Genius. Gilbert made the announcement via his blog, Choose Thinking, explaining how he got involved with Genius, his belief that hip-hop has been "one of the most influenti

August Alsina has had no problem filling in his recent role as hook man regardless of the artist. After doing the same for Houston's Kirko Bangz, Alsina justaposes Que's warbly auto-tune in "Diamonds." On this Jazz Feezy-produced cut, Alsina and Que focuses on a topic they know quite well: The come-up and the folks who're trying to get down because of it. The...

Kevin Durant recently released his newest model of the KD line with Nike in the KD 7. Keeping the momentum going from his previous model, the KD 6, Nike has decided to drop the very eye-catching KD 6 Elite "Supremacy" sneaker. The shoe comes in a vivid blue upper, with bits of metallic gold complimenting the sneaker design...