XXL Mag

Aaliyah Haughton would have celebrated her 35th birthday today if she was still with us. With the voice of an angel, one could only imagine where Aaliyah’s ascending career would be if she reached her 30s.Though a R&B songstress, Aaliyah contributed her vocals to some rather dope hip-hop tracks in her day. Here’...

Grafh takes it back to underground hip-hop with his new single featuring Styles P and Loaded Lux. The battle rap specialists do their thing on the gritty instrumental. The track will appear on Grafh’s Pain Killers Reloaded.

Widely-renowned DJ, Pete "DJ" Jones passed away on Wednesday, January 15, 2014. Jones, who was known for hosting parties in the '70s and '80s in The Bronx, has been praised by legends (i.e. Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash) as one of the first disc jockeys to use two turntables and spin two copies of the same record, which later became critical in mixing and scratching. ...

Step Brothers (Alchemist and Evidence) are just a few days shy until they release Lord Steppington. In anticipation of the upcoming LP, the pair share their collaboration with Action Bronson called “Mums In The Garage.” As Bronson kicks wild style rhymes, Ev drops dense bars that are potent. Check out ...

Smoke DZA announces his upcoming album Dream.ZONE.Achieve on Apr. 1. The first single, “Black Independence,” voices his opinions on growth and independence in both his personal and professional paths. For a longer explanation, read what DZA had to say below: Growing up I wrote JAYZ & Big lyrics down as I memorized their words and mimic’d their flow. Their first albums i...

After being arrested for felony drug possession Tuesday (Jan. 14) and again yesterday (Jan. 15), Lil Za pulls the race card and hints at the fact that he's black as the cause for being apprehended. Some stuff I've done has been wrong yes. but...

   

Yeezus was recognized as the year's best project by the world's most celebrated music critics and writers. Kanye West claimed the top spot in the annual Pazz & Jop poll for his sonically futuristic stadium-filling artistic offering. In...

Tracy T, who is one of the newest signees of MMG, is riding high after his single “16,: which is still available on iTunes if you missed it. To get more familiar with the Atlanta upstart, he is giving XXL an exclusive look of his in-studio sessions and behind-the-scenes happenings. Dubb...

Bruce Springsteen recent sat down with NPR and praised Kanye West for his social commentary and intricate record-making talents. He considers West a "perfectionist," similar to himself, noting the similarities both share while crafting timeless music by any means necessary...

DJ E. Styles remixes Ty Dolla Sign’s buzzing “Paranoid” single. Adding on Chinx and Joe Mose, this revamped version is Cali meets NY. Check it out above.

This year, DirecTV's Saturday Night celebration during Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 1), enlists the talents of Brooklyn's own, Jay Z. Previous headliners for the exclusive invite-only include the likes of Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry and Usher...