XXL Mag

A few weeks ago, XXL spoke with Mississippi rapper David Banner about his role in recent film Lee Daniels' The Butler, in which he plays the lead character's brother, Earl Gaines. In the exclusive interview, Banner spoke about his budding career as a film actor, and even went on to mention that he'd directed a film of his own, a short called Walking With Gods. Yesterday, Ba...

Last week, Drake lit the Internet on fire when he revealed the cover art for his forthcoming album Nothing Was The Same. The double cover, which features profile portraits of Drake as a youngster and Drake as an adult, was celebrated as much as it was ridiculed, but he's stood firmly by the design. Thi...

After the bomb that Big Sean set off by unleashing Kendrick Lamar on the world, his new album, Hall Of Fame, is being released in stores today. The album follows a year in which Big Sean made a big name for himself after notable appearances on G.O.O. ...

Three 6 Mafia alum Juicy J delivers his third solo album (and major label debut) Stay Trippy this week. The project takes Juicy J’s traditional breed of club-thumping beats and sprinkles in some of Juicy’s most audacious bars (with the help of some guests of course). It’s a for...

A Track By Track Breakdown Of 'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill'

Kicking off October 17th, Ab-Soul and Joey Bada$$ will trek off on the 2013 Smokers Club Tour. Joined by the entire Pro Era crew, Chevy Woods, Cashius Green, Black Dave, Hefna Gawp and the Underachievers, the group will present the 2013 version of the Mary Jane masquerade...

Heat makes people do crazy things. Even though summer is winding down, The LOX—the reunited Yonkers super-group of Sheek Louch, Styles P, and Jadakiss—has released a new track about rising temperatures and the sometimes violent outbursts that come with them. Over a gri...

XXL is partnering with Cinematic Music Group to give two tickets away to each stop on the 2013 Smoker's Club Tour. The tour will feature 2013 XXL Freshmen, Ab-Soul and Joey Bada$$,  co-headlining the dates along with guests that include the entire Pro Era crew, Chevy Woods, Cashius Green, Black Dave, Hefna Gawp and the Underachievers. The tour will run fr...

Roscoe Dash reminds us of his early days of turning up in “USDA.” The first full single by the Atlanta MC is self-produced by him, containing a banging beat that transforms to something moodier at the end. Surprisingly, Roscoe looks to have sharpened his rhymes a bit as he goes in effortlessly. Listen bel...

Eminem caught many off guard with the release of "Berzerk" and twitter had a bunch to say about it. As the mogul reverses time paying homage to hip-hop legends such as the Beastie Boys and Run DMC, the Rick Rubin-produced track ventures in a completely different direction than what fans are used to from the rapper...

For a title celebrating its 25th anniversary, Madden NFL 25 doesn't quite make the quantum leap update you would associate with such a celebratory mark. For players who gave Madden NFL 13 a solid run, there will be a lot of familiar moments here, but that’s not to say there haven’t been a handful of improvements made on the game. Despite th...

As an installment in Budwiser's "Made Me" series Kendrick Lamar speaks on meeting Dr. Dre for the first time. Divulging on their first studio session, Kendrick tells that working with the rap legend was in fact surreal and served as the inspiration behind his verse on their collaborative anthem "Compton"...