XXL Mag

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"...

It is a very rare thing in hip-hop when rappers are granted a third act in their career. If you're lucky, you will get a shot at a second but the third act is anomalous. LL Cool J told you not to call "Mama Said Knock You Out" a comeback but the truth is rap is a young man’s game and if you are lucky to get that second shot, you almost never get a third. ...

Mike WiLL is a busy man. Just a day after the 2013 VMAs—during which his frequent collaborator Miley Cyrus performed "We Can't Stop," a track produced by WiLL—Mike invited a few of his close homies to a high school in Brooklyn's South Slope to shoot a video for his debut single, "23." The track ...

Premium goods boutique Bodega based in Boston, MA unveils the first look at their latest footwear collaboration. The collaboration is set to launch early Fall 13, with neighboring footwear brand New Balance. The New Balance x Bodega “HYPRCAT,”  features a 577 silhouette which hold true to a neutral colored suede upper, with leather and a combination of colorways: blue, purple and pink accents thro

Talib Kweli sat down for an interview with Mother Jones recently that touched on a variety of topics, including stop-and-frisk, feminism and homosexuality in hip-hop. Towards the end of the conversation, he also gave big props to a fellow artist and future tour partner: Macklemore...