Common jumps on ”X.O.X.” and spits a verse for Elijah Blake’s track. Torn between lovers, the songs depicts the all-to-often question: How do I tell the one I’m with that I’m still in love with my ex? A real emotional song, touching a hard choice that must be made. The video is done well with the different type of scenes illustrating the thoughts of the singer’s mind. You can watch the video above.

The post Elijah Blake “X.O.X.” Featuring Common appeared first on XXL.

At one point in time, hip-hop music wasn’t the major musical force that it is today; it was a fad relegated to the South Bronx, where DJs cut between drum breaks for a young crop of dancers to spin on their head to in the park. Flash forward 40 years, and hip-hop has become one of the most recognized forms of popular music. With that expansion, the genre’s gained millions of new fans from all walks of life.

Now, XXL has decided to investigate some of hip-hop’s most surprising devotees. From A-list actors to all-star athletes, it’s a testament to how big hip-hop has become.

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The Chi-town spitter pays homage to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, on this record. Common jumps on this rework of Chris Brown’s smash hit “Fine China” retooled by DJ Dummy and 9th Wonder. This huge hit just got even more soul with this new remix. Ladies are going to love this song even more with the witty metaphors and wordplay from the G.O.O.D. Music artist. You can listen to the song above.

The post Common “Fine China (DJ Dummy And 9th Wonder Remix)” appeared first on XXL.

Yesterday, the world of music was rocked when news broke that Rihanna and Chris Brown had finally called it quits. It was surely a tragic day for the dozens – and that’s a generous estimate – of people out there that genuinely care. But the news got XXL‘s staff thinking – isn’t this something we really should’ve seen coming? We’ve all heard the rumors of love triangles between Drake, RiRi and Chris, but we suspect that Drizzy’s not the only one. That being said, here’s 21 photos of Rihanna with Breezy’s rap game peers.

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Rappers have a strange relationship with the cinematic arts. While a few truly talented MCs have parlayed their musical fame into successful and rewarding cinematic careers, a greater number of others have dived head-first into the world of film and royally bombed. Artists like Vanilla Ice, Busta Rhymes, Run-DMC and dozens of others all jumped at the chance to act, and all failed miserably. But that doesn’t mean every rapper who acted didn’t deliver. Now, XXL has compiled a list of 22 film performances from rappers that are worth watching.

The post Who’s Got The Juice: 22 Rappers Who Can Actually Act appeared first on XXL.

It looks like another hip-hop icon is making the move to television.

Following in the footsteps of Nicki Minaj and her Just Wright co-star Common, Queen Latifah has signed on to host a new hour-long daytime talk show called “The Queen Latifah Show.” The show will feature a mix of celebrity interviews, live music performances and human interest stories.

The show begins airing this September 16 on CBS and its affiliate stations. It is produced in part by fellow MC Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Latifah’s own Flavor Unit Entertainment.

This is hardly Queen Latifah’s first television appearance, having guest starred on numerous shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire,” “Living Single” and “Saturday Night Live.”

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Today, super-producer/fashion icon/sometimes-hologram will.i.am put out a new record, #willpower, a dance-pop supernova of an album that features Miley Cyrus, Justin Beiber, k-pop stars 2NE1, and a long list of other huge acts. The album is pretty much what you’d expect – a lot of rave beats and huge anthemic hooks and simple one-liners sprinkled throughout. And the truth is, it works for him, for whatever he’s become in the past few years.

will.i.am wasn’t always like this, though. When he started out, will was signed to Eazy E’s Ruthless Records and made jazzy beats as the producer for Black Eyed Peas, who were then a backpack rap outfit from LA. By the time Fergie came along and helped the BEPs transition into a global pop super-squad and headline the Super Bowl halftime show, will’s hip-hop roots were all but long gone.

But, there was a stretch there in the mid-2000s – up until 2009, when the Peas released their career-defining The E.N.D. – when will re-emerged as a premiere hip-hop producer, working with everyone from conscious minds like Talib and Common to money-getters like The Game and Flo Rida. To celebrate will’s new album and take a look back at his hip-hop history, we’ve compiled a list of will.i.am’s best beats. — Additional reporting by Sean Ryon.

The post will’s Power: The 15 Best will.i.am Beats appeared first on XXL.

Common comes back with another freebie. After jumping on Big Sean’s “Switch Up” and appearing on Cocaine 80s “Congratulations,” he becomes the latest artist to remix “Open Letter.” Hov’s verses are still intact, but he adds his own public service announcement. Here, he addresses the criticism behind his White House invite a few years ago and more. Get ‘em Common Sense.

The post Listen to Common’s Remix for “Open Letter” appeared first on XXL.

It’s a celebration. Well, sort of. No ID blesses us with this awkward wedding song from the mind of the best man, featuring Common and Cocaine ’80s. Nada ID on the track.

The post Common ft. Cocaine 80s “Congratulations” appeared first on XXL.

Earlier this week, Cudi took to KPWR 105.9 to announce his shocking departure from his GOOD Music family, helmed by one-time mentor Kanye West. Fans and detractors have responded with varying degrees of support and hate, but we’re happy to see Cudi move in a new direction and we’re excited to see how he exercises his new-found freedom.

Still, Cudi’s had some really great moments as a GOOD Music team member, and we wanted to nostalgically celebrate those positive moments – including collaborations, interviews, and music videos. Here’s a short list of Cudi’s 10 best GOOD Music moments.

The post G-Double-O-D: Kid Cudi’s GOOD-est Moments appeared first on XXL.

Over the past two weeks, Rick Ross has come under fire for a recent verse on Rocko’s “U.O.N.E.O.” in which he spits, “Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it/I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.” In the aftermath of the song, everyone from feminist groups to Michigan’s WUVSIp 103.7 to even Talib Kweli have put their two cents in on the issue. But the Bawse isn’t the first rapper to cause a public uproar of his lyrics. Now, XXL presents a list of 15 lyrics that got the rappers who spit them in trouble.

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On this day, March 13th, in hip-hop history…

1972 – Veteran Chicago emcee Common was born. Named after his father Lonnie “Pops” Lynn – a former ABA basketball player – Common made his hip-hop debut in 1992 with Can I Borrow A Dollar? on Relativity Records. Although the album was overlooked by many listeners, it is credited as establishing Chicago as a force in hip-hop.

In the following years, Common would go on to release a number of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums, including 1994′s Resurrection and 1997′s One Day It All Make Sense. In 2004, the emcee signed with fellow Windy City native Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint and released the Grammy-nominated Be the following year.

In recent years, Common has delved into the world of acting, landing roles in films like Smokin’ Aces and AMC’s television program “Hell on Wheels.” He is also currently working on his 10th solo album, due out September 2013.

The post Today In Hip-Hop: Common Celebrates 41st Birthday appeared first on XXL.

To the delight of Heather B, Common spits an actual freestyle during a recent visit to Shade 45′s ‘Sway In The Morning’.

The post Common Spits Off The Top on ‘Sway In The Morning’ appeared first on XXL.

Earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI resigned to prepare for his retirement. While it shocked Roman Catholics, there have been talks already of his replacement.

TMZ caught Common as he was leaving a workout session in L.A. They asked the G.O.O.D. Music rapper about the possibility of a black cardinal from Ghana named Peter Turkson.

Common says that it is “a beautiful thing.” He commends people for having an open mind about the Pope’s resignation.

“I think the world is open to more to not judging things by color and seeing that people of color do great things,” he said. “We all equal. It’s all love.”

[via TMZ]

The post Common: A Black Pope Would Be “A Beautiful Thing” appeared first on XXL.

J. Period is preparing to release his forthcoming mixtape, Rage Is Back, on February 12. For the tape’s latest single, he joins forces with Common for “The Next Chapter (Still Love H.E.R.).” The song is a continuation of his 1994 classic “I Used to Love H.E.R.” where he explains his love affair with hip-hop. Listen to it below.

Props Billboard

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There appears to be some confusion within the G.O.O.D. Music camp. Last September, Q-Tip hinted at a follow up to Cruel Summer in an interview with MTV, stating “If there’s a Cruel Summer, then there’s got to be a Cruel Winter right? That’s all I’m saying.” Then in November, Big Sean told DJ Semtex that he had recorded a track for the project. But in a recent interview with Vulture, Common shot down rumors of the album, stating, “I don’t think that’s happening. It was more of a rumor — cats been creating, but everybody’s been doing their solo album. So that’s what that is.” The boss man himself, Kanye West, has yet to comment on the rumored project.

The post Common on Cruel Winter: "I Don't Think That's Happening" appeared first on XXL.

Cocaine 80s, who is helmed by James Fauntleroy, continues to drop consistent songs with the latest called “Fly Ass Pisces.” The track’s beautiful production is the reason why the conglomerate is highly respected in the genre. And featured guests Jhene Aiko and Common add a nice touch to the entire thing. Listen to it below.

The post Cocaine 80s ft. Jhené Aiko & Common “Fly A*s Pisces” appeared first on XXL.

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Twenty years ago, on October 6, 1992, Common’s debut album, Can I Borrow A Dollar?, was essential in laying the foundation for the Chicago rapper’s lengthy career. Despite limited success at the time, the No I.D.-helmed project (where, as Immenslope, he was credited with producing seven of the album’s tracks) showcased Com’s dexterous wordplay and asserted him as a notable new talent. Years later, the collection would be heralded as a classic. Here, in his own words, Common reflects on his entrance into the game.

That was just a time where I didn’t know anything about being in the music industry. I just wanted to be an artist and be a dope MC and be heard and represent Chicago, and [for] KRS-[One] and De La Soul and N.W.A and A Tribe Called Quest and all them to know who I was. I was just a young artist, just hungry.

It was a lot of songs from my demo that ended up being on Can I Borrow A Dollar?. I can just remember going to New York, taking all my homies with me, and going to record in Calliope Studios. We recorded there ’cause we saw that the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul and Tribe had did some stuff there. We went there and most of the songs was done, but we just wanted to be in that environment. I remember getting to meet the Beatnuts. They was the first dudes from New York that I even really got cool with. They was dope. I would go to Queens and hang out. They would come around and just show me what New York was about.

I would say like five of the songs [had been recorded]. One song, I could tell you, I was still at college, at Florida A&M, No I.D. called me with this beat. It was the intro to the album, it’s called “Penny For My Thoughts.” He called me with the beat, he [used] this Eddie Kendrick sample. It was like, Man, I love the beat so much. He left it on my voicemail and I would just sit and call my voicemail back over and over, and I wrote the song like that. I would just write it playing it over.

Can I Borrow A Dollar? is when I first, like, later on in the process of that album, really late in that album, that’s when I started writing songs in my head. Not writing it down, just writing in my head. I remember specifically, one time I was out, [my guy] had a little lady friend he was hanging out with upstairs, I had the beat in the car, I said hold on, I just started thinking of some thoughts and I started writing. I can’t even remember what song it was. But I remember definitely that situation, and being like, Yeah, I started that process of just being able to say the songs in my head and come together with it.

“Take It EZ” was the first single that was on the radio. I was in this hotel room at the Best Western [when I first heard it]. We was doing some promo up on the north side of Chicago, and, at that time, you go to every radio station you can, and because they was open to mix shows, you could take your record and if they like it, they could put it on the radio quick. The DJ could if it was a mixshow thing. On the promo tour, you go out there and just have to make people aware of who you are. I was at the Best Western just chilling out. Man, I just got geeked. I was like, ‘I’m gonna be a star.’ That’s what I felt. You just don’t know what it take to even get—you never know from that point what it really take to be recognized as an artist on a greater level. It ain’t just being played on the radio one time. It’s a consistent thing of being heard and getting exposure and going out there, performing, getting your video played. There was so much more to it than you know when you first come into the music industry. That’s where I was at.

That was a time that I got to hear my first song on the radio, as far as a record that I recorded. And see my album cover. It just was like a dream.

It was the first step in my dream, really. —As told to Adam Fleischer (@AdamXXL)

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