Whenever there is new Em, the day is automatically good. Eminem drops a new verse from the cut titled “Symphony In H” off Touch’s upcoming Piecemaker 3: Return Of The 50 MC’s project which hit stores July 9th. Man this record will give you chills down your spine as the man know as Slim Shady rips apart this track, serving blow after blow with his masterful wordplay and delivery. Take a listen for yourself below.

Related: Tony Touch Set To Drop 100th Mixtape, Says “There Is A Demand For Lyrics”

The post Eminem “Symphony In H” appeared first on XXL.

It looks like Ice-T has another documentary film gig lined up—this time, as a narrator.

The West Coast legend has apparently signed on to narrate the upcoming documentary film Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire. The film—which is set for a June 20 release—analyzes the issue of gun control in America and the arguments against banning high capacity magazines and assault weapons.

This isn’t Ice-T’s first work on a documentary filme. Last year, he released his directorial debut The Art Of Rap, featuring appearances from Kanye West, Eminem, Immortal Technique and more.

The post Ice-T To Narrate Documentary ‘Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire’ appeared first on XXL.

• jb
  Jay-Z and Blue Ivy share a moment
• 50Cent
  50 Cent and his son, Marquise
• Andre3000
  Andre 3000's son Seven is a spitting image of his father...
• bigboifam2
  Big Boi with his wife, Sherlita, and their two sons Cross and Bamboo
• biggiedaughter
  The late Notorious B.I.G. and his daughter T'yanna
• BigPun
  Liza (Big Pun's widow) and their three children
• bunB
  Bun B is the father of two children
• CoryGunzxPeterGunz
  Peter Gunz loves his son Cory
• dmx
  DMX with his ex-wife, Tashera, and two of their four children
• DougieFresh
  Doug E. Fresh is a father of two children...
• e-40-5
  E-40 is the father of Droop-E
• eminem-pic2
  Eminem hanging out with his daughter Halie
• fabolous_son
  Fabolous happy to be with his son Johan aka Joso
• flav-family
  Flavor Flav and his clan get together for a family photo
• Ice-T out with his son Tracy aka Lil Ice
  Ice T and his son Lil Ice...
• IceCube
  Ice Cube and his wife, Kimberly, with their four children
• #laurynfam
  Lauryn Hill goes out and about with her five children (she is currently pregnant with a sixth)
• Lil-Boosie-Family-Pic
  Lil Boosie poses with his very happy family
• lilKINGSiLKKTHESHOCKER
  Silkk the Shocker hangs on the red carpet with his son, Lil' King
• LilWayne
  Lil Wayne out with two of his children, Reginae and Dwayne
• LordJamar
  Lord Jamar takes a break from fatherhood for a quick photoshoot
• ludacris
  Ludacris is thrilled to spend a day with his daugther, Karma
• master-p
  Master P poses with his children Romeo and Cymphonique
• Nas
  Nas and his ex-wife, Kelis, with the rapper's daughter Destiny
• NElly
  Nelly and his two children.
• ODB
  The late but unforgettable ODB is the father of seven children
• p-diddy-family
  Diddy posing for a red carpet moment with former girlfriend Kim Porter and his 5 children - Christian, D'Lila, Jesse, Quincy and Justin
• rev-run-family
  Rev Run enjoying some quality family time with his Simmons Klan
• russellsimmons
  Russell Simmons enjoying a night out with his daughters, Ming and Aoki
• #Fathers Day - Featured
  Will Smith with Willow and Jaden.
• kanye kim
  Kanye West and Kim Kardashian welcome their baby girl on June 15

Once every 365 days, the world sentimentally joins forces to honor and celebrate the men who indefatigably change the world every day. But this day isn’t for the police department or firemen; it’s not even for the soldiers – it’s for the men responsible for creating, grooming and raising them. Today we pay tribute to the father’s of the world.

Coming together for the annual third-Sunday-in-June celebration, XXL is here to wish all the men in hip-hop a happy Father’s Day. To see just how great these guys are, we’re here to give you 31 of the best father photos hip-hop has to offer. Now that’s something to celebrate. —Amber McKynzie

The post XXL Says Happy Father’s Day To The Dads In Hip-Hop appeared first on XXL.

2011: With the exception of Dr. Dre, Eminem’s landmark debut, The Slim Shady LP (1999), featured just one guest appearance – Em’s fellow Detroit wordsmith, Royce da 5’9″. On the album’s penultimate track, “Bad Meets Evil,” Slim Shady and Royce da 5’9” trade verses in a lethal display of lyrical dexterity. The duo leaves the track smoldering, and Royce ends the song by giving listeners a foreshadowing: See you in hell for the sequel…

Thirteen years later, the long-awaited sequel arrived. In the decade that passed following The Slim Shady LP, both Eminem and Royce da 5’9” evolved separately as artists. Hell: The Sequel, however, proved that Slim and Royce were still one of the most lethal duos in hip-hop. In addition to reuniting two of hip-hop’s most formidable talents, Hell: The Sequel became the first group EP to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

While the track “Bad Meets Evil” showcased two young, raw, hungry, and extremely talented MCs, Hell: The Sequel displayed two tested veterans at the top of their game.—Chisom Uzosike

The post Today In Hip-Hop: Eminem And Royce Da 5’9” Reunite For ‘Hell: The Sequel’ appeared first on XXL.

Big Sean has come a long way. Now that he is finally famous the Detroit rapper is out to prove that he belongs among rap’s elite. Currently working hard on his second studio LP, Hall of Fame, Sean recently chopped it up with MTV about the outcome of his April studio session with Em.

“Big Sean and Eminem, it has to be a Detroit classic. People can expect a Detroit classic,” said Sean of the collaboration. Though not sure if the music they produced would end up on his album or Eminem’s upcoming eighth LP, the G.O.O.D. Music rapper said the experience of working with someone he considers a legend was well worth it.

“We talked for a few hours before we even worked on music. I was telling him my stories about how we were performing all around downtown Detroit and [it turned out that] he was performing in the same places,” he said adding that the two rappers have a lot in common. “It was funny because every story I told him about how I lost a lot of friends, relationships and girls…and [how I've] made new friends, he was like, ‘Man, it’s crazy, because every story you telling me, I got the exact same story just in a different way.’ ”

Check out the entire clip, below.

The post Big Sean Bonds With Eminem In Studio, Makes “Detroit Classic” appeared first on XXL.

This was bound to happen. Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Porter, Jay Rock, Eminem, Royce da 5′ 9″, Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q are photographed in the studio. One can only assume that they are working on new music for any one of their upcoming albums. For any rap fan, we just have to cross our fingers that their records get released sooner than later.

The post Black Hippy In The Studio With Eminem (Photo) appeared first on XXL.

Yesterday, Wale continued to tease his forthcoming LP The Gifted with a remix of his breakout single “Bad.” The original, which featured recent Interscope signee Tiara Thomas, was an introspective and emotional journey through the pitfalls of a relationship. However, the Rihanna-assisted remix is an ideal update, on which Rih amps up the nastiness behind the song’s title and Wale openly follows her lead.

After hearing Rihanna’s guest appearance, we naturally thought about some of her previous hip-hop collaborations, and decided to compile a list of the best ones. Looking through her catalogue, it’s clear that Rih has embraced hip-hop as much as she’s embraced pop superstardom, and has seemingly gone out of her way to work closely with the game’s biggest names. From Jay-Z to Kanye to T.I., Rihanna’s built an impressive collection of hits with industry heavyweights.

Click through to check out Rihanna’s 15 best hip-hop collabs…

The post Bad Gal! Rihanna’s 15 Best Hip-Hop Collaborations appeared first on XXL.

A few weeks ago, XXL sat down with Freshmen Class of 2013 alum Trinidad Jame$ to discuss the impact of his music, during which he assessed that conscious hip-hop is no longer viable option in the music business. Although Jame$’s comments are geared towards his music’s influence on rap’s growing “Molly” subculture, the statement got XXL‘s editorial staff thinking: is conscious, politically-minded hip-hop really extinct?

Using the past decade—2003 to 2013—as a time frame, XXL decided to explore 18 significant political moments in modern hip-hop—from Kanye West’s post-Katrina rant, to Immortal Technique’s single “Bin Laden.”

The post 18 Political Moments In Hip-Hop From The Past Decade appeared first on XXL.

• keef-mug
  Chief Keef
• hov-mug
  Jay-Z
• wayne-mug
  Lil Wayne
• em-mug
  Eminem
• nas-mug
  Nas
• ross-mug
  Rick Ross
• ti-mug
  T.I.
• jeezy-mug
  Young Jeezy
• diddy-mug
  Diddy
• birdman-mug
  Birdman
• 50-mug
  50 Cent
• game-mug
  Game
• buck-mug
  Young Buck
• tupac-mug
  2Pac
• snoop-mug
  Snoop Dogg
• wiz-mug
  Wiz Khalifa
• 3stacks-mug
  Andre 3000
• bigboi-mug
  Big Boi
• dmx-mug
  DMX
• kim-mug
  Lil Kim
• foxy-mug
  Foxy Brown
• lauryn-mug
  Lauryn Hill
• odb-mug
  Ol' Dirty Bastard
• nore-mug
  N.O.R.E.
• tyler-mug
  Tyler, The Creator
• soulja-mug
  Soulja Boy
• juve-mug
  Juvenile
• boosie-mug
  Lil Boosie
• webbie-mug
  Webbie
• flo-mug
  Flo Rida
• gunplay-mug
  Gunplay
• gucci-mug
  Gucci Mane
• waka-mug
  Waka Flocka Flame
• mgk-mug
  Machine Gun Kelly
• tyga-mug
  Tyga
• paulwall-mug
  Paul Wall
• jarule-mug
  Ja Rule
• budden-mug
  Joe Budden
• cass-mug
  Cassidy
• scrappy-mug
  Lil Scrappy
• trick-mug
  Trick Daddy
• short-mug
  Too $hort
• fredo-mug
  Fredo Santana
• suge-mug
  Suge Knight
• coolio-mug
  Coolio
• ice-mug
  Vanilla Ice
• flav-mug
  Flavor Flav

News broke yesterday that Chief Keef was arrested for driving 110mph in a 55 mph zone. While speeding tickets are pretty common occurrence, the incident marks the second time in two weeks in which Keef found himself behind bars. If last week’s marijuana arrest is any indication of how he handled his legal woes, it’s likely that will see the GBE rapper laugh his arrest off with another mugshot Tweet.

With that in mind, XXL decided to take a look back at 47 other famous rapper mugshots. Click through the above gallery to check them out.

The post 47 Pictures Of Rappers’ Mugshots appeared first on XXL.

The fact that many rappers own swanky mansions isn’t anything revelatory—the topic has been done to death by dozens of other publications in the past. However, it doesn’t make it any less interesting to see the expansive properties of our favorite hip-hop icons, especially when you look at artists’ individual architectural penchants.

While we don’t profess to be architectural experts, XXL has decided to examine 22 properties owned by rappers in the context of a number of architectural schools of thought.

The post Deconstructing 22 Mansions Owned By Rappers appeared first on XXL.

Eminem is looking to hit the road overseas in the summer.

According to his official website, Em will be touring internationally in Europe at a few cities in August. Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf, EarlWolf (Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt) and Kendrick Lamar are expected to join the rap superstar. There’s no word if stops in the United States will be added.

Here are the confirmed dates below.

August 17, Slane Castle, Ireland
Plan B
EarlWolf
Yelawolf
Slaughterhouse

August 20, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow Summer Session
Kendrick Lamar
EarlWolf
Yelawolf

August 22, Stade de France, France
Kendrick Lamar
EarlWolf
Slaughterhouse

[via HHDX]

The post Eminem, Slaughterhouse And More Announce European Tour Dates appeared first on XXL.

Earlier this week, Tony Touch blessed the Internet with a previously unreleased clip of Busta Rhymes and Ol’ Dirty Bastard rapping together. Although the clip wasn’t a rap battle, it got XXL thinking about some of the more legendary battles that we’ve watch from that era and even the previous era of the genre.

Now, here’s a list of six of our favorite legendary rap battles from the annals of hip-hop history.

The post Six Legendary Rap Battles From The 1980s & 1990s appeared first on XXL.

• baby-kanye
  Kanye West
• baby-drake
  Drake
• baby-eminem
  Eminem
• baby-nas
  Nas
• baby-breezy
  Chris Brown
• baby-wiz
  Wiz Khalifa
• baby-game
  Game
• baby-cudi
  Kid Cudi
• baby-snoop
  Snoop Dogg
• baby-cole
  J. Cole
• baby-freeway
  Freeway
• baby-luda
  Ludacris
• baby-pac
  2Pac
• baby-buck
  Young Buck
• baby-spitta
  Curren$y
• baby-50
  50 Cent
• baby-tyga
  Tyga

Nobody likes it when their baby pictures are shown to the their family and friends—it’s usually an embarrassing experience to have people cloying over images of your infancy. Unfortunately the for rap world, privacy is a rarity afforded to few, and with the Internet becoming a hub for all things visual, that means a lot of embarrassing pictures are floating around in the digital aether.

Now, XXL‘s come up with 17 pictures of some of our favorite rappers when they were babies. Don’t blame us, blame Google.

The post 17 Baby Pictures Of Rappers appeared first on XXL.

Eminem’s song publisher, Eight Mile Style, LLC, is not too happy with Facebook’s choice of music in their new ad. On Monday, the company filed a lawsuit against the social network company for copyright allegations.

In a post by the Hollywood Reporter, Mark Zuckerberg is accused of using a song similar to Eminem’s “Under The Influence” for the April launch of his new application titled Facebook Home. He introduced the alleged song in an advertisement called “Airplane.” The lawsuit claims that Portland, Ore.-based ad firm Wieden + Kennedy picked the song “in an effort to curry favor with Facebook by catering to Zuckerberg’s personal likes and interests.”

According to the lawsuit, Zuckerberg used to call himself “Slim Shady” on one of his early websites he created during his childhood. This fact was reportedly used as added evidence for the copyright infringement.

Eight Mile Style, which is operated by producers Mark and Jeff Bass, continued to say in their lawsuit that Facebook would later alter the song. They contended that they own all rights to any derivatives of Em’s songs. “The alteration of the Airplane advertisement was an admission that Facebook knew it had infringed on the Eminem/D12 Composition,” says the lawsuit.

Last month, the lawsuit says the lawyers representing W+K responded to the claims with their own complaint. Apparently, those lawyers didn’t hold anything back. They said Dr. Dre composed “Under The Influence,” which was a wrongful accusation, and attacked him for his practices as a producer. Then, they said, “Dr. Dre has actually stolen from Michael Jackson because ‘Under The Influence’ is supposedly a rip-off of one of Michael Jackson’s songs.”

Facebook has not responded to THR’s request to comment. Em’s publisher is seeking maximum damages up to $150,000 per infringement.

Below, is the ad in question.

[via THR]

The post Eminem’s Music Publisher Suing Facebook For Copyright Infringement appeared first on XXL.

• jayz-yearbook
  Jay-Z
• drake-yearbook
  Drake
• kanye-yearbook
  Kanye West
• diddy-yearbook
  Diddy
• weezy-yearbook
  Lil Wayne
• ti-yearbook
  T.I.
• snoop-yearbook
  Snoop Dogg
• eminem-yearbook
  Eminem
• cube-yearbook
  Ice Cube
• luda-yearbook
  Ludacris
• liljon-yearbook
  Lil Jon
• willsmith-yearbook
  Will Smith
• khaled-yearbook
  DJ Khaled
• kidcudi-yearbook
  Kid Cudi
• nicki-yearbook
  Nicki Minaj
• 3000-yearbook
  Andre 3000
• lilb-yearbook
  Lil B
• Biggie-yearbook
  The Notorious B.I.G.
• lupe-yearbook
  Lupe Fiasco
• tyler-yearbook
  Tyler, the Creator
• 50cent-yearbook
  50 Cent
• jeezy-yearbook
  Young Jeezy
• pharrell-yearbook
  Pharrell
• bob-yearbook
  B.o.B
• aesop-yearbook
  Aesop Rock
• childish-yearbook
  Childish Gambino
• paulwall-yearbook
  Paul Wall
• nelly-yearbook
  Nelly
• latifah-yearbook
  Queen Latifah
• Bigl-yearbook
  Big L
• bronson-yearbook
  Action Bronson
• wale-yearbook
  Wale
• cyhi-yearbook
  CyHi Da Prynce
• chamillionaire-yearbook
  Chamillionaire
• robbbanks-yearbook
  Robb Bank$

May is coming to a close, and that means that most schools around the country will be out for summer. With that in mind, XXL decided to dig into the archives and look back at some of our favorite rappers when they were still in school. Now, here’s a collection of 35 yearbook photos from some of hip-hop’s biggest acts.

The post 35 Yearbook Photos Of Rappers appeared first on XXL.

Big Sean created an online frenzy last month when a photo (see above) of him, alongside Eminem and Royce Da 5’9″ surfaced the Net. Since the flick, details about the Detroit spitters’ session were scarce, up until now—sort of. During his recent appearance on NBC’s Nitecap With Peter Bailey, the Sean gave some details about linking with Eminem, revealing that their session was simply “historical.”

Now it’s still unclear as to whether or not any recordings were for Em’s forthcoming album or Sean’s Hall Of Fame release but, the G.O.O.D. Music rhyme slinger did touch on the lengthy conversation he had with both Eminem and Royce. “It was crazy just coming from Detroit. We sat and talked for a couple of hours even before we did anything musically, ” Sean revealed.

“So, I was just telling them how much—how crazy it is man coming from The D. Them was the superstars. Them was the heroes in rap music. And they showed me that you can be worldwide. Cause it was always local heroes, but obviously one of the biggest rappers in the world is from Detroit. It was a big deal there. It was an honor man, straight up.”

Watch the rest of Sean’s interview below, where he also touches on Rick Ross’ recent ordeal with Reebok and more.

The post Big Sean Speaks On His Recent Studio Session With Eminem appeared first on XXL.

In case you’ve forgotten, Mother’s Day 2013 is upon us. Mothers play a huge role in all of our lives, and for our favorite rappers, their influence frequently comes through via their rhymes. It’s no surprise that rappers love their moms, sharing personal moments that we all can relate to. With that in mind, let’s take some time to celebrate of some of the most visible mothers hip-hop has to offer, from Donda West to Afeni Shakur.

The post Dear Mama: Hip-Hop’s Most Important Moms appeared first on XXL.

On 2005′s “Old School Rules” by Danger Doom, Talib Kweli raps that, “I might be buggin but it seem to me/That cartoons be realer than reality TV.” While we could easily enumerate a number of reasons why Kweli’s lyric is a bold hyperbole to make – namely because they’re cartoons – it definitely speaks to hip-hop’s longstanding history with the animated arts. Whether it’s Kid ‘n Play’s short-lived animated series or the Gorillaz actually being animated, hip-hop has been all over the map when it comes to cartoons.  Now, XXL has put together a list of 23 hilarious hip-hop moments in televised cartoon history.

The post From Freaknik To Fishsticks: 23 Hilarious Hip-Hop Moments In Cartoons appeared first on XXL.

• RiDrake2
  The face that launched a thousand Ace of Spades bottles.
• RiASAP
  A$AP Rocky takes a hands-on approach with his tourmate.
• RiJay
  Second baddest chick in the game signed under his name.
• RiKanye
  They're the cause of all the commotion.
• RiRoss
  This is how rich people get astigmatism.
• RiTI
  Not pictured: the "Numa Numa" kid that made "Live Your Life" famous.
• RiEm
  She switched out her "Rude Boy" for a b-boy.
• RiSnoop
  Snoop and Rihanna enjoying a ginormous fatty.
• RiWiz
  Another smokey selfie, this time with Wiz Khalifa.
• RiNicki
  Scrooge McDuckface
• RiJeezy
  Jeezy admiring Rihanna's ballistics.
• RiKhaled
  DJ Khaled breaking his "no new friends" rule.
• RiFab
  Fabolous - he's a bit of a close talker.
• RiCom
  Common used to love H.E.R., but then he met Rihanna
• RiMike
  Mike WiLL Instagrammed it.
• RiWill
  will.i.am can't take Taboo out in public places because he'll ruin all his photo ops.
• RiBieb
  Rihanna and Katy Perry are the bread in a Justin Bieber sandwich
• RiFrank
  She watch Channel Orange.
• RiRoyce
  Royce Da 5'9" puts J.R. Smith's Twitter game to shame.
• RiKardi
  Kardinall Offishall capitalizes on his Caribbean connections.
• Ri2Pac
  Even in the after life, 2Pac is still pulling chicks.

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.

The post 21 Pictures Of Rihanna With Rappers appeared first on XXL.

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.