It’s safe to say that most rappers live a lifestyle that far exceeds the average person’s bank account. But that’s part of the joy of being a fan of the music: living vicariously through the Instagram pics of our favorite artists.

Now, in a new weekly segment, XXL brings you 13 of the best pictures from the past week that capture rappers living life to the fullest.

The post 13 Photos Of Rappers Living The Lavish Life appeared first on XXL.

You can’t be rapping about drug money without including MMG. Rick Ross and Meek Mill drop new verses for “Drug Money” today. The popular Future and Yo Gotti track gets a Untouchable Maybach Empire makeover. The song title basically describes the song. The two MCs do what they do best, boasting about their power and reach. You can listen to the record below.

The post Rick Ross And Meek Mill “Drug Money” appeared first on XXL.

2013 XXL Freshman Class is in full effect and time will tell if this will be the best class ever.

In the meantime, we’re taking a look back at each XXL Freshman from past classes to see what they’ve been up through their music since being a Freshman.

This is what Meek Mill, XXL Freshman Class of 2011, has been up to musically with his best tracks.

I’m a Boss feat. Rick Ross

The post Meek Mill, Class of ’11 – Catching Up With the XXL Freshmen appeared first on XXL.

The NBA playoffs are in full-swing, and with only four series left, it’s coming down to the final moment to determine which team’s the league champion. But the NBA playoffs aren’t only good watching high intensity basketball; they’re also prime events at which to see your favorite rapper (if you’re into that kinda thing).

Now, XXL has put together a gallery of 28 photographs of rappers hanging out courtside at basketball games.

The post Kings Of Courtside: 28 Pictures Of Rappers At NBA Games appeared first on XXL.

After weeks of waiting, T.I.’s Hustle Gang releases its debut group mixtape G.D.O.D. (Get Dough Or Die). The 21-song tape features appearances from Grand Hustle alum B.o.B, Travi$ Scott, Iggy Azalea, Trae Tha Truth, Young Dro, Chip, Mac Boney and Spodee, as well as appearances from the likes of Young Jeezy, French Montana, Meek Mill and more. Check out a stream of the full tape below.

The post Check Out Hustle Gang’s ‘G.D.O.D’ Mixtape appeared first on XXL.

With Ace Hood recently receiving a Gold plaque for his “Bugatti” single, he unleashed a remix of epic proportions tonight. Featuring every big name rapper in the game, Ace plans on revamping his hit song for a certified summer anthem. His upcoming album, Trials & Tribulations, is due out on July 16.

Download here:

Here you go! “Bugatti Remix” CLEAN: bit.ly/17ICqL4DIRTY:  bit.ly/16PccbZ

— acehood (@Acehood) May 6, 2013

Previously: Watch Ace Hood’s “On Right Now” Video

The post Ace Hood ft. Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Meek Mill, French Montana, 2 Chainz, Future, DJ Khaled, & Birdman “Bugatti (Remix)” appeared first on XXL.

On this day, May 6, in hip-hop history…

1987:There’s no doubt that Meek Mill will be paying a visit to King of Diamonds tonight.

The Philly rapper burst onto the scene with his Flamers series that caught the attention of hip-hop heavyweights Charlie Mack and T.I. While a short stint in jail stopped him from landing a Grand Hustle deal, Meek bounced back and signed with Rick Ross in 2011. Later that year, he would become a XXL Freshman and drop two game-changing singles—“Tupac Back” and “Ima Boss.” His buzz just kept growing as more fans were attracted to his view of the streets punctuated by fiery rhymes.

Meek has gone on to work with other big names such as Drake, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey, as well as up-and-comers Kid Ink, Gunplay and more. He recently started Dream Chasers Records that features respectable acts like Lee Mazin and Lil Snupe. While he is putting the finishing touches on Dreamchasers 3, Meek has been hitting spots across the U.S. on his “Dreams Come True” tour.

With that said, Meek has a long journey ahead of him. But as a star in hip-hop now, the 26-year-old will continue to climb the ladder of success. I don’t sleep much…I’m up chasing my dreams!

The post Today In Hip-Hop: Meek Mill Celebrates 26th Birthday appeared first on XXL.

This week in the Twittersphere, Kanye West sent fans into a tizzy when he revealed a possible release date for his next album, Tyler the Creator took Dr. Boyce Watkins to task and Iggy Azalea let the journalists everywhere know to step their game up. Also, J. Cole apparently doesn’t want Tia and Tamera to know about his song “Cole Summer.” I wonder why….

The post Best Hip-Hop Tweets Of The Week: 4/28-5/4 appeared first on XXL.

Over the past few years, Chicago’s Rockie Fresh has been carving a niche for himself as one of hip-hop’s most sonically eclectic up-and-comers. The 22-year-old rapper has released five mixtapes in his four-year career, with his most recent project Electric Highway garnering near-universal acclaim. Perhaps most interesting, however, is Fresh’s penchant for blending rock and hip-hop. Even though he counts himself as the youngest member of Rick Ross’ ever-expanding rap imprint Maybach Music Group, Fresh has aligned himself with rock acts like Fall Out Boy and Good Charlotte, and even sampled indie noise rockers Explosions in the Sky on his aformentioned Electric Highway.

XXL recently sat down with the budding MC to discuss his place in Rozay’s MMG empire, his work on the Vans Warped Tour and why his music reflects his natic Chi-Town’s snowier seasons.

What I think is really interesting and especially with you being with MMG, everyone has a unique sound when it comes to the label. Wale has his sound, Meek Mill has his Philly sound, and you have a completely different sound that I think is different from anybody in hip hop. With that in mind, how would you describe your sound as not only as a solo artist but within the group aspect of MMG?

As a solo artist, I’m really futuristic with it. I want to take people to a totally different place. I feel like a lot of the music that’s being made sound wise is just really current with what’s going on right now and it’s also becoming really similar. I want to take people to a different place and really give them some different vibes. So musically that’s where I’m trying to go with it.

As far as with MMG, I’m the youngest member on the team and I’m also the only Chicago member, so the way that I see the world is just different, coming from where I come from. Even my age group – the fact that I’ve had different experiences than other guys on the team just allows for my content to relate to a different audience. I think that’s the good part about being on a team. You look at a basketball team—everybody plays their position. When you have people that are doing that well, then you win championships. With MMG, I’m just focused on really representing for my age group and making that different sound that can fit into a bigger puzzle—you know? We’re gonna take over the game now.

The signing came about late last year—how has your career changed since then?

I mean it’s just more work, and that’s what I wanted.  Before signing with MMG—I wouldn’t say there were doubts about the career path—but it was just like, ‘Man.’ There were other things that I had to focus on—paying my bills and paying rent and things like that, and now this is my full time job. But also, I’m a competitive artist and when I came into this, I really wanted to be number one, and for me to be around the artists that I am and to be the team that I’m on–. Right now, my focus is really on maintaining and reaching that goal, versus just getting in the door—you know what I’m saying? So that’s really what’s changed.

Your most recent project was Electric Highway, and like I was saying, it has a completely unique sound as far as what people are doing in hip hop these days. You spoke to Complex about it and you said it was a really risky approach that you took in making this album. Were you at all nervous about the way people would receive it?

When I first started working on it I was nervous, just having gotten my deal and the expectations and all of that. But I’m also young, and the older I grow the more comfortable I’m becoming with myself and the stuff that I’m doing and the decisions that I’ve chosen to make. By the end of the project, I didn’t really care what people were going to think about it, because I was content with what I was saying with it, the beat selection, and just all of the work I put into it. By the end, I was really happy with it, and I felt like the fans that really got me to the point that I was at were going to appreciate it. So just knowing that it made for a really smooth release, where at first it was kind of nerve-wracking.

Also, referring to another interview you did with interview magazine. You said you have a different take on hip hop than what a lot of people think. No ones ever really referred to it in that language—what is that take? What’s your take on hip hop?

I feel like people really don’t understand how big on lyrics I am. That’s what got me into hip-hop. The artists that I first started listening to, Jay-Z, Kanye, Twista, Lupe – their content really related to me beyond the instrumentation. The older I got, I got an appreciation for beats and stuff like that but for me it was always about lyrics and the way that they connected with people. Even me growing up, at church it had me paying attention to the way that different words were put together to relate to people. I just feel like the older I get, the more people will see the maturity in my content, and I think that’s a major part about hip hop that’s kind of losing focus. Certain people like Kendrick and Joey Bada$$ and Schoolboy Q, they’re bringing that back into the room. Even Drake. There’s other artists that are really just rapping about their day to day stuff and I don’t think they’re taking into consideration what the people are really going through and what they need to go forward.

The post Rockie Fresh: “People Really Don’t Understand How Big On Lyrics I Am” appeared first on XXL.

Rappers’ lyrics have the power to sway public opinion much greater than any other genre. That same logic can apply to the various incidents rappers get themselves into. Sometimes, with all the boasting and tough talking that goes on in hip-hop, an apology can be difficult to get out of rappers. You can blame the humiliation factor, but the reality is rappers rarely backtrack on their own words.

Take Lil Wayne for example: Today he finally released a public apology for his verse on Future’s unofficial “Karate Chop (Remix).” After months of a firestorm over his vulgar line, Wayne admitted that he was wrong for referencing civil rights figure Emmett Till. In light of Wayne being in the hot seat again, here are 10 other rappers who have apologized for their actions. Find out why these rappers had to ask for forgiveness.

The post 10 Other Rappers Apologizing For Their Actions appeared first on XXL.

Tragedy struck early this week when two men bombed the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring over 140. Although the suspects in the bombing have been brought to justice, with the younger of the two now in custody, the people of Boston are still reeling from the tragedy that took place throughout the week. Now, XXL picks out a series of Tweets from the world of hip-hop of MCs responding to the news.

The post Best Hip-Hop Tweets Of The Week: 4/14-4/20 appeared first on XXL.

As we show off freestyles from the 2013 XXL Freshman Class, we take a look book at some more classic freestyles form previous classes. Last week, we rereleased freestyles from Kid Cudi, Curren$y, Ace Hood, Asher Roth, Cory Gunz, Blu, Charles Hamilton, Mickey Factz, B.o.B. and Wale.

For this batch of classic XXL Freshman freestyles, we’re revisiting Wiz Khalifa (below), Kendrick Lamar, Lil B, J. Cole, Meek Mill, Big K.R.I.T., Nipsey Hu$$le  and Chocolate Drop (aka Kevin Hart). Click on one of the previous links to go directly to your favorite or just hit the next button under each video to watch the next one.

More XXL Freshmen:
2013 XXL Freshman Class
Classic XXL Freshman Freestyles Pt. 1
Photo Gallery of Every XXL Freshman

^{Like XXL on Facebook and be among the first to find out when new videos drop}

The post More Classic XXL Freshman Freestyles appeared first on XXL.

Yesterday, Reebok made an announcement that they have dropped Rick Ross after his rape-lyric controversy. Now, Ross has responded with a statement of his own, regarding his endorsement deal with the company that included his own line of shoes and stars in TV and online campaigns.

I want to thank Reebok Classics for their hard work and dedication over this past year.Good partners,good shoe.continued success.

— Mastermind (@rickyrozay) April 12, 2013

Meek Mill wasn’t so professional. As a loyal soldier of the MMG leader, he voiced his opinion about Reebok.

Reeboks right next 2 FILA when it come 2 sneaks that shit corny… I was only was feeling swizz & tyga projects… #boom

— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) April 12, 2013

Rozay also penned an official statement for press via Complex:

“Before I am an artist, I am a father, a son, and a brother to some of the most cherished women in the world. So for me to suggest in any way that harm and violation be brought to a woman is one of my biggest mistakes and regrets. As an artist, one of the most liberating things is being able to paint pictures with my words. But with that comes a great responsibility. And most recently, my choice of words was not only offensive, it does not reflect my true heart. And for this, I apologize. To every woman that has felt the sting of abuse, I apologize. I recognize that as an artist I have a voice and with that, the power of influence. To the young men who listen to my music, please know that using a substance to rob a woman of her right to make a choice is not only a crime, it’s wrong and I do not encourage it. To my fans, I also apologize if I have disappointed you. I can only hope that this sparks a healthy dialogue and that I can contribute to it.”

—William Roberts (a.k.a “Rick Ross”)

The post Rick Ross and Meek Mill Release Statements About Reebok on Twitter appeared first on XXL.

Weezy F. Baby drops a banger with the “I’m Good” record. He grabs Meek Mill and the two MCs absolutely go off. YMCMB plus MMG is always a great combination. It appears this was a leftover track from Lil Wayne’s album I Am Not A Human Being II. Pay attention to the punchlines, great stuff.

[via LilWayneHQ]

The post Lil Wayne Grabs Meek Mill For “I’m Good (Terrorists)” appeared first on XXL.

Cleveland based custom brand PMK (Perfectly Made Kicks) and PUMA have teamed up to put together an impressive collaboration for Philadelphia-bred rapper Meek Mill. The collaboration pays tribute to Meek’s Dreams and Nightmares album theme consisting of two pairs of laser engraved PUMA suede sneakers.

The collaboration features a custom luxury Good Wood chest box with a two drop-box sneaker compartment. “The Dreams” suede sneaker is a grey colorway with a gold laser printed design that expresses the elements of the finer things in life. “The Nightmare” leather sneaker is a black and red colorway that represents life’s dangers and downfalls. Design created by PMK.

(Photo Credit: Charlie Giannetti)

The post PMK x PUMA Team Up for “Dreams and Nightmares” Sneaker Pack for Meek Mill appeared first on XXL.

This week in photos, Meek Mill throws a few stacks at King of Diamonds in Miami, Tyler, The Creator takes a selfie with David Letterman, and Pharrell celebrates his 40th birthday. Plus, Ab-Soul and Dave Chappelle meet for the first time, Young Jeezy and Schoolboy Q put in work for the “Yay Yay (Remix)” and Curren$y gets a vintage cameo as a gift. Here are your photos of the week.

The post Photos of the Week: 3/31 – 4/7 appeared first on XXL.

The post So Fresh: A Photo Gallery of Every XXL Freshman appeared first on XXL.

A group of Harlem gangsters were arrested when they boasted about their illegal activities on social media networks. Some of their comments were lyrics to songs from Rick Ross and Meek Mill.

According to an indictment released earlier today, members of Air It Out, True Money, Whoaday and the True Money Bosses took to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to coordinate their moves.

“God forgives I don’t … somebody gotta die,” one alleged member of the gang “Air It Out.”

“I’m 2 Glocks strapped, rolling down 112th Madison, 116 this is the New Iraq,” boasted another alleged AIO member.

“I’ll give u $300 if u clap a Trill or Whoadey before October,” another alleged Air It Out gangster said.

The gang members were charged with numerous assaults, three murders, 30 shooting accounts, gun possession and trafficking. Charges range from felony conspiracy to murder in the first degree, to fourth degree criminal weapon possession.

“Today’s indictments chronicle a bloody gang war that claimed the lives of at least three teenagers, led to the shooting of dozens of individuals and put bounties on people’s heads,”said Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. “Since October 2009, 68 shootings have occurred in the swatch of East Harlem that these gangs all call home. Forced to live among this senseless violence is the silent majority–innocent families who live in fear of getting shot while trying to go about their daily lives. Today’s cases are a part of my Office’s ongoing efforts, working with the NYPD, to strategically target areas that claim a highly disproportionate share of violence in Manhattan.”

He continued, “There is a lot of social networking and investigation using the Internet that all of us use now in law enforcement. The Internet is our 21st Century crime scene.”

[via HipHopWired]

The post Rick Ross and Meek Mill Lyrics Lead to Police Bust of More Than 60 Harlem Gang Members appeared first on XXL.

On Sunday April 7th, Maybach Music Group’s own Meek Mill will be performing at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom as a part of his “Dreams Come True” tour. Now, XXL is giving fans the chance to win a pair of free concert tickets to Meek’s upcoming show.

The first person to correctly answer the trivia question below and email their answer to XXL@harris-pub.com with “Meek Mill XXL Ticket Giveaway” in the email title will win tickets to Meek’s show on April 7th. The contest will end after the first correct entry is received.

Question: At what age did Meek Mill appear on XXL‘s Freshman Class of 2011 cover?

Check out the flier below for additional information on the concert.

The post Win A Pair Of Tickets To See Meek Mill Perform In New York City On April 7th! appeared first on XXL.

Houston artist Boston George gives us the official visuals to his single remix “Molly” and he isn’t alone on this track. He gets help from two XXL Freshman Class members in Meek Mill (2011) and Kirko Bangz (2013). The video was shot in Houston during NBA All-Star Weekend and directed by Michael Artis. Look out for Boston George’s upcoming single “Strip Club” featuring Boo Rossini coming out soon.

The post Watch Boston George’s Video for “Molly (Remix)” Featuring Meek Mill & Kirko Bangz appeared first on XXL.