It’s looks like Kanye West and Pusha T aren’t the only G.O.O.D. Music members preparing to release new projects.

Early this morning, 2 Chainz took to Twitter to reveal details about his sophomore solo release. He announced that his next LP will be released on September 10, and that he will be forgoing recording new guest features until its release.

FEATURES ON HAULT… NEW ALBUM ON THE WAY SEPTEMBER TENTH!!!!

— Tity Boi (2 Chainz) (@2chainz) May 24, 2013

As previously mentioned, 2 Chainz isn’t the only G.O.O.D. alum with a new album on the way. Kanye West’s Yeezus is slated for a June 18 release, while Pusha T’s solo debut My Name Is My Name will drop this July 16.

The post 2 Chainz Reveals Release Date For Sophomore LP appeared first on XXL.

This week in the world hip-hop Instagrams, Jay-Z links up with a litany of collaborators, French Montana celebrates the release of his studio debut Excuse My French, Drake kicks it in Hollywood and more. At the same time, Ab-Soul shows off his performance at the Los Angeles leg of the XXL Freshmen Live 2013 tour, while fellow Freshman Travi$ Scott shows of his new project Owl Pharaoh.

Click and scroll through all 16 of the best Instagrams of the week.

The post 16 Best Hip-Hop Instagrams Of The Week appeared first on XXL.

Machine Gun Kelly drops some new tunes today. As we wait patiently for Black Flag, we get the first single off the project in “Pe$o” featuring Meek Mill and Pusha T. The song is pretty straightforward, with a “get money, money is the motive” mantra. I do love the beat on this record with the snares in the background. You can listen to the record below.

The post New Music From MGK Featuring Meek Mill And Pusha T “Pe$o” appeared first on XXL.

Philly’s own Gillie Da Kid officially drops the new visual for his track “Tryna Get Me One.” The video, which features an appearance by Pusha T, finds them in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. While it doesn’t take cues from the Walking Dead, their street talk shows they aren’t scared of anything.

You can watch the video above. If you haven’t yet, grab Gillie’s latest mixtape, King Of Philly 2.

The post Gillie Da Kid ft. Pusha T “Tryna Get Me One” [Video] appeared first on XXL.

Ludacris is looking to make a major comeback to music. After several releases from #IDGAF, Luda has unveiled the cover artwork and tracklist for the tape dropping on May 24. The 10-track tape has features from Young Jeezy, Chris Brown, Meek Mill and more. On the production side, he has gathered names such as Metro Boomin’, DJ Mustard, Bangaldesh and others. Check back next week for #IDGAF.

Previously: Tyrese and Ludacris Talk Cars, Music and ‘Fast And Furious’

The post Cover Artwork & Tracklist: Ludacris’ ‘#IDGAF’ appeared first on XXL.

A few days ago, Pusha T started a new vlog series with Mass Appeal called “Tour Life,” in which he teases his upcoming album and gives fans a sneak peak at his ongoing tour with Fabolous. Meanwhile, Wiz Khalifa released the third part of the season finale for his popular “DayToday” series.

Vlogs, which are a more direct way for artists to interact with their fans, have become an extremely popular way for rappers to give viewers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to their daily lives. Everyone from Diddy to Asher Roth have made vlogs over the past few years, some of which detail their music-making process, while just show said rappers dancing in front of a laptop.

Here we’ve compiled 20 awesome (for different reasons) vlogs, so click through to check them out. And check back with us in a few weeks as we continue this series of Awesome Rapper Vlogs.

The post Behind The Scenes: 20 Awesome Rapper Vlogs appeared first on XXL.

For a guy gearing up to release his debut solo LP this summer, Pusha T’s been around a really long time. It’s easy to forget it’s been 11 years since The Clipse’s breakout single “Grindin’” entered the Billboard Hot 100. The Neptunes-produced cut established Pusha and his brother Malice as versatile rhyme-slingers with a Southern drawl, and Pusha definitely used it as a good jumping off point for his career.

Over the years, he’s put out three Clipse albums, co-founded the Re-Up Gang record label, and has recently pursued a solo career as an artist on Kanye’s GOOD Music imprint. But as much as Pusha’s done in his career, he’s been asked. So, XXL recently caught up with the VA emcee after his show at NYC’s B.B. King’s and asked him a few questions he’s not used to being asked, including which woman in history he has a thing for, and who he thinks is the most slept-on GOOD Music artist. Check out what he had to say.—Interview conducted by Abrea Armstrong.

The post Pusha T Opens Up About His Love For Angela Davis And His Ideal Supergroup appeared first on XXL.

Pusha T released his new single “Numbers On The Boards” a few weeks back. The Internet went crazy. Now, he’s back with the official video that has quick cameos by Kanye West and Chief Keef.

Give it a watch above, and check for Pusha’s My Name Is My Name on July 16.

[via Complex]

Previously:

• Pusha T’s 30 Greatest Double Entendres
• Pusha T Passes on “Ni**as in Paris” Beat and Announces Follow-Up to “My Name Is My Name”

The post Watch Pusha T’s “Numbers On The Boards” Video appeared first on XXL.

John Jackson, bka Fabolous, is just a quiet kid from Brooklyn’s Brevoort housing projects, who first hit the music scene in 2001 with the release of his breakout LP Ghetto Fabolous. The first hit from the record, “Can’t Deny It,” established Fab as a rising East Coast MC with a lot of crossover appeal—someone who could appeal to gritty New York fans while infusing Southern sounds into his music. Since the release of Ghetto, Fab’s seen consistent commercial success and has proved himself a force to be reckoned with. After releasing five studio albums and three mixtapes to date, Fab hopes to continue his successful streak on June 18^th with his sixth studio album, Loso’s Way 2: Rise to Power.

As part of his thirty-city Life Is So Exciting tour with G.O.O.D. Music signee Pusha T, Fab performed at NYC’s B.B. King’s last week and ran through a mix of surefire classics and new tracks to a sold-out crowd. After the show, he sat down with XXL to discuss the tour, his unexpected love of Evanescence, and his dream collaboration.—Written by Anastasia Williams (@AAAAAnastasia)

XXL: How’s touring with Pusha T?

Fabolous: Touring with Pusha is great. The thing about me and Pusha is that we relate in a lot of ways, just like what we are into and even down to the fashion. We have a lot of similar tastes, and it’s just easier to roll with somebody when you have a lot in common.

You’ve come a long way since your debut and have done a lot to stay relevant. What have you done to maintain your sound while still adjusting to today’s music?

I guess I just pay attention to what’s going on, you know? I always watch the change of the sound of music, but I don’t really change my sound. I think it’s just about being able to adapt but still being competitive and still making music that works with what’s going on. But right now, I feel like it’s the turn-up, ratchet period of hip-hop. [laughs]

Yes! Bands and strippers in the club music. That’s not really your sound.

Exactly! That’s not really my lane, but the challenge for me is being able to find music that could still work on different platforms and still compete with the ratchet shit.

So who would people be surprised to know that you have on your iPod?

Evanescence! I have their album.

Ah, okay! I love them too.

Yeah, they’re a dope band. I like rocking with them and feeling out their music because it’s different from hip-hop, and they just have those dope melodies. Right now, I’m getting into more live instrumentation—that’s why I had the live band with me tonight—so I’m all about that sound.

It was really cool that you brought Lil’ Mo out tonight, she’s one of my favorite female rappers so I really enjoyed that.

She’s great. Mo was one of my first collaborations, so it was dope that she was able to come out and rock with me. We hadn’t rocked on stage together for years.

You’ve been in the game for more than a decade now. Do you ever step back and feel like this is all kind of surreal, in terms of your success and accomplishments? Or do you just roll with it and enjoy the ride?

I kind of just roll with it, but at the same time I recognize that I have an opportunity that a lot of people don’t have. You know, when I started doing this, it was out of a passion for the music–it was just a hobby for me. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I was blessed to do it on a professional level. Even when I started doing it, it wasn’t something that could be a career. It was more like you rap just to get you a big chain and some girls. And now, I’m twelve years in and I just look at it like, “Wow.”

What do you think of the new hip-hop movement coming out of Brooklyn with acts like Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies, and The Underachievers?

They’re dope! It’s a new generation. With the era before this, you’d just put an album out and go on tour, but now you can’t do that. You have to be consistent and I think the guys of the new school are taking advantage of that, you know what I’m saying? They put out new music, they put out mixtapes, they put out viral videos, then they do these intimate shows all over the city. It took me a while to even adapt to that, but that’s one of the reason I wanted to do this intimate run with Pusha, because you want to connect with the people who supported you from the beginning, you know? I want people to come out and see a great show, then go home and be like, “Yeah, I still fuck with Fab.” But yeah, I like Joey and Action Bronson, because they’re reminiscent of old-school New York hip-hop. When I was coming up there wasn’t a mixture of Southern-flavored music, it was just Nas, Mobb Deep, and Jay-Z. But now, with the Internet era, the sound of hip-hop has changed, so a kid from Brooklyn can listen to Rick Ross every day. Rick’s from Miami, but there’s the Internet.

Which makes it all accessible.

Exactly. When I was growing up, I wasn’t listening to Trick Daddy every day because it wasn’t something that was getting played where I was. But now, the market is more open, and I praise guys like Joey and Action so much for bringing back that New York sound.

What advice would you give artists who are also trying to come up, especially now when everyone is a rapper?

Everyone is a rapper! My mom just started rapping. [laughs] But I don’t know, I guess you gotta just go hard! Especially now. There’s a lot of avenues that I didn’t have when I started rapping, you’ve just gotta use those tools and go hard.

The post Fabolous Welcomes New York’s New Generation Of MCs appeared first on XXL.

On this day, May 9, in hip-hop history…

2006: The Clipse founds Re-Up Records imprint under Jive Records’ banner. In 2004, the Clipse’s label Arista Records’ urban division was absorbed by its sister label Jive Records, disrupting the recording of the duo’s sophomore effort Hell Hath No Fury. Even though the Thorton brothers were signed to Pharrell’s Star Trak Entertainment – which had moved to Interscope Records - the Clipse was forced to stay with Jive due to contractual obligations. The years that followed proved to be tumultuous for the group, as Jive continually pushed back Hell Hath No Fury’s release in favor of other pop acts. Eventually, the Clipse filed suit against its label to get out of its contract. However, in 2006, Jive eventually came to an agreement with the Virginia pair to finally release their long-awaited album under the newly-founded Re-Up Records imprint.

The post Today In Hip-Hop: The Clipse Founds Re-Up Records appeared first on XXL.

Pusha T stays working. The G.O.O.D. Music rapper just announced the release date of his solo album, and is already thinking ahead into the future. In a recent interview with AskMen, he recalled passing on “Niggas in Paris,” a track that went three times platinum last year. Also, he hints at another project after My Name Is My Name, which will be titled King Push. Get ready.

Kanye obviously has the platinum touch. Has he ever sent you a beat that you weren’t feeling?
Yeah. He sent me some stuff that I don’t always feel. It happens. Then he’ll go out of his way to prove you wrong. And he does sometimes…”N*gg*s in Paris.”

Wait. Kanye sent you “In Paris” first?
Yeah.
Steven Victor (Manager): Pusha said, “It sounds like a video game. Get that sh*t out of here!” But ‘Ye agreed.
Yeah. You have to have that imagination sometime, and that’s something I’m learning. I’m so ready to rap and stuff that imagination don’t be kicking in.

What else is on the horizon for you? Another G.O.O.D. Music compilation album?
I really don’t know. I’m really on My Name Is My Name, and then my next album after that. I already got the whole mentality of it. I see it. It’s titled King Push. I don’t even think there’s going to be anybody on King Push.

I like that. No features.
Zero.

Previously: Pusha T Discusses Recruiting The Hitmen for My Name Is My Name and His “King of New Orleans” Line

The post Pusha T Passes on “Ni**as in Paris” Beat and Announces Follow-Up to “My Name Is My Name” appeared first on XXL.

Pusha T appeared on 106 & Park for a live performance of “Mercy” and his other hits. While on the show, Pusha confirmed details on a track called “I Am,” which is set to feature Kanye West. He also revealed contributions from The-Dream, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross and more.

According to the tweet, Pusha’s new album will be releasing on July 16.

Pusha – T: My Name Is My Name July 16, 2013G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam#JustKno

— PUSHA T (@PUSHA_T) April 29, 2013

The post Pusha T Says “My Name Is My Name” Releasing on July 16 appeared first on XXL.

Fabolous and Pusha T have kicked off their Life Is So Exciting Tour, and last night the rappers took their show to NYC performing at B.B. Kings. The 30-stop jaunt runs through June 1 hitting up spots like DC, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Detroit, Denver and Vancouver. Will you be in attendance?

The post Fabolous & Pusha T Perform At B.B. Kings appeared first on XXL.

Pusha T’s Wrath of Caine is still a tape we bump regularly in the XXL offices. Re-Up Gang’s own Ab-Liva made his presence felt on “Re-Up Gang Motivation.” In the video released earlier today, Ab-Liva depicts his dope dealer story through scenes of him and his crew making moves. It’s directed by Shawn Church.

Watch the video above.

[via Miss Info]

The post Watch Ab-Liva’s Dope Dealer Story in “Re-Up Gang Motivation” Video appeared first on XXL.

Kanye West is in album mode. For the past few days, artists have been tweeting (then quickly deleting) their excitement about working with ‘Ye in Paris. Reportedly, the G.O.O.D. Music leader is staying overseas and bringing a wide variety of artists to join him in his Paris digs. With the album’s title still under wraps, ‘Ye has gathered some A-list talent for the project. Check out who he has called on to get in the studio.

Travi$ Scott

“Paris is wilay right now,” he tweeted on March 30.

Young Chop

Chop says he was about to go to Paris, too. We’re assuming he squashed the beef with ‘Ye over his “I Don’t Like” beat. Good call.

Chief Keef

“On my way! To paris Wit @KanyeWest #Squad,” Keef recently tweeted. So ‘Ye does drill?

King L

According to Fake Shore Drive, King L has made the trip over to Paris to work with ‘Ye at some capacity.

Pusha T

Says Pusha’s Instagram caption: “LAX to Paris… #JustKnow #MNIMN” You can predict ‘Ye’s cutting some tracks for himself, too.

Skrillex

“I did some music with Kanye and from what I know, it’s actually going to be the first song on his new album,” Skrillex told the Daily Beast in August 2012.

Daft Punk

“So I guess I no longer have to keep the secret of the robots producing Ye? Those songs are insane,” DJ A-Trak confirms. We can’t wait to hear them. “Stronger Pt.2″?

The post Here Are the Artists Working on Kanye West’s Next Album So Far appeared first on XXL.

Pusha T’s new single, “Numbers On The Boards” has added even more anticipation for his solo debut My Name Is My Name. While cooling at Coachella over the weekend, Push sat down with FuseTV to give a little bit more insight into the album he likens to three ‘90s classics. “I like to look at the album as a fusion of about, I want to say, four of my favorite albums,” he said. “I want to say the [Notorious B.I.G.'s] Life After Death album, Mase’s Harlem World album and Raekwon’s [Only Built 4 Cuban Linx] purple tape. Those are the perfect moods and description of diversity of what I want to hear in rap.”

The G.O.O.D. Music MC also revealed that production for the album will be handled by Pharrell, Kanye West, Rico Beats, Nottz, Don Cannon, Swizz Beatz and Hudson Mohawke. Feature wise, Push said the album will be assisted by Rick Ross, Future, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, 2 Chainz, The Re-Up Gang and a surprise or two. Look out for an official release date for the LP within the week.

Check out the entire clip, below.

The post Pusha T Reveals ‘My Name Is My Name’ Features, Producers appeared first on XXL.

A couple days ago the Internet was going nuts after Jay-Z released his first solo record in a while with the Swizz Beatz produced track, “Open Letter,” and Kanye West leaked the new Pusha T cut, “Numbers On The Boards.” Push recently sat down with MTV News, to chop it up about his upcoming Life Is So Exciting Tour with Fabolous and touched on the new track that has people buzzing.

“It’s that inspiration. You got Timbaland, you got Swizz you got Jay-Z on a record. They are putting out a, quote unquote, street record that has that aesthetic to it. And you got me and ‘Ye over there creating,” said Push. “I believe it’s that competitive spirit, but at the same time it’s the inspiration you get from guys who are legends and greats and super producers,” he added about the song’s release coinciding with the release of Jay-Z’s song.

The Clipse member went on to say he recorded the track a few weeks ago, but Kanye only gave him 15 minutes warning before leaking it on the Internet. “It dropped and it was pandemonium for a few hours,” he added.

Check out the entire clip, below.

The post Pusha T Says Dropping “Numbers On The Boards” Same Day As Jay-Z’s “Open Letter” Was “The Competitive Spirit.” appeared first on XXL.

After complaining of a slow week last Friday, we’ve certainly had our hands full this week. We kicked off our Freshman of the Day campaign and gave you freestyles from ScHoolboy Q, Travis Scott, Ab-Soul and Joey Bada$$. Stay tuned in to XXLMag.com next week to see what the rest of the class has to offer and our class ciphers are on the way too.

In non-Freshman news, Cudi’s album leaked, Rick Ross lost his endorsement deal with Reebok, and we got new music from Jay-Z, Pusha T and Big K.R.I.T.

In our weekly column called In The Cut, the diversely-opinionated XXL staff celebrates another lively week in hip-hop and picks some of their favorite releases the past week. Some are songs, some are videos, all are incredible in their own way. See ya next week, rap world.

Jay-Z “Open Letter”

Every time Jay drops a new record (or featured verse), you can expect a grand spectacle. This here, is no different.  After 100+ spins (and counting) on my iPod since yesterday morning, I must say my favorite line off “Open Letter” has to be when Hov fires, “You know whenever I’m threatened, I start shooting...” That latter word, “shooting” is by far the perfect way to describe what he does over the Swizz Beatz and Timbaland production. After a week of controversial headlines and doggone rumors, the Bob Dylan of rap music gets into Brooklyn Bully-mode over the brooding cut—ruffling feathers with the cats in Congress (“Boy from the hood but got White House clearance/Sorry y’all, I don’t agree with y’all appearance“) and of course silencing those media naysayers (“Would’ve brought the Nets to Brooklyn for free/Except I made millions off it, you fuckin’ dweeb”). From start to finish, he moves all over this track with a sense of urgency—urgent to not only slam the tabloids but also to let us know, that the game’s officially under new management. That 12th studio album is coming ya’ll!—Ralph Bristout, Associate Lifestyle Editor

Big K.R.I.T. ft. Wiz Khalifa & Smoke DZA “Only One”

Big K.R.I.T. recently dropped his latest body of work, King Remembered in Time. On “Only One,” which is produced by him, Krizzle doesn’t steered too far away from his southern player ways. Enlisting Wiz Khalifa and Smoke DZA, the trio drop rhymes about flossing and how they have got “getting money down to a science.” As K.R.I.T. explains, these other rappers aren’t the only ones running the game.—Eric Diep, News Editor

I’ve been consistently disappointed by Pusha T’s solo output as of late – Wrath of Caine found him playing it safe of standard issue trap-rap, while “Pain” is a tepid attempt at a first single. But “Numbers On the Boards” is a completely unexpected and unorthodox release from Push. Co-produced by Kanye West and Don Cannon, the song is hands-down the most gutter mainstream single to be released in over a decade. The Neighborhood Pusha snarls over jittery pyrex drums (those are a thing) and a subtle discordant bass line, creating an unnerving aura that sounds straight out the mobile meth lab from Breaking Bad. While it might prove to be a commercial flop as a digital single, it gives me hope that Pusha’s My Name is My Name is going to be a sleeper hit.—Sean Ryon, News Editor

Kid Cudi ft. King Chip and Michael Bolton “Afterwards”

When Cudi’s new album leaked last week he seemed to be totally okay with it, and with an LP full of super-catchy jawns on deck he was rightfully confident. “Afterwards” is crazy – it’s dancy, vibey, and extra summery. It’s also a 9-minute, 3-part pop saga, and features far-away vocals from the legendary Michael Bolton. I know it sounds weird, but it’s hands-down the album’s best cut.—Dan Buyanovsky, Associate Editor

Rocko ft. Future & Wiz Khalifa “U.O.E.N.O. (Remix)”

Amidst all the controversy of the original track featuring Rick Ross, Rocko made the conscious decision to drop Rozay’s verse from the original record. Now, the Atlanta rapper swaps in a Wiz verse for the remix. Wiz puts some effort into his verse here and impresses, though it’s hard beat Future’s show-stealing final minute. —Emmanuel C.M., Assistant Editor

Tyga ft. Future “Show You”

In the latest episode of “Future Saves The Day” Mr. Hendrix takes an otherwise boring Tyga song and turns it into something beautiful. I really have no idea what T-Raww is talking about in this song, but I’m willing to listen to it because it eventually leads me to Future serenading “I’m just now gettin’ to know you / There’s some things I wanna show you/ There’s a lot I wanna tell you / Me so scared of failure.” This song is even more fun when you think about him singing it to Ciara under the moonlight. —Neil Martinez-Belkin, Associate Editor

The post In the Cut: XXL’s Song Picks of the Week 4/12 appeared first on XXL.

What else? Red Cafe drops the video for “Boss Bxtches & Fast Cars” featuring Fabolous and Pusha T. This is off his upcoming mixtape American Psycho II. The video shows Cafe’s daily tour routine and some of his nightlife escapades. From hanging out with beautiful women and linking up with big time MCs to taking pics with fans and performing, we follow the Brooklyn MC on his journey. We see Fabolous make an appearance in the video as well.

The lyrics are also displayed during the video from start to finish so you can rap along with them. Check it out above.

The post Red Cafe Gets Fabolous and Pusha T for “Boss Bxtches & Fast Cars” Video appeared first on XXL.

Kanye West tweeted earlier that he wanted to keep the feel of “real hip-hop” going. Moments later, we get a new track by Pusha T called “Numbers on the Boards,” which is produced by Don Cannon and Kanye West. This is set to appear on his upcoming album, My Name Is My Name, set to drop this year. Listen below.

[via IllRoots]

The post Pusha T “Numbers on the Boards” appeared first on XXL.