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]

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Earlier this week, XXL caught up with the members of Slaughterhouse at the launch event for Gig-It. During our exclusive interview with the Voltron crew, Royce Da 5’9″ revealed that the group has already begun work on their third studio album, their second project under the Shady/Interscope banner. Joell Ortiz and Crooked I also chimed in, revealing their the group has put its individual solo projects on hold until the next Slaughterhouse.

“We’re getting started with the recording process like, yesterday,” Royce Da 5’9″ revealed. “We’re getting on that album. We’ve got some pretty big announcements to be excited about. We’re trying to work that out right now, so that’s pretty much where we are at the present time.”

Joell Ortiz added, “We’re just focusing on the Slaughterhouse right now.”

Check out the full interview with Slaughterhouse at the top.

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Shady Records could have a big year in 2013. The label is gearing up several new releases in the coming month from artists like Eminem, Yelawolf and 50 Cent.

In an interview with Billboard, Shady president Paul Rosenberg discussed the progress behind Em’s untitled eighth studio album. According to him, Em is “far into the process” and should be expected it sometime after Memorial Day.

“We fully expect to be releasing a new Eminem album in 2013. He’s been working on it for some time,” he said. “It’s safe to say that it will be post-Memorial Day at some point, but we’re not exactly sure when. We’ve got some dates locked in for him to perform live in Europe in August, so we’re trying to see what else lines up.”

Rosenberg gave an update on Yelawolf’s sophomore album, too. Catfish Billy recently began recording in Nashville, Tenn. As of now, he released the first offering from his forthcoming mixtape, Trunk Muzik Returns, called “Way Out.”

The imprint also intends on putting out 50 Cent’s Street King Immortal in the first-half of 2013, but there is no definite date yet. Each Slaughterhouse member will release solo efforts before regrouping for their second Shady release.

[via Billboard]

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In this interview with FuseTV, Joe Budden says that the next time fans hear a Slaughterhouse project, the guys will be in a different place than they were while recording welcome to: OUR HOUSE. “I’m real anxious to work on the next Slaughterhouse project,” he said. “We all—and, not to break anybody’s anonymity, but I will—we all battled a lot of demons recording that last album. And I think we managed to beat them all. Like, I was high recording that entire album. And I was probably high doing all the interviews, as well. I’m not longer that. Royce doesn’t drink Patron anymore. Crook doesn’t drink. Joell doesn’t drink. So, this next Slaughterhouse project, it’s almost going to be like a whole new group. I can’t wait.”

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Joe Budden has been focused on his efforts with Slaughterhouse of late, as the group dropped both a mixtape, On the House, and an album, welcome to: OUR HOUSE, in August. Now, though, it seems he’s ready to focus back on his solo efforts.

The New Jersey rapper took to Twitter on Monday to announce his new mixtape, A Loose Quarter. He also tweeted at Lupe Fiasco, hinting that he hopes to work with the Chicago rapper on the upcoming release. Check out his tweets below, as well as a picture that he posted.

“A Loose Quarter” the mixtape.. Found soon (fixed) instagr.am/p/PqcrVsu7Dr/

“A Loose Quarter” the mixtape.. Found soon (fixed) instagr.am/p/PqcrVsu7Dr/

— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) September 17, 2012

It’ll all make cents soon.

— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) September 17, 2012

Hey @lupefiasco … Just 1 time b4 your retirement… Whatdayasay ?

— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) September 17, 2012

#ALooseQuarter …. #AQuarterOnTheLoose ….

— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) September 17, 2012

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Lecrae is proving that he has plenty of followers.

The Reach Records rapper, who co-founded the independent label nearly a decado ago and has built his base within the niche Christian rap community, will this week debut at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 72,000 for his sixth album, Gravity. The release includes an appearance from Big K.R.I.T. and follows up the rapper’s May 2012 Don Cannon-hosted mixtape Church Clothes, which helped secure a broader audience and offered collaborations with 9th Wonder, Boi-1da and No Malice.

A little further down the chart, 2 Chainz’s Based on a T.R.U. Story landed at No. 7 this week, 26,000 copies to creep towards a quarter million sold in his month on the charts. Meanwhile, Slaughterhouse and their Shady Records/Interscope debut, welcome to: OUR HOUSE fell to No. 23, selling 13,000 units this time around, after debuting at No. 2 last week.

Look out for DMX’s comeback album, Undisputed, to enter the charts next week. —Adam Fleischer (@AdamXXL)

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Slaughterhouse will be tearing down The Well in Brooklyn Saturday night (September 8) and XXLMag.com has a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky fan.

The first reader to e-mail XXL@harris-pub.com with the name of Slaughterhouse member Joe Budden’s popular mixtape series will win a free pair of tickets to see the four lyrical monsters rip up the BK stage.

All entries must include a full name (first and last), along with “Slaughterhouse Tickets” in the e-mail subject line. This contest is limited to fans, who are at least 21 years old and will be in New York City on the night of the show.

In addition to Slaughterhouse, fans will get to see rhyme slingers such as Freeway and special guest Pharoahe Monch. LAD & Willie The Kid, J The S, Da Circle and Paul Marz will also be performing with DJ Soul spinning and Rahim The Dream hosting.

Tickets can also be purchased via TicketFly.—Mark Lelinwalla

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In an interview with Thisis50.com’s Young Jack Thriller, Crooked I says even though Slaughterhouse could use some radio play, they’ll do just fine without it.

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Last week, Slaughterhouse released their second studio album Welcome to: Our House,  featuring the somber “Goodbye.” On the moving record, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Crooked I offer their farewells to their respective lost ones. Last night, a remix of the record was released, featuring Fat Joe, and a new verse from Joell Ortiz.

Fat Joe’s opener pays tribute to his late friend, Chris Lighty, even crediting him with saving his life, rapping, “I always loved you if I never told you /And can’t describe in words how much a nigga owe you /I know you couldn’t stop the 50 shit/ but I ain’t ever look at you no different Chris”

After using the original “Goodbye” to remember his late grandmother, Joell Ortiz pays his respects on the remix to longtime Hot 97 executive, Chris Nadler,  who headed the radion station’s “Whose Next” series and passed away on August 24th, recalling, “It’s not often somebody gives you a shot wanting/ Nothing in return, but to see you pop off and/ ‘Who’s Next’ with the stage? I remember I hopped off and/The first person I saw had red hair, and thick glasses /He said “Congrats Joell you kicked asses.”

You can listen to the “Goodbye (Remix),” also featuring Joe Budden and Crooked I here.

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Rain (drizzle), rain (sideways) and more rain (torrential) led to set delays and an early curtain call for the Paid Dues stage at Rock The Bells in New Jersey on Sunday (September 2), but the oft-kilter operation that created a comatose atmosphere was rocked awake when headliner Nas introduced Lauryn Hill for “If I Ruled the World.”

The former Fugees singer smiled wide and danced across the stage in a fitted leather jacket, striped shirt, flowing pink pants and a closely cropped ‘do.

The one-time Columbia label-mates, Nas and L Boogie, delivered a punch to the PNC Banks Arts Center on the second day of Rock The Bells. (DMX and Eve headlined Saturday’s festivities.)

While Jay-Z was just down I-95 casting a wide net with his Made In America festival, Nas helped to produce a more intimate affair. Crowd favorites like Illmatic selections “Represent,” “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” and Main Source’s “Live at the Barbecue” were early treats. DJ Green Lantern mixed things up behind the boards, while Nas did the same on stage, bringing our Scarface for the Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.”

The pair quickly segued into their DJ Khaled collaboration, “Hip-Hop.”

“And if I cried two tears for her,” ‘Face sneered. “That would be the most that I would give to her.”

The ode to truism struck the bell for the night; earlier in the evening, Common delivered the prequel to “Hip-Hop” with his breakout, “I Used to Love H.E.R.”

The Chicago MC was spry during his set, backed by a four-piece band, DJ and Twilite Tone on the MPC.

Ever true to his B-boy roots, Common gifted the audience a song completely freestyled, where he invited a young lady to the stage to  join him. The two danced during “Come Close” over Beyonce’s “Party.” Then, Com kick some rhymes, picking out details from the crowd and punctuated it with a note for Kristen, his new friend, about what they could do later.

Two sets earlier, Slaughterhouse powered through their time on stage, which coincided with the downpour. Each member took turns wowing the crowd with their lyrical wizardry. The foursome capped things off with a rendition of their BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher.

Another collective, the Hit Squad, was scheduled to headline the smaller Paid Dues stage, but Erick Sermon, Redman and company had their set called off when the stage, largely uncovered, was shut down after heavy rainfall.

Despite the cancellation, Nas and Hill packed plenty of nostalgia to the occasion. Nas also brought out Large Professor, and the Queens MC shouted out his one-time manager, the late Chris Lighty. In between each act, from J.Cole to Curren$y, screens flanking the stage flashed tribute messages to Lighty, who passed late last week.

But it was Hill’s turn through “Ready or Not,” “Fu-Gee-La” and “Doo Wop (That Thing)” that left the festival buzzing.

“I’ve been gone a long time,” she told the crowd. “But I’m back.” —Jayson Rodriguez (@jaysonrodriguez)

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Slaughterhouse’s members have been speaking highly about Eminem’s involvement in their Shady Records-debut album for months now.

Back in February, Crooked I told XXL that Em was doing everything from arranging, mixing, producing and even being featured on their upcoming album. He even called Eminem the “fifth member of Slaughterhouse.” And the praises didn’t stop, as each of the four rappers kept saluting their boss’s contribution to their LP.

Well, just because Welcome to: Our House hit stores this past Tuesday (August 28), doesn’t mean their praise for Em is going to stop here.
In fact, Em’s closest friend in the crew, Royce Da 5’9”, recently told MTV that Marshall Mathers turned their project into a masterpiece.

“What we did was we went in there, we rapped — we all got drunk, went to the studio and rapped,” Royce said. “We handed him … about 40 and he went there and turned it into a masterpiece.”

“I love this album, and it’s because of Marshall,” Royce added. “He went in there and he basically took the songs that he felt like we should be using; did segues, skits, mixed just about the whole album, he added instruments to the songs that he felt needed extra instruments. He put his foot into it. He did just as much work as we did.”—Mark Lelinwalla

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Slaughterhouse is in a position that most—including the four members themselves—probably never thought they’d be: on the cusp of mainstream success. Such potential seemed unlikely three years ago; not for a lack of skill from Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce Da 5’9”, but, rather, for their uncompromising dedication to extreme verbal pursuits—bars so intricate and loaded that their records seemed diametrically opposed to radio accessibility. Their 2009 self-titled debut (eOne) met minimal commercial success, but their mic aptitude earned them a deal with Shady Records two years later. Now, under the guidance of Eminem, Slaughterhouse look to strike the perfect balance.

Welcome to: OUR HOUSE fluctuates between the raw and the colorful, yet the essence of these MCs never wavers. “What is an MC? An MC is a soldier who never backs down from any challenge, from any cypher,” Crooked I professes on the project’s intro. From there, the group begins to toe the line, as Alex Da Kid’s pulsating synths and a chorus from Skylar Grey pace “Our House,” on which the four-headed monster and Em kick dazzling bars about their individual come-ups and connections to the culture. “I’m disgusted as a fan,” Joell raps. “Fuck swag and your kicks from south Japan”; “In my house, it’s rap or die,” Crook states matter-of-factly.

The album’s production credits further indicates a rise away from the underground, as Hit-Boy, T-Minus, No I.D., Boi-1da and Kane Beatz sustain the sonic set, though not always as fluidly as the Alex Da Kid collab. The T-Minus-produced “Frat House” is a predictable adolescent indulgence, barely salvaged by Budden and Ortiz’s witty back-and-forth; the Kane-crafted “Park It Sideways” echoes the beatmaker’s work on Lupe Fiasco’s “Show Goes On”; and the Hit-Boy-helmed “Coffin,” is the uninspired relative of 2009’s “Lyrical Murderers.”

The Cee Lo–assisted single “My Life” is a representation of the album’s broader pursuit and offers a wider sound without sacrificing an ounce of lyricism. Yet the strongest moment arrives on “Goodbye,” a chilling tale where each member opens up about loss (Budden’s unborn twins, Crooked I’s uncle, Joell’s grandmother) over Boi-1da’s rising drums and light keys. It’s cuts like this, “Rescue Me” and “Our Way (Outro)” that bring the efforts of the album in concert best, allowing intimate and masterful lyrics to gel naturally with the high-profile production.

There’s rarely a weak bar on welcome to: OUR HOUSE, though the verbal dexterity isn’t quite as stunning as it was on their debut. Still, as a crew, the complementary elements continue to work in unison, and they’ve created an album that, at its peak, reinforces that big beats and honest, untamed lyrics are not mutually exclusive. —Adam Fleischer (@AdamXXL)

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It’s not a dream nor a nightmare—It’s reality that Meek Mill presently has the heartbeat of the streets in his palms.

The Philadelphia rapper proved it last night (August 27), wrapping up his Dreams & Nightmares Tour in front of a sold-out crowd at New York City’s Irving Plaza and bringing out surprise guests like Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Slaughterhouse, Machine Gun Kelly and Young Chris. MMG rapper Rockie Fresh and R&B crooner Ryan Leslie were also seen in attendance.

After DJ Drama got the raucous crowd warmed up with current smash singles, Meek splashed onto the stage, in an all-black-everything outfit with two bright gold chains, dangling from his neck.

Immediately, he began, well, flexing, performing “Flexing,” one of the many street bangers that Meek has amassed in his short, but budding career.

From there, the energetic rhyme slinger segued into spitting his verse off “Finals” and “Actin’ Up,” before performing “Use to Be” and “Work.”

With a bulk of the sold-out crowd going word-for-word with Meek throughout the show, the 25-year-old rap star slung his verse off of DJ Drama’s single, “My Moment,” before loosening up the crowd further by playing 2 Chainz’s hit single, “No Lie.”

Back to his own material, Meek ripped into “Lean Wit’ It” and brought out Sam Sneaker for “Face Down,” with his verse off Rozay’s “Bag of Money” sandwiched between.

After spitting his verse off the Bawse’s “So Sophisticated,” Meek announced that he had some special guests in the building with him.

Just like that, the instrumental to Slaughterhouse’s “Hammer Dance” blared over the speakers and out came the four lyrical monsters, performing their single.

As they left the stage, Meek announced that his “favorite White boy” was in attendance and out came Bad Boy’s MGK to the stage.

Together, the two performed Kells’ “Wild Boy (Remix)” at which point the crowd hit a fever pitch.

Meek kept the heat coming, lacing into performances of “House Party,” “Burn” and “I’ma Boss,” the latter which had the crowd wondering if Rick Ross was going to touch down on the stage and lend the assist to his MMG brethren.

Any such thoughts were quickly answered, when Ross—in a black velour tracksuit—grunted his way onto the stage with the lyrics, “Got so many shades, they thought I had a lazy eye,” throwing the already turned-up crowd into a frenzy, which had the balcony section of Irving Plaza literally shaking.

After finishing off “I’ma Boss,” Rozay ripped into “Hold Me Back” and “911” off his God Forgives, I Don’t album.

But Meek wasn’t quite done with the surprises just yet.

“Come here OG,” he commanded, pointing to the entrance of the stage.

Just then, the instrumental to Busta Rhymes’s “King Tut” dropped and out came the Dungeon Dragon himself.

But Drama and Meek threw Busta for a loop, cutting off “King Tut” and blasting the instrumental to Busa Buss’s classic, “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” which Busta murdered.

From there, Busta brought out his Conglomerate rapper, Reek Da Villain, and the two performed “King Tut” as originally planned. But before Busta exited the stage, he made sure to salute Meek, grabbing his hand and yelling: “It’s been a long time since a nigga could do a whole tour, before putting an album out.”

Wiping his brow with an MMG towel, Meek spit a brand new verse off his Dreams & Nightmares album a cappella—scheduled for an October 30 release— before wrapping up his one-hour show with Dreamchaers 2‘s “Amen.”

The concert and tour re-confirmed what fans already know—Meek is arguably the rap game’s most promising young star. Amen!—Mark Lelinwalla

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