• 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.

This week in the hip-hop Twittersphere, Kanye West teases the full lyrics of “Black Skin Head,” Chief Keef and Katy Perry go at it and then make amends, French Montana signs Lil Durk to Coke Boys and Meek Mill airs out a fake friend. Also, Action has no respect for you if you’re not rocking head-to-toe Karl Kani, and The Alchemist tries to take a dump standing up.

The post Hip-Hop Tweets Of The Week, 5/19-5/25 appeared first on XXL.

Recent college graduates—pay attention. Soulja Boy might have a job for you.

The SODMG leader, who has over 4,000,000 followers on Twitter, is looking to expand his digital presence. Last night, he tweeted out his “job listing” for a social media intern. Although, it seems suspect that he didn’t include where potential candidates would send their resumes. We are also not sure what he means by “#memorial.” A possible deadline, maybe?

But anyways, if you are in need of a summer internship, Soulja’s got you. Also, just so you can have a little cheat sheet before your potential interview, here’s a breakdown of his other social media platforms. Good luck!

Facebook: 6,866,408 likes
Instagram: 905,994 followers
Tumblr: souljaboytellem.tumblr.com
Vine: See them here.
Twitter: @souljaboy

The post Soulja Boy Is Hiring A Social Media Intern appeared first on XXL.

The post Soulja Boy’s Bentley Impounded During Police Investigation appeared first on XXL.

For months, Soulja Boy has been snapping photos with various members of YMCMB—including Cash Money CEO Birdman and Young Money president Mack Maine. With his status as a free agent since leaving Interscope, Soulja has left clues as to where he’ll end up next. At one point, after he inked the words “Rich Gang” on his face, he made his YMCMB affiliation public by adding the label to his social networks. And back in March, the 22-year-old was spotted talking business with Birdman in Miami, which Stunna later tweeted: “S/O. that lil homey@souljaboy Realnigga do Real thangs. RichGang YMCMB.”

But now, you can add one more piece to the puzzle. On his recently released mixtape King Soulja, he appears to have shouted out his allegiance to the label. The specific track is “Come On,” where he opens it up by saying, “SODMG. PTE. Rich Gang. YMCMB.” Near the end, he more or less says the same thing: “Soulja. Salute. Rich Gang. YMCMB. SOD.”

This is all speculation until Soulja Boy makes an official announcement. Still, it should be pointed out that Drake revealed his loyalty to YMCMB on “Best I Ever Had,” before inking his deal back in 2009. Maybe, Dre is waiting until the timing is just right.

Soulja Boy gets “Rich Gang” tatted on his face in March 2013.

The post Soulja Boy Confirms Signing To YMCMB (Sort Of) appeared first on XXL.

Mr. Superman himself drops a new 18-Track project for the viral world today. Soulja Boy releases King Soulja mixtape. The tape looks like it doesn’t have a lot of features, which is really interesting because he usually has plenty of features from major artist. The  young MC, real name DeAndre Way, comes back into the game looking to showcase his skills once again. You can stream the mixtape below.

The post Soulja Boy Releases ‘King Soulja’ [Mixtape] 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.

• CKGM
  "This is the start of a beautiful friendship..."
• CKWF
  Is this the changing of the Brick Squad guard?
• CKTI
  Imagine if T.I. would've actually signed Keef to Grand Hustle.
• CKFM
  For French and Keef, life is just one never ending stuffy nose.
• CKYJ
  I wonder if Gucci is cool with this?
• CK50
  50 Cent is the Danny Glover to Keef's Mel Gibson in <em>Lethal Weapon</em>.
• CKFab
  Wherever an Instagram flick is being taken, Fabolous will surely be there to get in on the action.
• CKRR
  "Now I'm in the laundry mat: Darryl Strawberry."
• CKMP
  Keef and Fat Trel embracing the No Limit school of thought.
• CKRC
  Red Cafe and his will.i.am ha`t kicking it with with Keef.
• CKCG
  "You don't like talking that much, right?"
• CKSB
  Kinda puts <a href="http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2013/04/soulja-boy-threatens-to-kill-chief-keef-on-facebook/">this whole thing</a> into question, huh?
• CKTrel
  We're not gun experts, but Trel ad Keef's pieces don't look legal to the public.
• CKSasha
  Chicago's Drill scene prom king and queen, Keef and Sasha Go Hard
• CKJI
  Jimmy Iovine - the man that made it all possible.

Yesterday, the rap game was blessed with monumental news that Chief Keef had officially joined Gucci Mane’s 1017 Brick Squad line-up. Although Keef reps his own Glory Boyz Entertainment clique, the signing marks a new union between Atlanta and Chicago, a cross-over of drill and trap. However, with Keef having become one of the most sought-after rappers of the new era, it makes you wonder who else the Windy City Drill sergeant could have aligned himself with besides Gucci. Wonder no more, as XXL has complied a list of flicks of Keef kicking it with rappers outside GBE family.

The post Squad Up: 15 Pics Of Chief Keef With Other Rappers 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.

Complex spotted Soulja Boy allegedly plotting to murder Chief Keef. Yes, you read that right.

A few weeks ago, Keef’s affiliate Ballout stole one of Soulja’s chain and then went on to Twitter to boast about his latest come up. “N.L.A. Pushin’ On Niggas Jus Too This Nigga @souljaboy Chain Des Niggas Fak As Shit I B Takin Shit #300shit.”

We believe the SODMG leader wasn’t too happy about this. According to his Facebook statuses, he’s on his way to meet up with Keef and packing “the choppa.”

This all seems really suspicious since he doesn’t have any motive to go after Keef. After all, the pair has made music together on numerous occasions.  This tweet sent out a few hours ago makes us think his Facebook account might have been hacked, too.

Somebody keep hackin my Instagram and email smh.

— Soulja Boy (@souljaboy) April 19, 2013

Then again, this photo Soulja posted on Instagram confirming he is in Chicago got us thinking otherwise. Something is about to go down. Stay tuned for more details.

UPDATE: Soulja just tweeted he was hacked.

My facebook is hacked all that shit is fu fu

— Soulja Boy (@souljaboy) April 19, 2013

The post UPDATE: Soulja Boy Threatens to Kill Chief Keef on Facebook, Says He Was Hacked appeared first on XXL.

In anticipation of his upcoming I Am Not A Human Being II, Lil Wayne has given his fans a small preview of the album in full. Songs such as “No Worries,” Love Me,” and Rich As F**k” have supported its release on March 26. Hear tracks from Soulja Boy, Gunplay, Soulja Boy, as well as a return to his rap-rock venture in “God Bless Amerika,” “Hello” and “Hot Revolver.” Listen below.

1. IANAHB
2. Curtains (Feat. Boo)
3. Days And Days (Feat 2. Chainz)
4. Gunwalk (Feat. Gudda Gudda)
5. No Worries (Feat. Detail)
6. Back To You
7. Trigger Finger (Feat. Soulja Boy)
8. Beat The Shit (Feat. Gunplay)
9. Rich As Fuck (Feat. 2 Chainz)
10. Trippy (Feat. Juicy J)
11. Bitches Love Me (Feat. Drake & Future)
12. Romance
13. God Bless Amerika
14. Wowzers
15. Hello
16. Lay It Down (Feat. Nicki Minaj)
17. Hot Revolver (Feat. Dre)
18. My Homies Still (Feat. Big Sean)

[via Miss Info]

The post Listen to Snippets of Lil Wayne’s “I Am Not A Human Being II” appeared first on XXL.

At this point, it’s kind of hard to hate on Soulja Boy. It might’ve made sense to say things like “he’ll be irrelevant next month” in ’07, but the dude’s still around, releasing singles and mixtapes more often than most people get a haircut. Anyway, he’s back with a new single, “Handsome,” from his upcoming album USA Dre. 

Listen below, but in the meantime here are a few lyrical gems from “Handsome”:

“No Chris Brown, but my diamonds dancing.”

“Ain’t DJ Khaled, but I’m the best.”

“And I shot my gun. And that shit was fun.”

The post Soulja Boy, “Handsome” appeared first on XXL.

It’s been exactly eight days since Drake debuted his new single, “Started From The Bottom.” Since then, we knew that a bunch of remixes and freestyles would start surfacing on the Internet. Everyone is talking about the song from his upcoming LP, especially if it stacks up against the rest of his catalog. So far, Drizzy rapping about his rise to the top is a welcoming departure from the luxurious sounds of Take Care.

Rappers have been quick to jump into the studio to record their own versions. It seemed like every day a new freestyle would pop up. While critics and tastemakers have weighed in on hip-hop’s new anthem of 2013, we’ll let you decide who went off on the remixes. Here are all of the freestyles from the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, Fat Trel, Wiz Khalifa and more. They just want the credit where it’s due.

Wiz Khalifa

Wiz was the first big name to hop on the track. He said over Twitter, “”Bein that im in the studio all the time and ima huge fan of music in general iss only right that out of drunkness and highness i drop this,” he tweeted. “I know that song juss came out lol but i think it speaks to all of us so i put my verse on it before everyone else does.”

Soulja Boy

Soulja Boy channels Drizzy’s stop-and-go flow and raps about his clique and seeing dollar signs.

Fat Trel

The D.C. menace doesn’t hold back and unleashes a bunch of strong bars for almost three minutes.

Iamsu! and Skipper

The HBK Gang puts on for the Bay with their boastful rhymes. Iamsu! claims “he bought a car before he bought a beer.” Tough.

Machine Gun Kelly

The EST representer speaks on his days hustling concert show tickets and starting from the basement. He also approaches the beat with a little bit of edge that separates himself from the rest.

Astro

The former X-Factor star flexes his lyrical muscles on the instrumental, serving as an appetizer for his forthcoming mixtape, Deadbeats & Lazy Lyrics.

Trav & Jim Jones

The Harlem natives reminiscent on moving weight in their “reVamp” remix of the single.

OG Ron C

The chopped and screwed king wastes no time giving us a slowed down remix perfect for cruising in the ride.

Mike Stud

UPDATE:  Stud, who we featured on The Break in the past, also offers his own remake of the single. Here, he delivers consistent rhymes about sitting comfortable at the top.

The post Who Had the Best Remix to Drake’s “Started From The Bottom?” appeared first on XXL.

1995 – Tupac Shakur is sentenced to four-and-a-half years for sexual abuse, more specifically but less legally sounding, “forcibly touching the buttocks.”

2000 – Rapper Big Pun dies from after a heart attack. Pun was the first solo Latino rapper to sell a million records. Born Christopher Rios, Big Pun was supposed to appear with Terror Squad cohort Fat Joe on “Saturday Night Live” two days earlier, but at 698 pounds, it was increasingly difficult for him to get around.

Big Pun hit the charts with “Still Not a Player” featuring Joe and had already completed his second album, “Yeeeah Baby” which was released a couple months after his death.

2007 – Jermaine Dupri is appointed to head Island Def Jam Music Group’s new division, Island Records Urban Music. He leaves the post almost two years later.

2009 – And now in lighter news, in their on-again, off-again disslationship, Soulja Boy and Bow Wow release diss tracks on the same day – “F*** Bow Wow” and “What I Think About You,” respectively.

The post Big Pun Dies, Tupac Sentenced and Soulja Boy Bow Wow Beef – Today in Hip-Hop appeared first on XXL.

Soulja Boy with BLVD Supply

As predicted, another rapper remakes Drake’s latest status anthem. This time Soulja Boy hops on the Mike Zombie track.

The post Soulja Boy “Started From The Bottom (Freestyle)” appeared first on XXL.

Soulja Boy is still partying it up even after the New Year’s. On Wednesday, the SODMG leader posted a pic of him and fellow marijuana connoisseur Wiz Khalifa on Instagram. The two are seen enjoying a few hits from the bong. (Word to Cypress Hill) Check out the photo above.

The post Soulja Boy and Wiz Khalifa Light It Up on Instagram [Photo] appeared first on XXL.

• Introduction
  It was all good just a year ago. Since things have gone sour between A$AP Rocky and SpaceGhostPurrp, their beef has seen a war of words on Twitter, gunshots fired and even a bizaare appearance from Soulja Boy. With the leak of Rocky's <i>Long.Live.A$AP</i> last week revealing a new diss towards his former friend, we took it upon ourselves to recap this friend turned foe relationship. Check out A History of A$AP Rocky and SpaceGhostPurrp's Beef –<i>XXL Staff</i>
• The good old days... (2011)
  The good old days... (2011)
  Before all the beef, A$AP Rocky and SpaceGhostPurrp’s relationship was best known for the amazing chemistry they had on one of Rocky’s first breakout tracks, “Pretty Flacko”, produced by SGP. In a Rocky’s recent cover story with Complex, he revealed that the two were in fact close: “This is a guy who used to live in my house. My mom took care of him. Before I had a record deal we were sharing dinner plates and shit.”
• How It All Started...(June 2012)
  How It All Started...(June 2012)
  The Raider Klan and A$AP Mob alliance began to fall apart when SpaceGhostPurrp accused A$AP Twelvy of jumping fellow Raider Klan affiliate Matt Stoops in New York City. SpaceGhostPurrp soon took to his Twitter: "Real niggas don't jump niggas who come in peace if you jump niggas who aint bout starting problems then you a fuck nigga g shit" SpaceGhost tweeted before taking aim at Twelvy himself: "@AsapTwelvyy you jumped my cuzin pussy nigga? you dead nigga u and yo crew fuck nigga i mean dat nigga u gone die fuck nigga." And with that, the wheels were in motion...
• Raider Klan Vlog (June 2012)
  SpaceGhostPurrp Accuses A$AP Rocky of Stealing His Style and Lyrics (June 2012)
  The night after accusing A$AP Twelvyy of jumping his cousin, SpaceGhostPurrp and members of the Raider Klan made it clear the two camps were no longer on good terms in a vlog post that has since been taken down. Purrp also denounced Rocky and the Mob for stealing his style and lyrics. In the video's comments section he responded to one user, adding "roxky know he fucked up bruh he knew he stole my lyrics and put it in goldie he know he stole my raider heiroglyphics he knew stole my beat and played it at coachella and aint shout me out bruh he know he wrong fa dis shit and yall blind ass niggas wanna take up for this lame ass nigga bruh he fake bruh why wud i lie for"
• Screen shot 2012-12-23 at 2.30.02 PM
  SpaceGhostPurrp Says He'll Never Work With A$AP Rocky Again (July 2012)
  in an interview with HipHopDX, SGP confirmed that the two had severed ties. "There's no ASAP/Raider Klan, none of that shit. I wish the best for him for the rest and how he do, like direct videos and how he rap, whatever he do, but no way in hell - I'm not even stepping in the studio with him"
• A$AP Rocky tells SGP to 'stick to making beats' (July 1, 2012)
  A$AP Rocky tells SGP to 'stick to making beats'
  <iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:810993/cp~vid%3D810993%26instance%3Dmtv%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A810993" width="620" height="400" frameborder="0"></iframe>During a red carpet interview with MTV at the 2012 BET Awards, A$AP made his distaste for SpaceGhostPurrp known. When asked what the situation was between the two, Rocky quickly responded "Fuck him. He's one of those guys - a lot of guys just hang around me and try to get hot. When they dip off, start throwing dirt on a young blood, but they can't stop the pretty motherfucker. At the end of the day he knows what it is, and he's trying to lie to people, pumping that we took style from him. If you really look at it the proof is in the pudding, he's corny. Stick to making beats, that's all I gotta say."
• Soulja Boy July 2012)
  In a bizaare turn of events, Soulja Boy poked his head in on the brewing beef between SGP and A$AP Rocky, taking to Twitter to engage with the “Pretty Flacko” producer in a war of words. “Only reason I gave @SGhostPurrp a pass was because ASAP Rocky. now that rocky doesn’t fuck with you. We gon eat yo face nigga. Bath salts.” Soulja Boy threatened before adding “I swear to God on my mama, I want yo face nigga. We gon eat that shit. bath salts. pussy. @SGhostPurrp” SGP didn’t seem to take the threats too seriously, responding “@souljaboy u annoyin bruh”.
• Raider Klan and A$AP Mob collide in Miami (November 2012)
  Raider Klan and A$AP Mob collide in Miami
  Things escalated quickly when SpaceGhostPurrp and his Raider Klan affiliates showed up at Rocky’s concert in Miami. According to reports, after a war of words on Twitter between members of the opposing crews, more than 30 Raider Klan members took to the parking lot where the A$AP Mob’s tour bus was stationed. Shortly after, a fight broke out and several shots were fired into the air. Rocky was apparently uninvolved in the melee but photos of SpaceGhostPurrp in handcuffs soon surfaced, though he was not brought in by police.
• A$AP Rocky Disses SGP on "Angels" (December 2012)
  A$AP Rocky Disses SGP on "Angels"
  Last week, Rocky’s debut LP <i>Long.Live.A$AP</i> leaked onto the internet a month before it’s scheduled release date. On one of the LP’s bonus cuts entitled “Angels” Rocky sends some not so subliminal shots at his former friend, rapping “Niggas claim they the God of black/Well your name is purple, I’m the God of that/Gave you my back, nigga pardon that/Fuck that shit I brought mobbin’ back/Brought robbin’ back, brought the Garden back/Motherfuck Blackland, I brought Harlem back.”

The post A History of A$AP Rocky & SpaceGhostPurrp’s Beef appeared first on XXL.

“They say anything’s possible you gotta dream like you never seen obstacles,” Alexis Seeney spits out as she sings along to J. Cole’s “The Autograph,” while blogging on her new site, Hypeforever. Barely old enough to get a job, the North Carolina resident wrote about what she loved: Sneakers, clothing and art.

Alexis timely posts of sneakers and keen eye for what’s next to pop in streetwear, made her site a fan favorite. She’s earned praise from the likes of A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, rap’s newest sensation Trinidad Jame$ and even Spike Lee (“I tweeted him a picture of my work and he hit me back [the next day]. It meant a lot to me.”)

What started out as a thing to do to past time, Hypeforever became a hit on the blogosphere. In a years time, the site went has gone from 200 to now 100,000 a month. Speaking to <em>XXL</em>’s The Good Life, Seeney touches on Hypeforever, her  artwork and the state of fashion. —Christian Mordi (@mordi_thecomeup)

XXL: Tell us a little bit about the name HypeForever and how you got that.

HypeForever: I actually started out as a blogger. I saw some people I knew that used to draw and I wanted to try it out for myself and started to brand my graphics with the name Hypeforever and here we are.

Describe your personality. Is it reflected in your work?

Well I think in my art my colorful side comes out more. For the most part though, I am a pretty laid back [kind] of girl.

Tell us a little bit about where you’re from and how it’s influenced your work.

Where I’m from doesn’t really influence my work, but it does influence my work ethic. I feel like a lot of kids where I’m from aren’t really doing much with themselves. Durham is a pretty small city and despite there being a big college here, outside of that people don’t hear much about the people here.

Who are some of your favorite artists from North Carolina?

I am a fan of King Mez, but I really love Rapsody and 9^th Wonder’s label Jamla. I caught both of their last albums and liked them a lot.

Tell us a little bit about your blog.

It’s Hypeforever.com and I blogged about sneakers pictures and clothes. It really picked up pretty heavy worldwide and got nice press.

Why did you decide to start out with a blog?

I felt like the blog would really help me to build my skills and reputation heading into college.

How did it do in regards to traffic?

It started out with me getting 200 a month. Within three months it was up to 2,000. Shortly after 10,000 a month. Soon enough I was getting over 100,000 hits a month before I stopped. I just wanted to move on from writing for a little bit.

I noticed you have had Soulja Boy and A$AP Rocky hit you as well. How did that come about?

Soulja Boy hit me a couple months ago around the end of my junior year. I posted on his website and he saw some of the work and gave me a shout out via twitter about my art. He wanted me to do a mixtape cover for him, which may happen soon.

In regards to Rocky, I created a piece of him and he caught it as well and decided to show it love on his Facebook. The piece got over 5,000 likes on his page so that was pretty cool.

FOR MORE ON SEENEY GO TO THE NEXT PAGE

The post HypeForever Speaks On Art, Hip-Hop and Fashion appeared first on XXL.

Bone set the night off with the oh so appropriate “Celebration (Remix)”—a new track Game features them—then the house DJ, Skee, took it back and played some classic tracks. Bone, however, kept the crowd entertained when the Cleveland collected delved into “Notorious Thugs” and “Thuggish Ruggish Bone.” After Game thanked the group and declared Bizzy as his favorite member of the unit, Soulja Boy joined in the festivities with “Turn My Swag On.”

Beyond his born day, Game also previewed material from his new LP, Jesus Piece, which is set to drop in two weeks.

The post Game Celebrates Birthday With Snoop Dogg, Master P and More appeared first on XXL.

Making your mark in the fashion world as a new brand is relatively difficult, though you wouldn’t be able to tell by the progress made by Los Angeles lifestyle brand Popular Demand. In a short amount of time, Popular Demand has paved its way as one of the hottest new apparel lines on the market. Just ask T.I., Diddy, Game, 2 Chainz, Future or Justin Bieber —all of whom have been rocking their signature logo and designs. Blake Ricciardi, Popular Demand’s founder, took the time to tell XXL about the reasons for their recent success and what to expect in the future. —Rachelle Jean-Louis (@RJL24)

Is this a solo project or do you work with a team?

This definitely isn’t a solo project — it’s all about the team at Popular Demand. Our staff is diverse, creative and real – just like our consumers and fans. We also have key brand ambassadors who influence what we do.

How long have you been at work on this brand?

The brand officially launched in January 2012, and it’s been nothing but a non-stop every day since.

What inspired you to launch the brand?

The city of Los Angeles. The heartbeat of this city is what inspires us daily. LA is filled with creative people, talented people and risk takers.

What were some of the difficulties you faced when first starting the line?

Trying to do an incredible amount of things in a short period of time. We grind, but we don’t have the resources that some of our competitors do. I’m not complaining though, that’s natural for any start-up. That uphill climb is what drives us. We’re going to go hard until the wheels come off.

Please describe the line in 10 words or less.

Fucking unreal.

What do you think draws the consumer to your brand?

I think different things appeal to different consumers. Besides offering quality product, our designs are bold and speak to the consumer’s style and confidence (our new Python and Snakeskin Flag tees continue to gain the most attention). They want to feel fresh when they step out, and Popular Demand gives them that. Seeing artists like 2 Chainz, T.I., Diddy, Justin Bieber, E-40, The Game, Freddie Gibbs, Soulja Boy, Future, New Boyz and Problem rocking our gear – they’re artists who always push the envelope creatively, and that shows by what they wear. In addition, our hardcore fans pay attention to our lifestyle and want to represent that.

A brand’s logo is arguably one of the most important features of a brand. Who or what inspired your logo?

The Popular Demand logo represents the work + play nature of our brand. The script ‘Popular’ portion of our logo represents the ‘play’ side – our lifestyle. The bold block ‘Demand’ portion represents that grind that we take very seriously here. While that’s our official logo, the Popular Demand Cheetah Flag has become an iconic image worn in music videos and photo shoots. When people see the flag, they know that’s Popular Demand.

Describe your personal style. Does it influence your brand? If so, how?

Both my style and design aesthetic influence the brand heavily. I don’t design for myself though. The brand is an extension of how I think and look at things beyond just what I personally wear.

What can we expect from the brand in the future?

More bold designs and a much wider array of tees, hoodies, crewnecks, hats, accessories and custom products. We are also working on collaborations with some amazing people and companies —companies that we respect and admire.

Where can your line be purchased?

Our line is available on our official online shop at populardemandshop.com and also in over 100+ stores throughout the U.S. and internationally in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, etc.

The post Blake Ricciardi of Popular Demand Clothing Line Talks Brand Success, Cheetah Logo and Upcoming Collection appeared first on XXL.