Prodigy

Before it was a source of controversy, GQ's "Rapper Of The Year" cover story on Kendrick Lamar was notable for some of its outtakes, which found the Compton rapper reflecting on four hip-hop acts that influenced him. While most hailed from the West Coast—Tupac, Dr. Dre,...

"It was Big, Jay Z, now Troy Ave here after/But Kendrick Lamar's just a weirdo rapper," says Troy Ave on "New York City," his hometown celebrating single which features prototypical New York rappers Prodigy, N.O.R.E., and Raekwon. In a post-“Control” world, this would normally come off as the typical obligatory jab from a New York rapper, but that isn’t the case here. New York

New York’s Troy Ave takes a lot of pride in his hometown—so much so that he named his debut album, which dropped earlier this week, New York City The Album. Troy believes he “puts forth the best representation of New York” right down to his appearance, which he says looks like "what people from other places would imagine New York to look like.” His music, gritty and...

Troy Ave is feeling pretty confident about his latest project. After dropping videos for songs like "Hurt" and the cameo-filled title track, the New York rapper has released New York City: The Album, a full-length that seeks to celebrate and recapture the glory days of NYC hip-hop...

With Mobb Deep's Prodigy and Havoc finally back in a good spot following their awkward public falling out—which included everything from homophobic slurs to cries of phone hacking—the two are getting back in the studio and working on their first collaborative full-length project in seven years. Prodigy...

Troy Ave's New York City album is dropping on November 4. Today, the "Hot Out" rapper released his tracklist that features Tony Yayo, Pusha T, Raekwon, N.O.R.E., Prodigy and King Sevin. Producers include Harry Fraud, Chase N Chase, Scram Jones, Araab Muzik, Sledgren and more...

It's no secret that Action Bronson is unlike any rapper we've seen before. Just releasing his Blue Chips 2 mixtape, the Queens native spoke about the new project amidst giving insight on debut album stating that the LP will make listeners laugh, cry, jerk off, and take a shit all at the same time...

SBOE, aka Slowbucks Over Everything, finally dropped the video for "LITT" off the collective's All We Got Is Us mixtape earlier this month, but now the group is back with the tape's sequel. All We Got Is Us 2 picks up where the previous entry in the series left off...

When Action Bronson first arrived on the scene, nobody knew what to do. The Queens red beard carried foodie references and an uncanny cadence to Ghostface Killah, coupled with bars and bars for days. Bronsolino arrived just in the nick of time when hip-hop needed a new sound and new aesthetic to push the culture further...

Earlier today, Ice Cube dropped a Halloween-themed video for "Sasquatch" where Cube portrays the classic movie serial killer, Michael Myers, in the vid. While the video is sufficiently terrifying, it's hardly the first hip-hop video to leave the viewer feel chilled to the bone with terror. At ...

In the sixteen years since XXL's inception, we have spoken with a LOT of rappers about how the sausage is made with their music. Pretty much since the mag's beginnings, we have been running a reoccurring column "Train Of Thought" where hip-hop's most esteemed lyricists touch upon the inspiration for their illest verses. Over the year...

The Alchemist is a known staple of hip-hop. Alc is closely affiliated with Dilated Peoples and Mobb Deep, but his connections run deeper than that. Throughout his 20-year career, the Los Angeles producer has gone on to get placements with hip-hop heavyweights like Lil Wayne, Nas and Cam’ron. Cons...