XXL Mag

In an interview with Vibe his week, J. Cole offered some surprising news that would have led to a very different alternate reality in rap music. Prior to his signing with Roc Nation in 2009, former G-Unit Records president Sha Money XL had wanted to sign Cole to G-Unit before 50 Cent balked at the proposition. App...

Pharrell Williams has literally has one of the best summers ever. His name has been associated with just about every major album coming out. Artists are running to get this man in the studio with them. He had at one point the number one and number two Billboard Hot 100 record with "Blurred Lines" and "Get Lucky...

Big K.R.I.T. and Future first hinted at their collaboration on K.R.I.T.'s King Remembered In Time mixtape, but the full version is available now. It's a cinematic and tuneful piece of easy-going Southern rap—probably more K.R.I.T. th...

Somewhere in America, Miley Cyrus is still twerking. Seriously, Miley mania is taking over hip-hop and pop culture, so much that the Oxford English Dictionary added it to the dictionary. If that wasn’t enough, Lil Twist leaked his newest single featuring Justin Bieber and Miley. You ...

When Drake met with XXL last month in his hometown of Toronto, he had a lot on his mind, more than what was fit for print. In a XXLMag.com exclusive, here are portions of the conversation that did not make the cover story. Interview by Thomas Golianopoulos (@golianopoulos) Images by Jonathan Mannion XXL: How far along are you with the album...

When Nelly calls, he's just finished up a poker tournament in Florida, and it's left a bit of a bad taste in his mouth. "I should've fuckin' folded," he says, rueing the moment lost. "I don't know why I just let this guy walk me around. I h...

Gucci Mane is a fan of big dramatic gestures. Whether's it's his release schedule or his tattoo choices, he has no interest in doing anything subtle or bowing to social norms. While most artists make elaborate release strategies centered around teasing songs out one at a time, Gucci is more likely to do something a little odd...

Strange Music is on a roll for 2013. The Missouri-based independent label was recently praised by Billboard for holding the most titles placed on the chart so far. It all revolved around Stevie Stone’s 2 Birds 1 Stone, which claimed the No. 9 sp...

Since the days of truck jewelry and dookie ropes, rap has always had a certain fascination with anything and everything that shines and blinds. Jewelry has always been a vital element of hip-hop iconography. Rappers have been sporting all that is icy, gold and glittering since days of time forgot...

Earlier today, Nike made waves in the shoe game by releasing information and an exclusive photo of their brand-new Nike LeBron 11s. According to Nike, the shoe is "designed to protect LeBron James and his combination of power and speed" and is "built from the inside out." It...

This week, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s huge showing at the VMAs worked in their favor. The Seattle duo’s The Heist has officially gone platinum, moving 19,000 copies and selling 1,017,000 all together. This is an amazing accomplishment for the pair who is known for their independent grind. Elsewhere o...

Pharrell rode into the VMAs last Sunday in style, leading a bike gang full of BMXers such as Nigel Sylvester and briefly causing everyone to turn and stare. But eye-catching antics were just a part of the philosophy behind that decision—it was also a promotion for the new company he is launching in partnership with Sylvester. T...