Anniversary

Whenever folks start talking about the dope talent of rap’s first “Golden Age,” The Fat Boys are often written out of the history. Granted, the trio of big Brooklyn boys, who went by the monikers Prince Markie Dee (Mark Morales), Kool Rock-Ski (Damon Wimbley) and the show-stealing Buff, a.k.a. The Human Be...

Ed Note: The following is an essay and interview with DJ Premier remembering Jeru The Damaja's classic album The Sun Rises In The East, which celebrates its 20th anniversary tomorrow, May 24.  Watching the fantastic feature film Big Words the other night on Netflix, which explores the broken lives of a former mackadelic Brooklyn rap trio who might’ve been large during the 1990s “golden era of hip-

Previously: Monks Pay Homage To Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch By Breakdancing In Union Square NYC Officials Reject Beastie Boys Square Proposal Which Rapper Has The Most Platinum Albums Ever? 15 Highest-Selling Debut Rap Albums In Hip-Hop History The Top 50 Summer Releases Of All Time

Previously: The Ten Most Important Songs Of Hip-Hop’s First Decade Rick Rubin Reflects On Being White In The Early Days Of Hip-Hop

Previously: Today In Hip-Hop: The Roots Release Things Fall Apart The Roots’ 14 Best Moments With Jimmy Fallon 9 Of The Most Memorable Hip-Hop Grammy Performances

Previously: Eminem Manager Paul Rosenberg On The Evolution Of Slim Shady Exclusive: Eminem And Rihanna Are Going On Tour Together Paul Rosenberg (Eminem’s Manager): Rule I’ve Learned In The Game Paul Rosenberg Explains Shady Records’ History With XXL

On Feb. 10, 2004, hip-hop was introduced to Kanye West, the rapper, with his debut album College Dropout. The singles from this album were soulful and awe-inspiring. The execution of the roll out was near-perfect, and Kanye crafted a well-rounded debut body of work that at the time was the total contrast to the street anthems that were being pumped out over the radio...

Holy Grail Words Dan Rys Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the October/November 2013 issue of XXL Magazine. When OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below dropped 10 years ago on September 23, 2003, no one could have ever predicted the enormity of its success. OutKast ha...

Ed. Note: Snoop Dogg's classic Doggystyle album turns 20 years old tomorrow, November 23. Michael Gonzales takes a look back at what led to the album, its reception, and how it changed hip-hop in the two decades since. Twenty years ago when Snoop Doggy Dogg’s raw debut Doggystyle (Death Row) was released, people were fiending for the latest dose of "G-funk" music as though it were a new

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders, the seminal group's third album and one of the most iconic albums in hip-hop history. Unleashed the same day as the Wu-Tang Clan's debut Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, it represented the other side of New York hip-hop in the early 1990s, and cemented Tribe as one of the best hip-hop artists out. "At f... Read M

Next April 26 marks the 20th anniversary of OutKast's 1994 debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, and with it may come new music from the acclaimed Atlanta duo. Speaking to NEHip-Hop.com (via 2DopeBoyz), Sleepy Brown of production group Organized Noize let slip that a project may be in the works. ...

Nas gave an interview to The Huffington Post today, where he discussed the delay regarding his followup to last year's XXL-rated Life Is Good, as well as some plans to put together a special concert next year in honor of the 20th anniversary of his seminal debut Illmatic. "We’re putting ...