XXL Freshmen 2015

Doin' Lines: Gucci Mane The locked up Atlanta icon fills in the blanks. As told to Emmanuel C.M. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of XXL Magazine featuring our 2015 XXL Freshman Class. Check out everything from our Freshman issue right here. 1...

On That Level How a talented rap duo from Tupelo, Miss. with a funny name has taken over hip-hop. It's Rae Sremmurd's life. Words kris ex Images Ahmed Klink Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of XXL Magazine featuring our 2015 XXL Freshman Class. Chec...

This week we've been recapping the first half of the year, breaking down the best albums, mixtapes, sneakers and clothing collaborations of 2015 to this point. And now it's time for the songs. XXL looked back at the 40 biggest hits, bangers and more of the year, from vets like Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa to newcomers like Towkio and Tink and everything in between. Whe...

Lots of West coast rappers are married to signifiers. Khaki suits, low riders, blunts, palm trees, G-funk. Vince Staples doesn't need any of them. His double-disc Def Jam debut, Summertime '06, is cold and industrial; the Clams Casino-produced "Norf Norf" is one of the album's sparsest cuts, and Staples populates it with Porches and abortions and, in the video, crooked cops. The... Read

For someone who's enjoyed a considerable amount of attention from the mainstream media, Fetty Wap releases an awful lot of music direct to his Soundcloud account (to say nothing of his enduring, immortal money phone shot, which serves as the cover art for most releases)...

Make A Scene How three wild dudes from A-Town are helping change the face of hip-hop. Words Dan Rys Images Elliot Liss Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of XXL Magazine featuring our 2015 XXL Freshman Class. Chec...

Get Down Pioneer of funk George Clinton looks back at his legacy in hip-hop. Words Dan Rys Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of XXL Magazine featuring our 2015 XXL Freshman Class. Check out everything from our Freshman issue right here. F...

Last Friday (July 10), the small New Jersey borough of Paramus suffered a strange bit of crime. A police report says that a ShopRite cashier was attacked by a group of three men after a brief altercation between the cashier and a woman who was friends with the assailants...

Rise 'N Shine Two collabs with Kanye West and a new Roc Nation deal have Vic Mensa on the fast track to success. Words Dan Rys Image Brock Fetch Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of XXL Magazine featuring our 2015 XXL Freshman Class. Chec...

With the recent prison escape of noted supervillain Joaquin Guzman Loera, better known as "El Chapo," Shy Glizzy and two-thirds of Migos drop the El Chapo-inspired "Head Huncho." Over a pulsating instrumental, the trio rap heavy bird talk and glorify busting their guns and making money--sure to make El Chapo proud ...

The #FutureHive didn't take too kindly to OG Maco saying that Future "has destroyed countless lives by making it cool to be a drug addict." Now, the owner of the domain name OGMaco.com is attempting to sell the site using a Future-inspired advertisement that is clearly trolling the XXL Freshman. OGmaco.com ha ...

It's amazing that it's already been a year since the 2014 XXL Freshman cover, when we unveiled our Dirty Dozen featuring two R&B artists for the first time ever. But now it's time to check the report card (click the image above). The pas...