If only we were talking about Compton. Let me editorialize for a second. Just over three weeks ago, I wrote the last post XXL would ever run on Sean Price while he was alive. It was lighthearted: In an effort to promote his new Songs in the Key of Price (out next Friday, Aug. 21 via Duck Down), Sean...
If he's being honest with himself, the biggest event in J. Cole's life this week was probably his turn on "No Sleeep," the new single and video by Janet Jackson. But the North Carolina native also helped his longtime friend and collaborator, Omen, drop his album, Elephant Eyes. The...
This week's news cycles have been dominated by two things: Future, his son, his past relationships, his mixtapes and now, a new album; and Young Thug's legal troubles, which include a litany of felony charges and the implication that he and Baby plotted with PeeWee Roscoe to have Lil Wayne killed. Imp...
This week, America celebrated its 239th birthday. There were parades, cookouts, NFL stars mortgaging their careers for a better fireworks display. And before the nation turns it collective attention to one Future Hendrix, five rap acts took it upon themselves to celebrate their beloved country the best way they know how...
Not only is this Sunday Father's Day--it's also the first official day of summer. To that end, artists this week began trotting out some of their heatwave-engineered material. As we prepare for full-length releases from artists like Boogie and 2015 XXL Freshman Vince Staples, we're inundated with sunburn and 12-inches that should carry us through the dog days. These ar...
It's easy to trace a year by the event albums, by the A$AP Rockys, by the Kendrick Lamars. Earl Sweatshirt and Action Bronson can dominate one news cycle, Surf the next. But this week in hip-hop was somewhat of an aberration, where the best singles came mostly from hungry up-and-comers bubbling just under the radar. The highest p...
The NBA finals tipped off last night (June 4) in Oakland; the Golden State Warriors pulled out a 108-100 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. There's no question that this can be attributed largely to Lil B, the mythical figure whose very presence at Game 5 of the Western finals rattled James Harden enough to commit 12 turnovers. He ...
Whether you came back from Memorial Day with a quietly vicious hangover or the do-or-die imperative to Bring New York Back, this week was about an event album. A$AP Rocky's sophomore effort, At.Long.Last.A$AP, had superstars spilling off the crowded marquee. The firs...