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xxl magazine Tag

May 18, 2021
Latest News

Blxst Carries Torch for L.A. Hip-Hop, Continues Nipsey’s Legacy

[ad_1] Show & ProveInterview: Keith MurphyEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.It would simply be too easy to categorize 25-year-old Blxst as the latest rapping-singing product to break out of the West Coast hip-hop scene. Instead, the sleepy-eyed 1990’s baby, who has been compared to late O.G. hook king Nate Dogg and platinum-plus Compton phenom Roddy Ricch, is carving out his own lane. “The West Coast is really known for being gangsters,” Blxst says. “Now, we are experimenting. We are having fun with it.” The South Central, Los Angeles-born artist is also a beatmaker, songwriter and sound engineer. Blxst’s self-produced, 2020 debut...

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May 5, 2021
Latest News

Lakeyah Aims to Be Quality Control Music’s Next Up

[ad_1] Show & ProveInterview: Sowmya KrishnamurthyEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Milwaukee is known for its breweries, cheese curds and NBA basketball star Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo, but hip-hop has struggled to escape its city limits to make it on the big stage. Lakeyah, a native of the Wisconsin city, wants to change that. “I aspire to be the biggest artist in the world,” she affirms. The 20-year-old rapper-singer has always had grand aspirations beyond her hometown. “I never saw myself doing anything else besides being an artist,” she conveys. That dogged determination catapulted Lakeyah to joining Quality Control Music in 2020—home...

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May 4, 2021
Latest News

How a Flawed Justice System Inspired Detroit Star 42 Dugg to Rap

[ad_1] Show & ProveWords: Peter A. BerryEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.If it hadn't been for a flawed justice system, 42 Dugg the rapper might not exist. While behind bars for carjacking and felony firearms charges he caught at age 15, Dugg wrote his first raps in solitary confinement after getting into a fight with an inmate. A mix of boredom and instinct powered his initial forays into the genre. “I just wanted to get my story out,” he says, reclining in a chair in XXL’s New York office on a cold February afternoon. Four years after his prison release, Dugg’s...

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May 4, 2021
Latest News

Trippie Redd Credits Lil Uzi & Playboi Carti As Pioneers in Rap

[ad_1] More To The StoryNow a multiplatinum-selling rapper, Trippie Redd has come a long way from his SoundCloud days. He’s experienced life’s highs with the lows, and giving up isn’t an option.Interview: Bianca TorresImages: Travis ShinnEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Trippie Redd misses the rage. He considers himself an “in-the-field” rapper, so living in a pandemic this past year and being unable to tour have been challenging for the 21-year-old artist. However, Trippie, born Michael Lamar White II, is in a good place right now. It’s Feb. 24, 2021, five days after the wild artist dropped his first rock album, Pegasus:...

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May 4, 2021
Latest News

DJ Khaled Covers Digital Edition of XXL Magazine

[ad_1] It's another one. Last week (April 30), DJ Khaled dropped Khaled Khaled, his star-studded album full of 14 bangers. To commemorate his 12th studio LP, the catchphrase king covers a digital edition of XXL magazine, photographed by Ahmed Klink at Khaled's Miami estate. This marks the third time the famed DJ has secured an XXL cover: the first in 2017 with his son, Asahd, a digital cover in 2019 and now this one.Everything Khaled does is on an extravagant level, from the collaborations he locks in for his albums to the rollouts leading up to release day, which means his cover story interview had to match that same energy. On Sat., May 1, XXL chopped it up with...

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April 29, 2021
Latest News

Waka Flocka Flame to Drop 8 Ball Project Ahead of Flockaveli 2

[ad_1] What's Happenin'Waka Flocka Flame is on fire with another season of his TV show and new music on the way.Interview: Aleia WoodsEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Waka Flocka Flame, known for his anthemic party hits that span across the last decade, also has a few other proud titles under his belt: husband, father and reality show star. Waka, his wife Tammy Rivera and their daughter Charlie have entered the second season of their We tv reality series, Waka & Tammy: What the Flocka. When the 35-year-old rapper isn’t in front of the camera, he’s teasing new music for his upcoming...

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April 27, 2021
Latest News

Shelley FKA DRAM Interview: New Album and Battling Drug Addiction

[ad_1] Real As It GetsShelley, formerly known as DRAM, is coming off five years of ups and downs, but with new music and a new moniker, he’s ready to come clean.Interview: Kathy IandoliEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.“Let me do this, please!” says Shelley with earnest desperation, as if he’s addressing a petulant child. The 32-year-old artist formerly known as DRAM is having a stare down contest with his dog, Idnit, the 5-year-old Goldendoodle who graced the cover of Shelley’s 2015 debut album, Big Baby DRAM. Idnit is standing erect like a statue, paws firmly planted into the couch. The paws...

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April 22, 2021
Latest News

ASAP Ferg Reflects on Making of Always Strive and Prosper Album

[ad_1] Classic MaterialA$AP Ferg on Always Strive and Prosper.As Told To: Aleia WoodsEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.A$AP Ferg had a specific mission with his 2016 album, Always Strive and Prosper. The undertaking was introspective and transparent. Known for making vibrant and energetic cuts, the Harlem native took a different approach with Always Strive and Prosper. He wanted to display his depth, growth and evolution as an artist while personifying the acronym of his rap collective A$AP Mob, which is part of the album title. In the process of making the LP, Ferg worked with artists he’s revered like Missy Elliott...

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April 22, 2021
Latest News

Snowfall Actor Damson Idris Is a Fan of 50 Cent & Kendrick Lamar

[ad_1] Show OutSnowfall star Damson Idris uses hip-hop as a soundtrack for his life.Interview: Bianca TorresEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of XXL Magazine, coming soon.Damson Idris’ adoration for hip-hop has helped him with his role as Franklin Saint, his character on the hit FX series Snowfall. Born and raised in Peckham, U.K., Damson, 29, was first introduced to old school hip-hop by his older brother then later on to more current hip-hop by his friends. The actor was a huge fan of 50 Cent, but also took to other U.S. artists such as Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. along with U.K. artists like Giggs...

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April 20, 2021
Latest News

Rappers Getting Paid From the Cannabis Boom Is Social Justice

[ad_1] Big BusinessHip-hop artists getting paid from the cannabis boom is more than just a side hustle. It's a matter of social justice.Words: Rob KennerEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of XXL Magazine, coming soon."Puffin’ on buddah, sess or skunk/Gives a kick like a football punt/So much money has been spunt/Much, much more than Donald Trump’s/I hope my boom spot doesn’t get bumped”—Diamond D & The Psychotic Neurotics, “Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop” (1992)“I’m sellin’ weed in the open, bringin’ folks home from the feds,” Jay-Z declares on “What It Feels Like,” his epic collab with the late great Nipsey Hussle, off Judas and the Black Messiah:...

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