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December 22, 2020
Latest News

Arnold Taylor, Executive Who Signed DaBaby, Is a Game-Changer

[ad_1] Here We ComeSouth Coast Music Group founder Arnold Taylor helped launch DaBaby’s career through his North Carolina-based record label. Now, Taylor is set on continuing to change the game with his roster of talent.Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Winter 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Buy DaBaby's XXL Cover Story HereTwenty-two years of experience in hip-hop culminated for South Coast Music Group founder Arnold Taylor in 2020, when the label’s flagship artist, DaBaby, experienced his biggest year yet: a No. 1-selling album, a long-running No. 1 record and four 2021 Grammy Award nominations. Founded in 2014, SCMG, based in Charlotte, N.C., is home to North Carolina rappers...

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December 22, 2020
Latest News

DaBaby’s “Rockstar” Year: How a No. 1 Song Took Over 2020

[ad_1] Something SpecialOver the past two years, DaBaby has dominated hip-hop and he’s nowhere near done. With his own label, Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment, heating up and a track record of releasing hit albums and singles that hasn’t cooled down, the newly anointed hip-hop superstar is on fire.Words: Vanessa SattenEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Winter 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Buy DaBaby's XXL Cover Story HereImagine having two huge, career-impacting years, back to back. That doesn’t happen for everyone, but DaBaby has been lucky enough to experience that rarity. He first started rapping around 2015, and has released 13 mixtapes since then, but didn’t get real recognition...

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September 30, 2020
Latest News

Oz, Producer for Drake, Travis Scott, Shares Top Five Beats

[ad_1] Let The Beat BuildInterview: Peter A. BerryEditor's Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Since getting his first American rap placement in 2013 with Meek Mill, Switzerland’s Ozan “OZ” Yildirim has been in sicko mode over the last few years. After landing three singles in the top spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in less than a year (Travis Scott’s “Highest in the Room,” Future’s “Life Is Good” and Drake’s “Toosie Slide”), the 28-year-old beatsmith has become one of the hottest names in music production circles. Phoning in from Zurich, OZ gives XXL the lowdown on his production style, working with Drake...

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September 29, 2020
Latest News

Abby Jasmine Offers Insight on the 6 Songs That Define Her Career

[ad_1] Define MeInterview: Peter BerryEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Armed with smooth vocals and the musicality to slip between R&B and hip-hop as seamlessly as any young artist, Abby Jasmine is carving out her own space in New York City’s explosive renaissance. Since dropping her debut project, Trap Mom, in October of 2018, Jasmine, 22, who first shot to fame as a social media personality, has been steadily leveling up in the rap game by releasing three additional projects including Who Cares?, her EP dropped in April. Here, the Staten Island, N.Y. artist talks about the songs that have been important...

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September 25, 2020
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Freddie Gibbs on Being a G.O.A.T. and Surviving the Game

[ad_1] ConversationsAs Freddie Gibbs gets further into his career, life just keeps getting better.Words: Kris ExEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Freddie Gibbs is your average rapper. He lives in Calabasas, Calif., a city so de rigueur as a haven for newly successful celebrities that it has become a punchline. Freddie—after years of releasing mixtapes capitalizing on street-level views of impoverishment and criminality in his Gary, Ind. hometown—speaks of himself in an aggrandized sense, with the mix of ego and confidence that comes from having defied the odds to become the kind of artist regularly covered by national platforms and debated by...

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September 24, 2020
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Cinematic Music Group Gives Major Labels a Run for Their Money

[ad_1] U See UsWith streams in the billions, more certified platinum plaques and a growing roster of rap talent, Cinematic Music Group is giving the major label machine a run for its money.Words: Georgette ClineEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Twenty years ago, Jonathan Shapiro learned a valuable lesson during his time as a manager for Foxy Brown and Nappy Roots: the music industry is difficult. The trials and tribulations he experienced as a music manager could’ve relegated the New York native to stick to DJing or producing, but Shipes, as he’s known, powered forward with the launch of his full-service, “majorly...

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September 23, 2020
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How Hip-Hop Songs Both Old and New Are Taking Over TikTok

[ad_1] More LifeIn two years time, TikTok has become the premier app for content creators. Now, hip-hop songs both old and new are taking over.Words: Kathy IandoliEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.A teenage girl stands in front of a cell phone camera, smiling and rubbing her hands together, Birdman-style. “He likes my diamonds and my pearls,” she mouths along with the lyrics filling the air, giving a wink as her mother walks out from behind her and finishes the line, “I said, ‘Thank you, I designed it.’” The verse is taken from Tierra Whack’s 2018 song “Hungry Hippo.” Only now, two...

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September 22, 2020
Latest News

Pete Jideonwo Sheds Light on the Importance of Good Management

[ad_1] Plus 1Pete Jideonwo, Partner and COO of Grade A ProductionsInterview: Bianca TorresEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Peter Jideonwo had no idea that one day he would become a manager to famous hip-hop artists, but it happened. The 26-year-old Nigeria native moved to Chicago in 2005, where he lived until he attended Indiana University. Peter graduated in 2014, and headed back to Chi-Town. The aspiring businessman got his start as a hip-hop party and show promoter and then in merchandising. He began working with artists like Cam’ron, YBN Nahmir, G Herbo, Lil Durk, Lil Yachty and Juice Wrld, who was starting...

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September 18, 2020
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Here’s a Look at Where the 2019 XXL Freshman Class Is at Now

[ad_1] What Happened NextXXL assesses how the 2019 Freshman Class excelled or didn’t.Words: Kemet HighEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Here's a Look at Where the 2019 XXL Freshman Class Is at Nowwindow.twttr = (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], t = window.twttr || {}; if (d.getElementById(id)) return t; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); ...

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September 17, 2020
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Until Freedom Host Much-Needed Convo With 2020 XXL Freshman

[ad_1] This Is AmericaUntil Freedom host a politically charged and much-needed conversation with this year’s Freshmen.Interview: Bianca TorresEditor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.This year’s COVID-19 pandemic might have kept people in their homes for March, April and May, but racial injustice helped get them back outside. On May 25, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died while being arrested by the Minneapolis police. The following day, brutal security footage was released, showing a White officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck while three other officers watched or assisted in holding him down. This occurred for over eight minutes before Floyd died. The officers...

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