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xxl magazine Tag

June 22, 2023
Latest News

2023 XXL Freshmen Read Mean Comments

[ad_1] The 2023 XXL Freshman Class is in session. Hip-Hop's hottest up-and-comers like GloRilla, Central Cee, SleazyWorld Go, Lola Brooke, Luh Tyler, Finesse2Tymes, Fridayy, Rob49, 2Rare, Real Boston Richey, TiaCorine and fan-voted 10th spot winner DC The Don are all on the front line as the rap game’s future.As each rising star continues to shine, facing trash talk from some of the internet’s most diabolical, and often anonymous, trolls just comes with the territory. However, despite the nastiness rappers’ timelines are hit with on the daily, the 2023 XXL Freshman Class has time for all of it. As an annual part of the Freshman rollout, all 12 spitters address the haters on...

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June 21, 2023
Latest News

2023 XXL Freshman Class Revealed

[ad_1] The inception of hip-hop, which began 50 years ago this August, can be likened to the formation process of a diamond. Through the application of heat and pressure over a certain period of time, a flawlessly imperfect gem is formed. And like rap, the process is all about evolution.Sounds, musical landscapes, cadences, lyricism, delivery of rhymes and more have changed throughout the last six decades. And staying true to XXL’s yearly tradition, the Freshman class for 2023 was selected based on the artists’ undeniable impact.Within every pivot hip-hop has experienced over the years, a crop of rising individuals proudly reach for and tightly grasp the baton. Narrowing down over 80 artists...

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June 21, 2023
Latest News

Fridayy Interview – ‘God Did,’ Jay-Z’s Words, Kanye Comparison

[ad_1] What Fridayy has achieved within the last year, many artists never accomplish. So far, the 26-year-old talent has cemented himself as a respected singer, rapper, producer and songwriter with multiple Billboard Hot 100 entries, three Grammy nominations and millions of Spotify monthly listeners. “The only n***a you can compare who came in like this is Kanye [West],” Fridayy says of himself. “Between me and Ye, I ain’t ever seen nobody come in the game like this.” While he’s a newcomer to most, Fridayy’s low-pitched brand of mystifying rap&B is already in high demand across the music industry, which is something he’s been working towards since he was in elementary school.Born Francis...

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June 14, 2023
Latest News

Slick Rick Interview – Hip-Hop, Storytelling, What’s Next

[ad_1] Interview Vanessa SattenImages Ahmed Klink Set Design Michael SturgeonDa Art of Storytellin’Interview: Vanessa SattenImages: Ahmed Klink Set Design: Michael SturgeonA true hip-hop legend, Slick Rick is one of the most name-dropped, shouted-out, sampled and interpolated rappers in hip-hop history. Artists such as Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Eminem, 50 Cent, Lauryn Hill, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Jeezy, Nas, Gucci Mane, Big Sean and many more have honored the British American MC in or with their music. Besides Rick's lyrical prowess and innovative use of storytelling, the rapper is known for his unique style of dressing and elaborate jewelry collection. All this combined makes Slick Rick an icon...

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June 14, 2023
Latest News

Slick Rick Discusses Storytelling, Style for XXL’s Legends Cover

[ad_1] Every rapper has a story to tell, but none can do it quite like Slick Rick, whose rhymes and style have influenced the culture for nearly 40 years. Rick is arguably hip-hop's most superb storyteller, and has a catalog of renowned, imaginative tracks like "Mona Lisa" and "Children's Story" demonstrating his skill. As hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary in August, Slick Rick is honored with XXL's Legends cover. This is part of a digital series celebrating some of the most impactful artists in hip-hop’s history, which has also honored Fat Joe and Lil' Kim.The London-born, Bronx-raised MC has come along way since he made his first song, "The Show" with Doug E. Fresh in 1985....

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June 1, 2023
Latest News

Joyner Lucas Interview – New Album, Bad Boys 4, Candace Owens

[ad_1] Rhyme or ReasonThe art of lyricism has always been a priority for Joyner Lucas, a respected MC who receives praise from veteran rappers with the same passion. Now, he’s showcasing his way with words on a new album and the big screen.Interview: Luke FoxEditor’s Note: This story appears in the Spring 2023 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.An element of irony is at play when Joyner Lucas pops up on a Zoom screen. The rapper-actor-aspiring real estate mogul is sitting in a parked car in the greater Boston area to chop it up with XXL, yet his career is speeding 100 miles an hour. The 34-year-old Worcester, Mass., native is preparing for the release...

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May 31, 2023
Latest News

Lola Brooke Interview – Everything You Need to Know About Her

[ad_1] Show & Prove: Lola BrookeWords: Georgette ClineEditor’s Note: This story appears in the Spring 2023 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.Lola Brooke, a diminutive firecracker standing at four feet, nine-and-a-half inches (she’s heavy on the half-inch), is a self-professed Big Gator. She sports a green-and-black varsity jacket emblazoned with the words as she sits inside an Arista Records lounge in New York City on a crisp March day. Her die-hard fans, now known as Gators, started affectionately calling the 29-year-old Brooklyn native the nickname after she once dropped the two words in a freestyle.The alias is fitting considering she snaps on her 2021 assertive hit “Don’t Play With It” featuring Billy B, which...

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May 31, 2023
Latest News

Destroy Lonely Interview – Playboi Carti’s Advice, Inspire Others

[ad_1] Leveling up can look like a lot of things. Increased streaming numbers, record deals, tour dates or any other accoutrements of burgeoning rap stardom. But for Destroy Lonely, it looked a little like himself. While visiting a grocery store on tour earlier this year, one particular fan caught his attention: a Black boy rocking gray hair just like the rapper. “[I was like], Damn, this n***a is literally a fan of me,” Lonely recalls. “And then as I’m saying that, the same kid walked up to me like, ‘Yo, are you Destroy Lonely?’”For the 21-year-old rapper, it was just the latest symptom of an increased national profile, one accompanied by packed...

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May 29, 2023
Latest News

Coi Leray Interview – ‘I’m Amazing at This Music’

[ad_1] Perfect TimingFrom platinum bangers to designer-darling status, Coi Leray is seizing the moment she was born ready for while proving her critics wrong.Words: Stacy-Ann EllisEditor’s Note: This story appears in the Spring 2023 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.The year is 2021, and a then-24-year-old Coi Leray is pacing the Rolling Loud Miami stage, signature shoulder-length plaits swinging, doing her best to entertain a mannequin-still crowd that simply won’t budge. Despite an energetic set of brazen bars, vocals, animated moves and a posse of hype men, viral footage has memorialized the unresponsive crowd with a bevy of unkind comments piled underneath it.Fast-forward two years later, and the now-26-year-old rapper’s return to Rolling Loud...

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May 29, 2023
Latest News

DJ Drama Interview – Gangsta Grillz, Lil Uzi Vert, Label and More

[ad_1] Do What I WantTwenty years into his career, DJ Drama keeps his beloved mixtape series Gangsta Grillz alive as one of hip-hop’s great cross-generational creators.Interview: Peter A. BerryEditor’s Note: This story appears in the Spring 2023 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.It's hard to pinpoint an all-encompassing snapshot of mixtape culture, but a pile of old Gangsta Grillz CDs is pretty close. Since creating the franchise at the dawn of the blog era, DJ Drama’s carved a legacy as rap’s ultimate hype man, teaming up with some of hip-hop’s biggest names to elevate street albums to an art form.Raised in Philadelphia, Drama, born Tyree Simmons, was inspired to become a DJ after watching Omar Epps...

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