A big close out to another great year in music, Chris Brown and Big Sean share the front page spot of XXL Magazine’s December/January issue. On stands soon, Chris Brown opens up about his growth as an artist, his love life, rumors, and more – while Big Sean talks about his eagerness to rep Detroit to the fullest. Like he always says, he’s finally famous! Check out the two covers after the jump.
Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar have been chosen to cover the 15-Year Anniversary of XXL. On stand in September, the issue highlights the endorsement that Dr. Dre has given Kendrick as Hip-Hop’s ‘next biggest star’, following in the footsteps of Snoop Dogg and Eminem. Amongst that story, the issue also covers 176 top covers chosen for past XXL issues. Check out the cover above.
On the heels of her XXL performance tonight in New York, NY, a new track from the magazines upcoming mixtape, hosted by DJ Whoo Kid, has dropped with Iggy Azalea, T.I., and Chipmunk. The track is titled Hustle Gang, and is produced by S-X, where all three members take turns reminding us why we need to keep our eyes peeled open. Iggy has been steadily making noise with her first single, which was released weeks ago. Check out the track above.
Well folks, it’s that time of year again. After a lengthy wait and numerous pictures of possible lists floating around, XXL Magazine has released the 2012 Freshman Cover. This year XXL tried to incorporate their audiences voice, by hosting a fan pick contest. With all of that out of the way, they present this years 2012 class of who you should be paying attention to. This years class consists of Future, Kid Ink, Danny Brown, French Montana, Macklemore, Don Trip, Machine Gun Kelly, Hopsin, Iggy Azalea, and Roscoe Dash. Did your favorite artist make the cut? Let us know what you think of this years choices.
This is a special year for Nas, who has a few anniversaries to celebrate including the release of his first verse ever. The Queensbridge poet, who’s gearing up for the release of his 10th solo album, Life Is Good, helped to pioneer shock rap with his timeless breakout verse on 1991’s “Live at the Barbeque,” with lines like “When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus.” With that in mind, XXL Magazine recruited a new controversial MC, Odd Future’s frontman Tyler, the Creator, who’s a longtime Nas fan, to interview the veteran MC for the November issue’s cover story.
Who would have guessed the two rappers would have hit it off so well. Throughout an in-dept interesting conversation that lasted over an hour-and-a-half, Nas and Tyler touched on a variety of topics including: music, religion, family, decision making, drugs, the Internet, and even Star Wars.
Issue hits stands next week!
I made mention to this back in early April. Diddy for the first time ever graces the Cover of XXL Magazine.
Diddy stalled hopping on his Last Train to Paris to spend a little time with XXL. The hip-hop mogul appears in XXL magazine’s upcoming June issue and it’s his very first time being featured on the publications cover.
In the comprehensive interview written by Thomas Golianopoulos, Puff gives insight into his ubersuccessful business mind, his new album, Last Train to Paris and he reflects on his grind to the top to become hip-hop’s number one mogul.
He also looks back at his overall impact on the industry and culture. “I am the champion of hip-hop†Diddy says in the story. “Hands down, undisputed, I’m the undisputed heavyweight champion of hip-hop. We are going to have to deal with those facts. There is nobody that can fuck with me with what I do, which is getting busy. We are going across the board, as an entrepreneur, innovator, motivator. Who was there first? Who traveled to Europe first? The first. The first. The first. The first. I was the first.â€
In addition to the P. Diddy story, the June issue features an in-depth reported piece on the untimely death of rap legend Guru of Gang Starr. Speaking with family members, friends, his former group mate DJ Premier and close friend/business partner Solar, XXL tries to make sense of the beloved lyricist’s final days, while also exploring the mystery behind his last days.
The magazine also pays homage to the 20th anniversary to the making of Ice Cube’s classic solo debut, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted and gives a detailed guide to hip-hop’s plethora of reality shows.
XXL’s June issue will be in stores nationwide on June 1, 2010.
My homie Curren$y was in New York doing some recording, so I caught up with him to talk favorite rappers, the XXL cover, new Mixtape and much more. Expect to see plenty more features on Curren$y on my blog, he is added to the list of rappers to look out for in 09!
