Ongoing. Congrats to the winning 9 who made this year’s list: Lil Pump, Ski Mask The Slump God, SmokePurpp, Wifisfuneral, Stefflon Don, Blocboy JB, YBN Nahmir, J.I.D and Trippie Redd. Crazy of many of these artists are currently being affected by XXXTentacion’s death.
SMOKEPURPP
J.I.D
Ski Mask The Slump God
Shy Glizzy, Fetty Wap & DeJ Loaf close out the XXL Freshman Roundtable.
OG Maco, Vince Staples and (one of the two DC area artists) GoldLink are the next group to take part in the XXL Freshman Roundtable.
The first part of XXL’s Freshman Class roundtable discussion features Raury, Tink, K Camp & Kidd Kidd.
Part 3 of the XXL 2015 Freshman cypher.
The XXL Freshman cypher continues. Vince Staples bodied this one.
Check out GoldLink’s Freshman freestyle and his profile below.
We haven’t been keeping up with G-Unit’s documentary series with XXL, but the final installment shows all members speaking on the reunion, which is dope to check out.
Spotted on MTV:
For 17 years, XXL Magazine has been a staple within the hip-hop community, and though it was reported that the brand would put it’s print edition to bed, MTV News has learned that isn’t the case at all.
“We are going to continue doing magazines,” XXL’s editor-in-chief Vanessa Satten told MTV News in an exclusive interview on Tuesday (October 14).
Satten confirmed with us that XXL will put out another issue before the end of the calender year. Their current October/November issue features 50 Cent’s G-Unit crew on the cover and was reportedly set to be the brand’s last, according to the New York Post.
The initial reports came in September after Harris Publications sold XXL to Townsquare Media, a digital-based giant which raised about $100 million in an initial public offering earlier this year thanks to it’s 331 radio stations and music-based websites. Satten says news of XXL‘s move to a digital-only format came prematurely and after a very swift sale.
It was a whirlwind of a time for the brand’s staff.
“It was a shift early on, everything happened suddenly,” she explained. “We found out [about the sale] on a Monday, we’re packing on a Tuesday and we’re in the new office by Wednesday morning. We were surprised by the whole thing.”
Before the sale, XXL was on a bi-monthly publishing schedule, but starting in 2015 the mag will come out four times a year, a Townsquare rep tells us. Satten also assured fans that the brand’s annual freshman issue isn’t going anywhere.
“We’ll do another issue this year, several issues next year, I’m not exactly sure what the number is, we’ll figure it out but [they’ll] definitely [be] magazines next year,” she said of the new and developing plan with Townsquare. “There’ll definitely be Freshmen and we’re going on with a new company.”
Last night, at the after-party for the screening of the new Starz series Power, executive produced by 50 Cent. G-Unit gives XXL their first interview after their reunion at Summer Jam on Sunday. Yesterday the group released their first offering since the reunion. Read the except below from the XXL interview with G-Unit .
“[Right now we’re working on] the new album and also the new G-Unit project we’ve been working on,” producer Nascent told XXL at an after-party for the screening of 50 Cent’s new Starz series last night. “We have a good relationship with them over there. We always send them new music, but that right now is a thing we’re focused on.” Nascent is one-half of the duo Nascent & QB, who produced on 50 Cent’s new album, Animal Ambition.
While their answers were a little more ambiguous, 50, Banks, Yayo and Buck all appeared to hint at a new G-Unit project, too. Check out what they had to say below.
Young Buck: “We got no dates, we working. [We] in the studio. Stay tuned.”
Lloyd Banks: “Work in progress. We just put out the new freestyle today. Check it out.”
Tony Yayo: “We just sat at the table, and it happened — that’s it. It feels good. We’re brothers. There’s nothing we can’t work out. Brothers fight all the time. We just dropped a new record [yesterday]. We working. We just taking it one day at a time.”
50 Cent: “Being able to bring everybody out to actual shows is not difficult for me. I can do it. I have a compass, a moral compass that comes from my corner on 134th Street. We supposed to behave and respond to each other a certain way. We supposed to hustle to eat. We supposed to get what we supposed to get, not have things handed to us because nobody never gave me nothing. It may be my fault for enabling them at points. I expected them to continue to get what they want immediately. And then now having everybody back in the circle, the morale is great. They all ready to work. They been on ice long enough. So now you should expect [something]. You already got something new today. It didn’t take but a few hours after the show. Meltdown, it’s on now. It don’t take as much out of me as it takes for me to create a solo song than to create and participate in a G-Unit record. We have so many moving parts on it and everybody got to show up.”
Durk finishes of the 2014 Freshman List Freestyles with a bang. No pun intended.
XXL has officially revealed their June 2014 cover, featuring this year’s 12-man freshman list:
Chance The Rapper
Rich Homie Quan
Isaiah Rashad
Ty Dolla $ign
Lil Durk
Kevin Gates
Troy Ave
Vic Mensa
Lil Bibby
Jon Connor
Jarred Benton
August Alsina
While I personally don’t give a shit about this list, I do wonder why they left off artists like Fat Trel and Young Thug….maybe those payola rumors are true.
...this Monday on BET's 106 & Park (as revealed by DJ Drama in the above clip).
XXL recently posted a write-up interview (Joey Bada$$ Wants To Channel The Energy Of Nas, Jay-Z And Big L On New Album) where they spoke to the Brooklyn emcee about recording his upcoming album B4.DA.$$ (Before The Money). Soon after, BADA$$ took to Twitter to express their distaste for the header, claiming that he doesn’t want to channel anybody’s energy.
You can see those tweets above; XXL has since changed the title.
The 2013 XXL Freshman speak on being a part of this year’s cover, influences, fans and more. Call me crazy, but everyone’s expressions in the room scream ‘I don’t really give a shit what you’re saying’.
We look at XXL 2013 Freshman Class, which includes ScHoolboy Q, Trinidad Jame$, Joey Bada$$, Ab-Soul, Logic, Action Bronson, Kirko Bangz, Travi$ Scott, Angel Haze, Dizzy Wright and Chief Keef, to see if it matches up with our list of hottest MCs.
XXL Magazine and Monster Energy Presents The 2013 XXL Freshman Class featuring rappers Logic, Dizzy Wright, Action Bronson, Schoolboy Q, Travis Scott, Trinidad James, Ab-Soul, Joey Bada$$, Kirko Bangz and Angel Haze. Go behind the scenes and get a sneak peak of the rap cyphers, freestyles, roundtable interview and magazine cover shoot. Stay tuned for an announcement of the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour Presents: XXL Freshmen Live 2013, coming to a city near you.