The influential editor played a key role in shaping hip-hop journalism and elevating the genre's cultural standing.

It’s insane to consider it’s been six years since XXL dropped the 2019 Freshman Class. At the time, the list was greeted with endless backlash — some thought it was the start of something new, some ...

new video loaded: The Best Songs of 2025, Part 1 transcript – These are my 10 favorite songs of 2025. No. 10: “Sports car” by Tate McRae. “I think you know what this is.” – This song slithers. It ...

Pooh Shiesty isn't fumbling his second chance. For 1,580 days, the 26-year-old Memphis rapper sat in prison, never really knowing if he'd be a free man again. He went in at 22 years old, the same ...

Hit rapper Toosii’s concert in Upstate New York was canceled hours before he announced a major career change. MVP Arena in Albany announced Monday morning that the “Just a Little Music Festival: ...

This year, the energetic young Pennsylvania rapper/producer Eem Triplin released his debut album Melody Of A Memory and his Come Undone EP, became a XXL Freshman, and did a Stereogum interview. That's ...

There was something enchanting about “XXL Freshman Freestyle,” part of the viral rap phenom Ian’s appearance on this year’s annual XXL Freshmen List, which he’d later release on streaming under the ...

Samara Cyn's one of the hottest young rappers and a part of XXL's magazine's 2025 Freshman class, and she's already setting her career goal cap -- to the very end!!! Huge Brazilian raid on Rio gang ...

Canadian rapper Drake is once again facing online backlash, this time after viral photos showed him socializing with 20-year-old rapper Ian, sparking renewed criticism over the 37-year-old's choice of ...

New Orleans rapper Rob49, so named because he grew up between NOLA’s Fourth and Ninth Wards, started rapping as a lark during the pandemic in 2020, quickly garnered co-signs from all over the industry ...

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa’s “Swamp Princess” not only put on a stunning performance Sunday night, but she also took home the gold at the 67th Grammy Awards. Jaylah Hickmon, widely-known by her stage name ...

BossMan Dlow, the breakout artist of 2024 with over two billion streams and numerous accolades, has announced his spring 2025 tour. Produced by Live Nation, the 15-city tour launches on March 6 at The ...