In XXL tradition, the weeks following the release of the freshman class consist of individual freestyles from each freshman as well as a freshman cypher. Check out freestyles from Desiigner, Kodak Black and Anderson Paak.
Who took the crown between these three?
Fat Joe and Remy Ma's "All The Way Up" has gotten the remix treatment from a list of rappers. Despite becoming a New York anthem, Snoop Dogg, The Game and E-40 joined forces to give it little West coast feel. Listen to the West-side remix below.
About two years ago, there was speculation that Beyonce and Jay-Z's relationship wouldn't survive. The couple was at a breaking point for reasons that somehow remained out of the spotlight. However, there wasn't ever any word of an official separation and pictures of them together continued to surface the internet; and so the majority of the public assumed everything was back to normal between the two. That was, until Beyonce dropped Lemonade earlier this year, an album that seemed to revolve mainly around the couple's marital issues.
However, just like a picture can be interpreted 1,000 different ways, so can a song. When listening to "Love Drought," the seventh track off Lemonade, one could easily assume that Beyonce was directly referencing Jay-z. Truth be told...the song was actually written by Ingrid Burley and is about her resentment towards Beyonce's label. Burley recently teamed up with Genius to explain exactly how "Love Drought" came to be. Pretty interesting stuff. Watch below!
Source: Genius
Earlier this year New Jersey based reggeaton duo ConeXion dropped their single "Yo Quiero Saber." Today, they've released the official video which was directed by Will Laron Green of Foundation Digital Films.
In the comical video, Drew's girl catches him texting another girl and is quick to drop him and move on...to a nerdy guy (played by AR). Drew sneaks around, following his ex-girl and the nerd on a couple of dates while pleading to get her back. However, while Drew and the nerd are competing for her attention they soon find out that she was occupied with a completely different guy.
Make sure to follow them on Instagram @ConeXionOfficial to keep up with their new releases.
"Yo Quiero Saber" was recorded and mixed by Shy Boogs in the Gallery Room at So Amazin Studios. Thanks for the shout out at the end of the video guys!
Music By Conexion Performing Yo Quiero Saber | Prod By Dj Dark , Audio Oficial © Reggaeton Romantic 2016 | Music Video Directed/Dirigida by: http://www.foundation-digital.com Bookings: ConexionBookings@gmail.com | @GusRincon Redes: https://www.instagram.com/conexionoficial https://www.soundcloud.com/conexionoficial @ConexionOficial
Back in March, singer/songwriter PartyNextDoor uploaded a picture to his Instagram account that showed him and a girl holding hands while laying down in bed. It didn't take long for people to realize it was Kehlani who was cuddled up next to the signer, as the tattoos on her hand gave it away. The only problem with the picture was that it was taken and uploaded while Kehlani was dating Cleveland Cavalier's point guard Kyrie Irving. As expected, Kyrie and Kehlani officially cut ties soon after the story got out.
After the breakup and a suicide attempt that lead the California R&B singer to the hospital, Kehlani decided it'd be best to deactivate her Instagram and lay low. In April Kehlani reactivated her Instagram and has been slowly making a social media presence again.
Most recently, she turned to Instagram to congratulate her ex-boyfried Irving on the NBA championship win against the Golden State Warriors.
Harsh comments flooded under the picture, and Kehlani eventually deleted the post. We're not too sure whether the two have been trying to mend things on the low or if it was just a friendly post. I wonder if the two will be spending more time together now that the finals are over.
Logic is back with some new fire just a week after his release of "Flexecution." This time, the Maryland MC taps on G.O.O.D Music president and Def Jam label mate Pusha-T to assist him on "Wrist." The record is laced with king pin references, but not to worry, as logic admitted that it's mainly fictional.
"I wanted to create this fictional character. It's about this drug lord being the military raid his computer later in his life thinking about the mistakes he made," he told Zane Lowe of Beats 1 Radio, who premiered the song.
About a month ago, Nader released his lead single "Take It Back" from his upcoming EP, Crimes of Passion. Today, he's back with the release of the project's second single, "DYRLM," short for Do You Really Love me.
On the record, Nader looks back at the relationship between him and his significant other and questions if she even loves him anymore. He admits that she gave off some red flags during the beginning stages of their relationship that he chose to ignore in hopes of making it work. Now, the girl might be leaving him for someone else.
"You don't even love me, do ya?/ You never gave enough"
"DYRLM" was produced by common collaborator Shy Boogs and was mastered by Key-Low, both at So Amazin Studios. Click below to listen to the full track.
Miami based rapper Dramatic Thought has finally released his debut EP, Unmasked. The 10-track project was fully produced by Shy Boogs and includes features from Shy Boogs as well as Mar Ortiz. Lead by the single "Climb," UnMasked serves as the follow up to Dramatic Thought's first mixtape, The Preview, released back in 2011.
UnMasked was produced Shy Boogs and mastered by Key-Low in the Gallery Room and Cyber Suite, respectively, at So Amazin Studios. Head over to Spotify or Google Play to stream/download the entire project.
A video posted by Dramatic Thought (@dramaticthought) on
Earlier this week XXL revealed their freshman class, "The New Wave." The roaster is made up of Dave East, 21 Savage, G Herbo, Lil Dicky, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Desiigner, Anderson Paak, Kodak Black and Denzel Curry. The roaster has again created some controversy, as it's nearly impossible to satisfy everyone. Despite music taste being subjective, it was difficult to not notice that Post Malone didn't make the cut.
However, Posty's absence from the cover has nothing to do with his talent, rather a misunderstanding. XXL editor-in-chief Vanessa Satton joined The Breakfast Club where she discussed the 2016 freshman class and why Post Malone wasn't part of "The New Wave." According to Satton, Post Malone's camp mentioned that the "White Iverson" rapper was readjusting his musical focus, steering away from hip-hop and more toward country and rock.
When Post Malone got around to watching the interview, he apparently didn't agree with Satton and turned to Instagram to post an open letter denying her claims. The letter was addressed to Vanessa, XXL, Internet and etc.
"I have a hip-hop album coming out in August. I made a HIP HOP mixtape to promote my HIP HOP album," the Texas native said, referencing his recent mixtape August 26.
He went on to explain that the real reason he didn't make the XXL cut was because he was "too tired" to take the 6-hour flight to New York for the photoshoot.
Satton then replied with an open letter of her own, in which she reiterated her original claims and blames his camp for giving her any information that they wouldn't have wanted to be repeated.
"If you did not like that answer, you and your team should've told us something different because all I did was repeat what I was told"
When you live a lifestyle like that of Juicy J's and Travis Scott's you might find yourself partying until you "don't know no English" and then talking to models who also "don't know no English."
"No English" was produced by TM88 and Lex Luger, while Travis Scott took care of the hook and Juicy J went hard on the 2 verses. With Juicy J's Rubberband Business 3 mixtape dropping sometime this summer, could "No English" be the project's first unofficial single?
A while back TDE shared with us a list of their 2016 releases and a possible 2017 release. Today, ScHoolboy Q turned to Twitter to share with his 1.69 million followers his upcoming album title- Blank Face along with the release date- July 8th, as well as the art work, which takes inspiration from the Micheal Jordan meme.
Shit about to get nasty real soon... I told y'all I got y'all in 2016 #TDE
A photo posted by gwadpot (@dangerookipawaa) on
JULY 8tH pic.twitter.com/lLXDru8KfZ
— ScHoolboy Q (@ScHoolBoyQ) June 14, 2016
XXL has revealed their 2016 freshman. The group is labeled as "The New Wave" and consist of:
XXL knows they can't please everyone, as someone is bound to be upset over not seeing their favorite new artist on the cover. Editor-In-Chief Vanessa Satten knows this and said, "There's been some controversy going into. It's always about who you're going to pick, who you missed, who didn't get it, who fits in with who who's a rapper, who's a singer. But overall, I think it's a great reflection of 2016 hip-hop."
Did your favorite new artist make the cut?
What was supposed to be just a fun night out at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL turned into a complete nightmare for the attendees and their families when shots were fired inside. The shooting killed 50 people and injured another 53- making it the largest mass shooting in the United States.
Many celebrities turned to Twitter to express their heartbreak and send love and prayers to all the victims. Some stars, like singer Adam Lambert called for gun control.
I'm truly at a loss for words. To everyone in Orlando affected by this massacre, my thoughts, love, & prayers are with u ❤️💛💚💙💜
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 12, 2016
Praying for the families of those murdered in Orlando .
— Ty Dolla $ign (@tydollasign) June 12, 2016
How how how how can one have so much hate ????? My heart...... is so broken. Praying for the families of the Orlando victims. I am so sorry.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) June 12, 2016
Horrified by the mass shooting in Orlando. When will we do something to prevent these killing sprees?
— John Legend (@johnlegend) June 12, 2016
— ADAM LAMBERT (@adamlambert) June 12, 2016
Sobbing.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) June 12, 2016
Stand strong w/ ur pride, it belongs to u. Love is opposite of hate. My sincerest mourning 4 LGBTQ's suffering 2day pic.twitter.com/0n3A143GEg
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) June 12, 2016
Adele, who was performing in Antwerp, Belgium last night, used the stage as her main platform to send love and support to the LGBTQ community. The "Hello" singer got on stage and dedicated the concert to the entire Orlando community, especially the victims.
"I would like to start tonight by dedicating the entire show to everyone in Orlando and Pulse nightclub," she began. "The LGBTQ community are like my soulmates since I was really young, so I'm very moved by it."
If you ever need to know the time, Chief Keef might not be the most reliable source. According to his watch it's time to get guap, f*ck a stock, get in his car and head over to the bank. The track is one of many collabs from the Chief Keef and producer Sonny Digital.
Thanks to Fake Shore Drive for premiering the track!
Azealia Banks is known for speaking her mind, regardless of how rude and overall tasteless her opinions might be. From homophobic to racist comments, Banks' words are constantly backfiring on her. Most recently, the 25-year-old singer went back and forth with 14-year-old Disney star Skai Jackson via Twitter...and took a major loss. I mean, any 25-year-old that argues with someone 11 years younger than them via social media is very deserving of an L. However, Banks didn't stop there. Her next target was former One Direction member Zayn Malik. She went on a total rant, calling Malik a "hairy curry scented bitch." Banks' nasty remarks have cost her several show apperences-including a headliner- and being dropped from her booking agency.
Many outrageous remarks later, the controversial rapper has finally realized her words have been rather offensive. She turned to Facebook- mainly because her Twitter is still suspended- to issue an apology for using racist and homophobic slurs.
Do you think anyone would really risk much to work with her after all the bad press she's received ?
Lil Durk and Dej Loaf are finally back with another collab. The hiphop couple have joined musical forces only once before for "My Beyonce" which Now, they've come together for "True Or False."
It's been just about a week since Muhammad Ali passed away. Ali was the greatest inside the ring, but as a man who paved the way for so many African-Americans males his boxing skills make up only part of his legacy. Social media especially has been flooded with Muhammed Ali tributes. Now, the Because of Them We Can campaign, whose mission statement is "To educate and connect a new generation to heroes who have paved the way," is the latest to pay homage to the great Ali. The video features young black males in boxing gloves quoting some of Ali's most famous lines.
Source: VIBE
Who is Desiigner? With his quick rise to platinum status, Desiigner hasn't given us much time or insight to figure out who he really is. However, he recently linked up with Rob Markman from Genius for his most releasing interview yet. The 19-year old opened about coming from nothing, being signed to G.O.O.D Music, his work ethic, and not having a "New York" sound. As the two walked around Brooklyn, Desiigner also admitted that being shot at the young age of 14 was a rude awakening but ultimately made him focus more on his music.
Watch the full interview below.
This is the best interview I've ever done shout to @genius @robmarkman https://t.co/VHPM0giQsc
— Desiigner (@LifeOfDesiigner) June 9, 2016
Despite his legal issues and currently being incarcerated, Kodak Black stayed true to his word and released his third mixtape, Lil B.I.G Pac, earlier today. The followup to Institution includes 13 tracks and features from Gucci Mane, PnB Rock and Boosie. Although I'm still not to sure how I feel about the title, this tape is definitely bound to get plenty of street play.
Which featured artist should Kodak continue collaborating with? Click below to stream the entire project.
Gucci Mane, who was released from prison just two week ago, has been quite busy lending out verses to some of the biggest rappers, including Drake and Kanye. The latest Gucci verse comes from a collab with Kodak Black, "Vibin In This Bih." The collab serves as the first single from Kodak's mixtape, Lil B.I.G Pac, which is set to drop tomorrow.
The Brick Squad CEO and the South Florida native delivery a high energy track while flexing. I'm hoping this is only the beginning of their collabs. However, with Kodak currently incarcerated for charges stemming from robbery, false imprisonment, driving without a license and possession of marijuana, we might not get another collab for a while. Despite being behind bars, Kodak is still planning to release Lil B.I.G Pac tomorrow.
Source: Complex