Before algorithms decided who mattered and before viral moments replaced earned reputations, hip-hop was built face to face. Passed hand to hand. Learned in bedrooms, back seats, garages, and neighborhood studios. It…
MUSIC
Pooh Shiesty invites XXL to go behind the scenes of his new music video for “FDO,” produced by TP808s. The music video for the Memphis rapper’s first track after his release from…
After what felt like a lifetime — six long years since the last festival — Rolling Loud is finally returning to Australia in March 2026, and this time it’s bigger, bolder and…
Before hip-hop had rules, the Bay Area was already breaking them. Long before algorithms, A&Rs, and streaming metrics told artists how to move, Northern California was building something looser, louder, stranger, and…
By Eric Budianto Thornton Two weeks ago, on a rather cold November night in Atwater Village, Framework closed out their 2025 outdoor season in spectacular fashion. The occasion? Bosnian-German house music legend…
In Pooh Shiesty’s most honest interview yet since being released from prison, he sits down with XXL in Dallas for a raw, unfiltered conversation about the journey that changed him forever. The…
New Zealand-born producer based in Warsaw drops debut album asteria VOL. 1, blending chaos and control with collaborations from Hatsune Miku to Odetari By Eric B. Thornton At just 19 years…
Xzibit, B-Real & Demrick release their 2nd single ‘Call The Cops’ off their new Serial Killers album that will be dropping 2026.
From Hip-Hop’s Bible to a Brand Lost in the Algorithm There was a time when XXL mattered more than your Spotify algorithm. Before rap blogs, before TikTok A&Rs, before everyone had a…
Interview by: William Stolk There aren’t many artists who can move between worlds with the ease of Dillon Cooper. Brooklyn-raised, action-sports-bred, and musically rooted in everything from boom-bap to jazz guitar, Cooper…