Author: info@rapgriot.com
New York emcee & Jamla Records signee The Musalini running it back with 9th Wonder for his 14th studio LP. Taking the underground by storm since 2018 after dropping his debut mixtape Musalini Season, he went on to release 3 full-lengths & another tape before signing to TCF Music Group. Since then, he’s made himself home by dropping a few EPs & Return of the Oro in the early part of this decade. In God We Trust produced by 38 Spesh, The Don & Eye alongside its sequel fully produced by 9th Wonder & Pure Izm produced by Khrysis have all quickly become his best material over the past 4 years. Mackaroni produced by Cookin’ Soul and Live & Let Fly produced by DJ…
United Kingdom hip hop duo the B-Movie Millionaires consisting of Manchester, England emcee Black Josh alongside Runcorn, Cheshire emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott are back to drop a sophomore effort. Known for being members of the Cult of the Damned collective, these guys would make their eponymous debut in 2015 with an extended play & had Sam Zircon fully produce their 2018 full-length debut Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space. Damn near a decade later, It Made Sense at the Time has come months succeeding its original announcement. “ICL” produced by King Kashmere has somewhat of a lo-fi boom bap vibe instrumentally opens up with them talking about…
Mt. Clemens, Michigan rapper Blaze Ya Dead Homie awakening from a 6 year slumber for his 8th studio LP. Originally 1/2 of the 2 Krazy Devils, the Insane Clown Posse eventually signed him to Psychopathic Records & his eponymous debut EP as well as his full-length debut 1 Less G n da Hood would become some of the hatchet’s most beloved material at the turn of the millennium. Colton Grundy: Tha Undying introduced us to his alter-ego & Clockwork Gray received the same praise as his earlier material, departing Psychopathic after the Mike E. Clark-produced Gang Rags to make the sequel Reborn the inaugural release for his childhood friends Twiztid’s label Majik Ninja Entertainment in tandem with his…
Sean “Diddy” Combs is countersuing Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, claiming the producer stole his footage for 50 Cent’s Netflix documentary.According to court documents obtained by XXL on Thursday (Aug. 13), the Bad Boy Records founder filed a counterclaim on Tuesday (Aug. 11) against Jones, who is suing him for sexual assault, harassment and unpaid work. In the filings, the rap mogul’s attorneys accused Jones of “shamelessly abusing his position of trust to gain unauthorized access to video footage belonging to Diddy to violate federal and state laws and…to spread baseless lies about Mr. Combs in pursuit of an undeserved payout.”Diddy’s…
Tunnel VisionGenre-blending artist Odeal breaks down the hip-hop influences that helped shape his sound.Interview: Peter A. BerryEditor’s Note: This story appears in the Summer 2026 issue of XXL Magazine, on newsstands now and available for sale on the XXL website.Odeal’s music reflects his life journey. Born in Germany and raised between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, the singer-songwriter and producer draws inspiration from sounds spanning the Black music diaspora, from Afrobeats to R&B. Since posting covers on YouTube nearly a decade ago, the 26-year-old has built a following and a respected catalog with projects like OVMBR: Maybe I’m Best Alone, Sunday At…
So Be ItFollowing a quarter-century-long reign, T.I. has released his final album, Kill the King, but that doesn’t mean he’ll stop giving fans more reasons to watch the throne.Interview: C. Vernon Coleman IIEditor’s Note: This story appears in the Summer 2026 issue of XXL Magazine, on newsstands now and available for sale on the XXL website.T.I. has murder on his mind. After 25 years as hip-hop’s self-anointed crown-holder for the South, the trap music trailblazer insists he’s done dropping albums after releasing his swan-song 12th LP, Kill the King, this past June, and metaphorically assassinating the ego that he built his career…
Megan Thee Stallion had a candid sit-down with former First Lady Michelle Obama this week, where she opened up about her new album, limiting social media for mental health, looking to Queen Latifah as a career blueprint and more. On Wednesday (Aug. 12), the Houston Hottie appeared on Michelle and her brother Craig Robinson’s IMO podcast and talked for over an hour about her life and what’s to come. As far as her new music, Meg will be reviving her Tina Snow alter ego for her new album, which she’s tentatively calling Act III until she comes up with the…
Doja Cat calls Tyga a penis for releasing an album made with AI.On Thursday (Aug. 13), video of Doja on livestream surfaced in which she randomly comments on the new Tyga alter-ego album, $tarface.”Nobody asked me anything about Tyga, but I just felt like saying this,” Doja said. “Tyga is a penis for making an AI album.”Tyga released the concept album $tarface on July 31. The LP is inspired and 1980s pop and R&B. Last week, the California rhymer confirmed he used AI to make the album.“I’ve never spoken on this with anybody because I always felt like it’s similar…
Vic Mensa brings his Orange Tree convos to his new podcast, The Vic Mensa Show.Coming off the success of his Webby Award-winning Orange Tree Series on Instagram, the Chicago rapper is getting into the podcast lane with a new 24-episode series that premieres Aug. 26, in partnership with Mass Appeal, Blank Square Productions and Pickup Media.The inaugural episode will feature fellow Chicago MC Chance The Rapper. Other guests will include Rapsody, Durand Bernarr, Lena Waithe, Aja Monet, Van Lathan Jr and more. New episodes will be released every Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify Video, Apple Video, and wherever podcasts are available.“The Orange…
YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s mom goes off on her son after he said that he will never speak to her again.During his interview on the Open Thoughts podcast with Funny Marco, NBA YoungBoy spoke candidly about his estranged relationship with his mother, which he said fueled much of his past anger, and that he now loves her from afar despite not planning to speak to her again.YB’s mom, Sherhonda, caught wind of her son’s comment and addressed it on her Instagram account. In a video that was posted on Tuesday (Aug. 11), Sherhonda warned her son to stop playing with…