Author: info@rapgriot.com

Queens, New York duo Onyx consisting of Sticky Fingaz & Fredro Starr dropping their 14th studio LP. Their debut Bacdafucup followed by All We Got Iz Us & Shut ‘Em Down under Def Jam Recordings are rightfully considered by many to be East Coast classics, releasing 2 mediocre albums in the early 2000s returning in 2014 with the Snowgoons produced #WAKEDAFUCUP. The sequel Snowmads was great & I also enjoyed Onyx vs. Everybody more than others, coming off the subpar reception of World Takeover as well as Blood on da X & Lower Eastside to the remind everyone It All Started in Brooklyn. After the “Go Brooklyn” intro, “Get Live” featuring Ayoo Bigz produced by Fredro Starr finds the trio over a clunky boom…

Say What’s RealSwae Lee gets candid about some of music’s hottest topics, from AI’s impact on creativity to Drake’s recent three-album drop.Words: 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.If hip-hop had a Hookman of the Year award, Swae Lee would have at least a few trophies.Since emerging with Rae Sremmurd 12 years ago, the 33-year-old Tupelo, Miss. native has often been at the center of the rap zeitgeist’s most indelible hits.Beginning with Rae Sremmurd’s “No Flex Zone” in 2014, he’s used his wispy tenor…

San Francisco, California emcee Ramirez ending the month with his 13th extended play. Emerging as a longtime affiliate of the $uicideboy$, he would go on to co-found to the New Orleans-based indie label G*59 Record$ with them & build himself as an artist by dropping 8 mixtapes along with his last dozen EPs & 5 full-lengths. Tha Playa$ Manual was his best LP yet with it’s g-funk production from Rocci, coming off the sequel under his newly formed EMPIRE Distribution imprint Velvet Note Records nearly 13 months earlier following his amicable G*59 departure to drop Brabus & Lorinsers. “Gran Turismo” begins with this smooth west coast intro rapping about the…

Here we have the latest & 20th extended play from Hackensack, New Jersey lyricist Crimeapple. Becoming a fan of his almost a decade ago with his 4th EP Sweet Dreams along with the Big Ghost Ltd. produced full-length debut Aguardiente that next spring, his profile in the underground grew exponentially from there. Discography standouts include the DJ Skizz-produced Wet Dirt, the DJ Muggs-produced Medallo, Cartagena, Breakfast in Hradec, Sin Cortar, the Preservation-produced El León, the official Aguardiente sequel Bazuko, the Mello Music Group-backed This, Is Not Thatproduced by Apollo Brown, Rose Gold & the V Don produced Bulletproof Chicken. Last time I covered him was when Evidence produced War Cash several months earlier & Top 85 Dead or Alive dropping out of nowhere had me anticipating it making up…

Oakland, California emcee, songwriter, producer & record executive Too $hort bridging the Sir Too $hort trilogy with his 22nd LP. Someone who’s been around for 4 decades with Born to Mack, Life is…Too $hort, $hort Dog’s in the House, Get In Where You Fit In & Gettin’ It (Album #10) all stick out in his extensive catalog. Sir Too $hort: Freaky Tales last spring under his own label Dangerous Music in tandem with EMPIRE Distribution was an improvement above his EMPIRE debut The Pimp Tape in 2018, looking to simply Drink & Smoke this summer reuniting with Lil Jon to have the crunk originator produce the whole thing. “Better Pimp” pretty much sets the tone for what’s to come flowing…

Queens, New York duo Onyx consisting of Sticky Fingaz & Fredro Starr dropping their 14th studio LP. Their debut Bacdafucup followed by All We Got Iz Us & Shut ‘Em Down under Def Jam Recordings are rightfully considered by many to be East Coast classics, releasing 2 mediocre albums in the early 2000s returning in 2014 with the Snowgoons produced #WAKEDAFUCUP. The sequel Snowmads was great & I also enjoyed Onyx vs. Everybody more than others, coming off the subpar reception ofWorld Takeover as well as Blood on da X & Lower Eastside to the remind everyone It All Started in Brooklyn. After the “Go Brooklyn” intro, “Get Live” featuring Ayoo Bigz produced by Fredro Starr finds the trio over a clunky boom bap…

Kurupt is a 53 year old MC, songwriter, actor & occasional producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who relocated to Hawthorne, California to comprise 1/2 of Tha Dogg Pound with Daz Dillinger. He eventually made his double solo debut Kuruption!under A&M Records almost 3 decades earlier, following it up with a widely praised sophomore effort Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha& Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey until dropping Against tha Grain through Death Row Records in tandem with MNRK Music Group to mixed reception. Same Day, Different Shit produced by Daz & his previous full-length Streetlights each left audiences further divided even if the latter helped launch Young Gotti’s own imprint Penagon Records, remaining on Tha Row now distributed by gamma. following Daz’s departure to…

Oh, you thought we were done? The XXL cameras kept rolling after the initial filming of the 2026 Freshman Cypher featuring Chris Patrick, La Reezy, Sosocamo, Slayr, Miles Minnick and Hurricane Wisdom, and the result ended in bonus rough footage, powered by Puma, with all six rappers having fun and freestyling off the top.Over producer Jay Trench’s charging beat, the Freshmen flexed their lyrical skills and had a few laughs in the process.Sosocamo started it off with a “Whoa!” which prompted Slyr to spit a few verses. “Tryin’ to beat me might as well hit the rollie/I’m runnin’ so fast/Runnin’ so fast that I’m tired/Runnin’ so fast that I’m…

A month ahead of Lil Durk’s murder-for-hire trial, prosecutors have filed multiple motions, including a request to play a music video from Durk to prove he would slide for King Von.On Monday (July 27), both prosecutors and defense attorneys submitted a list of motions leading up to Lil Durk’s upcoming murder-for-hire trial. Among the feds’ motions, include a request to play Durkio’s “Pissed Me Off” music video to the jury and introduce the song into evidence.The Chicago rapper’s 2021 tune is featured on his 7220 album, which came out a year after his friend and fellow OTF (Only the Family)…

Soulja Boy is coming for Kai Cenat once again, this time challenging the streamer to get in the ring with him to duke it out over what has mainly been a one-sided beef.On Thursday (July 30), less than 48 hours after his own birthday, SB hopped on X to call Kai a “b**ch” and a clone, among other choice words.”You a b**ch @KaiCenat,” Soulja began. “You a clone @KaiCenat they swapped u out with Diddy.”When a follower told him to “relax,” SB replied, “Stay out this shit f**k n**ga.”He continued: “I challenge yo short pu**y a*s to a boxing match…