“RINGS ON like a basketball player
Freshman of the year like a basketball player
What it do cuz man I’m here to stay
Aw man cuz man we in ya face..
……..Aye!” Read the rest of this entry »

Based on last week’s five video freestyles courtesy of XXL Magazine’s Freshmen 2010, pick the proper order which best showcases the artists’ talent level from the following six answers. Read the rest of this entry »

Professors have to walk a fine line when it comes to giving praise to their students. Not enough positive reinforcement and the student becomes resentful, frustrated that the work is not being recognized. Too much and the student can get cocky, feeling like they’ressomehow owed special treatment and no longer needs to prove themselves. So maybe it was a bad idea to bestow so much worship on the 2009 freshman class. As soon as their images graced the cover of XXL, they were each anointed saviors to the rap game in his own way. For the most part, the music has been stellar. But overall, the attitudes; the “respect-me-or-else” mentality has been the Achilles’ heel to most of the rookie camp. Read the rest of this entry »

A little behind-the-scenes T&A with Rosa & Tammy for XXL magazine as they’re honored for Eye Candy of the Year 2009. The issue is currently on newstands and features the top 100 Hip-Hop web sites which TSS is proudly a part of. Snag that for your john sessions. Read the rest of this entry »

Malice & Pusha sat down with XXL to discuss the advantageous situation of having first dibs on beatwork by Grade-A producers The Neptunes. It’s no different than having Michael Jordan for a dad or a chef for a spouse. Some of life’s little luxuries are yours for the taking and may even have you taking them for granted. Read the rest of this entry »

It looks like YN’s angry, less relevant doppelganger is at it again. I honestly thought he was dead, but apparently not. And thank goodness, because I was feeling so hopeful about the state of Black people after Chris Brown’s bowtie took over last night that I really needed something to bring me down.

Thanks, Benzie.

I don’t even know where to start with this as Benzino has so many morsels of ignorance that make me giddy with self-hatred. Read the rest of this entry »

The XXL Class of 2009 is a little bit past the six month mark of its Freshman year. These 10 MCs may go down as one of the most important crop of newcomers to hit the scene in a while as the industry is watching closely to see which of the 10 different approaches to starting a career can set the blueprint for success in the struggling music business.

Professor D. is here to dole out midterm grades for each MC to see how he has taken advantage of the magazine cover and positioned himself as the big man on campus.

Top of the Class

B.o.B./Bobby Ray

There’s a lot of good to go around here. It seemed as though T.I. was handing the Grand Hustle baton over to Mr. Ray at every stop on his way to the slammer. Eminem has also been singing Ray’s praises every chance he gets. Add in a feature segment on The Carson Daly show as well as “I’ll Be In The Sky” getting play during MTV shows and we have someone fit to be a big deal for the rest of the year. If only we could get a release date on that album…

Grade: A-

KiD CuDi

“Day N’ Nite” is a bona-fide hit, people. CuDi has seemingly leapfrogged the whole G.O.O.D. roster to become Yeezy’s favorite new artist. He has an endless array of hit capabilities and The Kid is also slowly making Read the rest of this entry »

Remember playing Street Fighter as a kid and figuring out the combination that would always beat your friends? For me it was the Zangief high-kick/low kick combo. My friends would get pissed using the age-old argument: “You’re just doing the same cheap move over and over again. I could win if I did that, but I choose not too.”

When I picked up the May issue of XXL, I heard the same argument from a group of New York MCs. The article was called “How Ya Like Them Apples?” and it profiles the disappointing careers of Joell Ortiz, Papoose, Tru Life, Uncle Murda and Saigon. A couple of quotes stuck out to me. Read the rest of this entry »

Pic snagged from NewMediaBX

Often, you’ll see me refer to tabi as “the other DMV representative,” only because I became aware of him & Wale @ around the same time. While Wale’s received a gracious hug from fans & media outlets, tabi’s reception has been slow. That may be starting to change Read the rest of this entry »

50 is usually one of those dudes, whether you like or hate him, you can’t deny that he usually speaks with calculated intelligence. The only rapper I enjoy hearing interviewed more is T.I., and that’s more for the way “he sounds so articulate,” in an almost amusing sort of way. With Before I Self-Destruct already struggling to gain any steam before it even releases, Curtis has taken to analysis & color commentary on the state of the rap game & other artists.

In an upcoming XXL interview, Curtis gives his .02 on the state of Nas’ career, comparing his career to a “block of ice.” Read the rest of this entry »

Normally when you’re doing any type of dirt the last thing you want to do is leave a paper trail behind you, it does nothing but make it easier for you to get caught. In light of his fed case, T.I. has decided that leaving a Paper Trail might not be such a bad idea. While reading an article on xxlmag.com, T.I. had this to say: Read the rest of this entry »

Crooked I – Hero Freestyle

Props to Shake

I’d like to give a belated congrats to Dawton Thomas for taking of the EIC duties over at XXL. Here’s hoping that this tenure goes a little longer than your first one there. I’ve been a supporter of the magazine since its inception and hoping that you’ll keep things moving smoothly. My only suggestion would be to go back to the early issues & take a look at what XXL started out as. Read the rest of this entry »