Good music and a good drink often go hand in hand, but do we ever really stop to appreciate the pairing? We do now, because 2025 has been a banner year for rap music, but it’s also quietly been an ...

When it comes to power and shaping the culture, the divide in hip-hop media has never been more chaotic. On one side, there’s the old guard: podcasters, radio DJs, and resident uncs who interview vets ...

A recent tiff between underground rap promo pages has sparked an impassioned online debate about the definition of “gimmick rappers” over the past week. Most of it is boring and wrapped up in ...

The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from Lola Brooke, Lil Baby, and Quavo. While it’s not the busiest week, there’s plenty to get into for fans of pretty much every kind ...

Hip-hop didn’t just go viral on TikTok. It rewrote how songs blow up. Short hooks, simple dances, and fan participation now ...

Hip-hop has been super volatile over the last couple of years. Given all the questions swirling around the genre during its 50th decade—who are the new stars? Where are the hit records? Is hip-hop on ...

What's going on with rap? After celebrating 50 years of legacy in 2023 with marquee moments like the Hip Hop 50 multi-headliner concert at Yankee Stadium, plus Kendrick Lamar's historic run – capped ...

I was made aware of the new 21 Savage album two weekends ago when a midsize Toyota pulled up to a Christmas tree lot pumping “Where You From,” the opening track on “What Happened to the Streets?,” now ...

Week in and week out, there are plenty of brand-new rap songs, no matter the time of year. It can be really difficult to stay aware of what’s out and also what’s hot, so XXL decided to make things ...