Stream/DL The 2014 XXL Freshmen Mixtape

After dropping multiple 2014 XXL Freshmen Freestyles, cyphers and roundtable discussions, XXL releases the 2014 Freshmen Mixtape. The mixtape features appearances from 2 Chainz, Lloyd Banks and Fabolous including production by The Olympicks, DJ Montay and Big Korey. The mixtape includes 21 tracks from Lil Durk's 'Voices in My Head' to August Alsina's 'Right Now.' You can stream and download the 2014 XXL Freshmen Mixtape below.

News: JLo Covers Billboard Magazine

Jennifer Lopez has a new album, A.K.A, due out next week so it's only right she covers Billboard Magazine this week. And might wee say 44 never looked so good! Salute to the newly single JLo, take a look at some of her sexy cover shoot photos below. Her album A.K.A. drops June 17th and you can pre-order your copy on Amazon here or via iTunes here.

News: Michael Jordan is now a billionaire

Michael Jordan is now a billionaire. In February, my colleague and the Dean of athlete earnings, Kurt Badenhausen, pegged Jordan’s annual earnings at $90 million and his net worth at $750 million. But I have learned from sources familiar with the Charlotte Hornets that the former NBA great has increased his stake in his basketball team to 89.5% from 80% during the past several months. Jordan first became an investor in the Hornets (then the Bobcats) in 2006 and became the controlling owner in 2010 when he bought out Robert Johnson for $175 million. In January we valued the Hornets at $410 million. But the Milwaukee Bucks sold for $550 million in May, and they are considered the least valuable team in the league because of their market and arena. Sports bankers say the Hornets care presently worth between $600 million and $625 million. Our net worth figure for Jordan uses the $600 million figure. The Hornets have $135 million of debt, which makes Jordan’s equity in the team worth $416 million. After subtracting all the cash Jordan has invested in the team, we estimate his net worth outside of the Hornets to be $600 million, giving him a net worth of a $1 billion. Welcome to the billionaires club, Mr. Jordan. As Reported By Forbez Mag.

SHORT FILM - RIHANNA - ELLE MAGAZINE

Rihanna's short film for her elle magazine, may 2012

SPIN CREATES THEIR RENDITION OF THE HIP HOP INDUSTRY

SPIN Magazine makes an attempt to break down the Hip Hop Music Industry as they see it. We don't know about you, but we disagree in the following ways:

1. Rick Ross should be removed from Desperate Benefactors and moved to The Increasingly Rare Superstars.

2. The Rare New Stars category is filled with Artists that are not even New! smh @ SPIN.

3. The Older Dudes who weasle their way onto the Radio category is negatively titled and should be changed to Rappers who are Still Doing Their Thing! (These guys are all still very much relavent in the game)

4. Besides Yelawolf, Next Big Things Category is all wrong!

There are a bunch of additional mistakes in our opinion but it is what it is. To see the complete Industry and Underground Diagrams visit SPIN. What are your thoughts?

J. COLE COVERS RESPECT MAGAZINE

J. Cole is featured on the Cover of Respect Magazine which hits stands November 29th.

LIL WAYNE'S INTERVIEW WITH GQ MAGAZINE PLUS BTS PHOTOSHOOT

A couple days ago we told you Lil Wayne covers GQ Magazine November issue and we have his interview and behind the scenes cover shoot for the Survivors segment.

On Retirement:

"Basically, I have been doing this for eighteen years. That's reason number one. I have accomplished all that I have set out to accomplish and more. Also, I have a label, and I've only put out two artists [Drake and Nicki Minaj]. I have a lot more work to do, and it'd be selfish to not focus on being the boss and focus on their projects. But the main reason is my kids, my children. Now, if I thought I'd be selfish to my artists, imagine what I think I would be doing to my kids."

On his drug use:

"I'm good. I ain't tripping. I'm used to it now. But I was never on heroin or cocaine or Ecstasy or nothing like that. I drank syrup and smoked a lotta weed. I wish I could be back on it. That's how it fucking feels. [cracking himself up] "How does it feel to be sober?" I'll be like, "It feels fucked-up." What you want me to say? "It feels great"? No. I was on something that the doctor prescribed. I was ill, and that was helping me."

On skateboarding:

"You know, I don't know. Everybody asks me that question, like, What made you start skating? Yeah, well, um...I don't know. I'm still like a kid, because unfortunately my childhood was raped away from me because I became a star, a rapper, or whatever you want to call it, and you can't be a kid and a rapper at the same time. So I watch television and I get real amped. Like, people watch commercials, and they're like, Who's gonna buy that? I'm the person they make the commercials for. I watch them, and I'm like, Oh God, that's awesome."

To read more in this detailed interview with Lil Wayne (and there is much more) here is the full article GQ.

EMINEM & LIL WAYNE COVER GQ MAGAZINE BTS PHOTOSHOOT

Eminem and Lil Wayne cover GQ Magazine and Em was interviewed about his past drug use and his future in music:

"I'm very much a creature of habit, if I'm used to waking up in the morning and having one of these (picking up a Red Bull), I could do it every morning for the next ten years straight until I find something else to move on to. So if I'm used to taking a Vicodin when I wake up in the morning because I'm hungover from ­drinking or taking pills... The bigger the crowd, the bigger my habit got."


He also tells us what sobriety has taught him:

"The thing sobriety has taught me the most, is the way I'm wired—why my thought process is so different. I've realized that the way I am helps with the music. Sporadic thoughts will pop into my head and I'll have to go write something down, and the next thing you know I've written a whole song in an hour. But sometimes it sucks, and I wish I was wired like a regular person and could go have a fuckin' drink. But that's the biggest thing about addiction: When you realize that you cannot—for fuck's sake, you can not—fuck around with nothing ever again. I never understood when people would say it's a disease. Like, 'Stop it, dickhead. It's not a disease!' But I finally realized, Fuck, man—it really is."

To ready the full story in all of it's detail (and there is a lot more), be sure to check it out at GQ. Also, check out the behind the scenes footage of the photoshoot for the issue below:

NICKI MINAJ COVERS W MAGAZINE LATEST ISSUE

Nicki Minaj got together with Francesco Vezzoli to cover W Magazine. These are no ordinary images, take a look below at what the pair came up with.

Source: W Magazine

NEWS: NAS ON COVER OF XXL PLUS FULL STORY

This is a special year for Nas, who has a few anniversaries to celebrate including the release of his first verse ever. The Queensbridge poet, who’s gearing up for the release of his 10th solo album, Life Is Good, helped to pioneer shock rap with his timeless breakout verse on 1991’s “Live at the Barbeque,” with lines like “When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus.” With that in mind, XXL recruited a new controversial MC, Odd Future’s frontman Tyler, the Creator, who’s a longtime Nas fan, to interview the veteran MC for the November issue’s cover story.

Who would have guessed the two rappers would have hit it off so well. Throughout an in-dept interesting conversation that lasted over an hour-and-a-half, Nas and Tyler touched on a variety of topics including: music, religion, family, decision making, drugs, the Internet, and even Star Wars. But it all started with Tyler telling Nas, which of the rap vet’s CDs he likes best.

“God’s Son is my favorite album by you,” Tyler said. “And my second is probably Street’s Disciple,” he continued.

“Get the fuck outta here,” Nas responded.

Awkward and quirky exchanges aside, the discussion quickly picked up with the 20-year-old Tyler asking Nas for advice.

“You, Em, Jay, Snoop, like, you guys all started when you was exactly my age,” Tyler said. “The fact that you guys are still here makes me just always think, like, Fuck, could I?”

“Oh, you definitely can,” Nas replied. “Someone like you is, you’re interesting, for a lot of reasons. So someone like you, you can’t wait to see what’s next.”

And the topics continued to get deeper as the conversation went on.

“Are you, like—this question might catch you off guard, but I ask myself this—like, when you wake up, like, are you happy,” Tyler asked. “Like, are you satisfied how everything turned out?”

“Dawg, I was naming my album Life Is Good because of how happy I am about how happy things have turned out,” Nas answered. “Sometimes I may wake up and wish my kids were living with me. That’s the only thing, you know what I mean? Our loved ones that are not around no more, like my mom. That’s the only thing. But other than that, everything is great, even when I’m alone. Even when there’s no one around.”

Along with the massive story on Nas—which includes a story on the Queens rapper reflecting on the 20-year, 15-year, 10-year and 5-year anniversary of his respective milestone releases, “Live at the Barbeque”, It Was Written, Stillmatic and Hip Hop Is Dead.

XXL’s November issue also has an interview with the undisputed Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige where 20 different MCs including Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Wiz Khalifa and DMX, got to ask the R&B legend anything they wanted.

In addition, the forthcoming issue includes a roundtable discussion with Maino and a handful of the industry heavyhitters, for the Brooklyn MC to ask advice on the eve of the release of his sophomore album, The Day After Tomorrow.

XXL’s November issue also has features with 2 Chainz, Yelawolf and Styles P, a review of Wale’s first LP for Maybach Music, Ambition, and much, much more.

Story Source XXL

KID CUDI COVERS COMPLEX MAGAZINE

Complex Magazine is known for their creative Cover artwork so we were excited to see the new October/November Cover which features Kid Cudi. Read the full interview over at Complex. Video of the shoot below:

BAD MEETS EVIL COMPLEX ANIMATED PROMO COVER

With all the promo circulating for Eminem and Royce da 5' 9's Bad Meets Evil project, this was by far the BEST! Thanks to Complex.

MAGAZINE COVER ROUND-UP

Birdman Covers the June Issue of XXL which will be in stores June 7th.

Next, MMG's own Rick Ross covers the June/July issue of not only VIBE magazine, but Complex Mag also. Ross is everywhere!

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THE SOURCE MAG MAY 2011 COVERS IDRIS ELBA

The Source Covers actor Idris Elba for their May 2011 Cover Issue. Here's what they had to say:

In our May 2011 issue The Source takes a dramatic turn as the Gods go crazy and we feature international English actor Idris Elba on the cover as he discusses his most controversial movie role, the all-seeing, all-hearing Norse god Heimdall in the new Spring blockbuster film Thor. Interviewed by Miles Marshall Lewis, Elba addresses the controversy caused by his character’s race, producing for Jay-Z and his evolution as a thespian––from a drug kingpin on HBO’s The Wire to a god in Thor.

Idris is a very good actor and he does give us diversity with each character he portrays, so this issue should be good. Make sure to pick up the May issue of the Source Magazine today!

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VIBE TALKS WITH 50 CENT ON DRAKE, HOLLYWOOD AND DR. DRE

For the April/May issue of VIBE, 50 Cent appears on the cover and they talk with him about his relationship with Dr. Dre, his movie career and more.

Take a look at some of what he had to say below:

Do you think Dr. Dre really cares about your headphone line competing with his?

I have a strong personality, a strong character. And I can be difficult to deal with at certain points because I’m vocal. If you upset Em, he’s just gonna not talk to you. You’re not going to get him in the next room you wanna get him in. With Dre, the same. He’s not comfortable with friction. That [tweet] is, “Hey look, I’m here. Is everybody still paying attention?” So they go, “Why he say that? Why he say we mad?” Then the meeting happens.

Why should [Drake] have won [a Grammy award] this year?

He did a lot, man. I don’t believe that Drake would have been as successful or his project would have been as successful if Lil’ Wayne was home. That point where Wayne had to sit down provided a complete focus on Drake. I didn’t get it the year I was supposed to get it, for different reasons. I think the board is not young. They’re not hip. [In my case it was] just the choices to write the harsh reality. I point to that.

Now you’re dealing with the reality of Hollywood. You shed 54 pounds for your latest role. Why?

Things Fall Apart is a passion project for me. I disciplined myself physically more than I had up to this point.

Samuel Jackson said you rappers shouldn’t be taking all the movie roles.

Well, yeah. He said something about me earlier. I was a fan of him before and after he said it. You understand, if you are that passionate... That person has disciplined himself and trained himself.

You can read the rest of what 50 talked about in the full article here.

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