''XXL'' is an American hip hop

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

, published by

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

, founded in 1997.

History

In August 1997,

Harris Publications Harris Publications Inc. was an American special interest media company, operating over 75 brands with print, digital, mobile and live event platforms prior to its sale to Athlon Media in 2016. It produced magazines that educate, entertain, inf ...

released the first issue of ''XXL''. It featured rappers

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

and

Master P Percy Robert Miller Sr. (born April 29, 1967), known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record executive, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, which was relaunched as ...

on a double cover. In December 2006, ''XXL'' took over the struggling hip-hop producer and DJ magazine '' Scratch'' (another publication owned by Harris Publications), re-branding it as ''XXL Presents Scratch Magazine''. However ''Scratch'' shut down less than a year later in September 2007. Other titles with limited runs have been launched under the ''XXL'' brand, including ''Hip-Hop Soul'', ''Eye Candy'' and '' Shade45''. ''XXL'' has released many other special projects including tour programs, mixtapes and exclusive DVDs. ''XXL'' also maintains a popular website, which provides daily hip hop news, original content and content from the magazine. In 2014,

acquired ''XXL'', ''

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

'' and ''Antenna'' from Harris Publications. On October 14, 2014, Townsquare announced it would continue print publication of ''XXL''. In December 2014 the company reported that the magazine would be published on a monthly basis.

Past editors

The magazine's past editors include Reginald C. Dennis (formerly of ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

''), Sheena Lester (former editor-in-chief of ''RapPages'' and ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' music editor), Elliott Wilson (formerly of The Beat-Down Newspaper, '' ego trip'' and ''The Source,'' currently locked in at #7 slot on The Source's Digital 30 list.) and Datwon Thomas (former editor-in-chief of ''

)''. In May 2009, Datwon Thomas resigned from ''XXL'' and executive editor Vanessa Satten, who had been with ''XXL'' since 1998, was named the new Editor-in-Chief.

Special releases

In August 2005,

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

and ''XXL'' teamed up to release a special issue titled ''XXL Presents Shade 45'', designed to simultaneously give maximum exposure to his

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

Shade 45 Shade 45 is American rapper Eminem's hip-hop station on Sirius XM Radio channel 45 and Dish Network channel 6045. History Eminem established his own channel, Shade 45, that plays uncut hip hop. Eminem also established a new morning show, ''Sway ...

, the station's associated radio DJs, the

Shady Records Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999). Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful ...

label as a whole, and

G-Unit Records G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2002 by rapper 50 Cent, for the first eleven years of operation, G-Unit ran in conjunction with, and was distributed by, Interscope Records. In February 2014, ...

' artists. ''XXL'' executive publisher Jonathan Rheingold stated that typically magazines based around particular artists were not favorable, but "since Shade 45 is a truly authentic and uncensored rap radio channel, the marriage with the ''XXL'' brand made sense," feeling that it would interest rap fans. In November 2008, ''XXL'' released ''XXL Raps Volume 1'', which included music from

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

G-Unit G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released t ...

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...

, &

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

. In September 2006, ''XXL'' put a special 90-minute DVD called ''XXL DVD Magazine Vol. 1'', which featured exclusive interviews and content with big-name rappers such as

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collabor ...

, & Mike Jones. On August 20, 2013, ''XXL'' marked its sixteenth anniversary by releasing its 150th issue, which featured the first solo cover on the magazine from

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

, along with rappers such as

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

and

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

reviewing classic albums.

Annual Freshman Class list

Beginning in 2007 (skipping 2008), ''XXL'' releases its annual "Freshman Class" list. The issue features ten artists-to-watch, all appearing on the cover of the magazine. The list has a history of showcasing unknown/underground rappers, as well as artists considered to be on the rise. The list creates significant

marketing buzz Marketing buzz or simply buzz—a term used in viral marketing—is the interaction of consumers and users of a product or service which amplifies or alters the original marketing message. This emotion, energy, excitement, or anticipation about a p ...

among listeners and artists alike, and is credited for giving many artists their first taste of fame. The 10th spot winners are highlighted in bold.

Notes

Additions to the list

Occasionally, the Freshman Class list may contain extra additions to include more rappers. The 2011, 2013, 2019 and 2021 Freshman Class lists, for example, had 11 rappers. In the case for the 2013 list, ''XXL'' added an honorary extra spot for Chicago rapper

Chief Keef Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school s ...

due to the artist being in a six-day jail stint and therefore being unable to attend the photo shoot in New York City. In 2014, 2020 and 2022 the Freshman Class lists included 12 rappers.

Removals from the list

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Xxl (Magazine) Music magazines published in the United States Quarterly magazines published in the United States Harris Publications titles Hip hop magazines Magazines established in 1997 Magazines published in New York City African-American magazines