''XXL'' is an American hip hop magazine, 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 released the first issue of ''XXL''. It featured rappers Jay-Z and Master P 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'', ''

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'' 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''), Sheena Lester (former editor-in-chief of ''RapPages'' and '' Vibe'' 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 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, 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' 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, G-Unit, Common, Jim Jones, & Fabolous. 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 50 Cent, Ice Cube, Fat Joe, Paul Wall, & 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 and B.o.B 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 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