The fiber of the American people has been tested over the course of the last two weeks, in which four incidents of terrible violence have prompted wide-spread protests and rapidly deteriorating race relations. July 5: Alton Sterling is shot and killed at the hands of two police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana July 6: Philando Castile is shot and killed by a police officer in Falcon Heights, Minnesota July 7: Five police officers are shot and killed at a protest in Dallas. July 17: Three police officers are shot and killed in Baton Rouge, LA.

This week was dominated more by saddening news stories than it was by music, but the social outcry regarding the many innocent lives that were taken in the past week have also resulted directly in new music-- it's bittersweet, obviously. With plenty of artists hitting the booth to give their own take on the tense social climate, we definitely didn't lack in songs this past week.

Since debuting in 2008, XXL's annual Freshman Class feature has had its fair share of questionable choices (such as Kidd Kidd appearing a full eight years after we first heard him on "Mrs. Officer") and flops, not to mention numerous omissions of rappers who've gone onto stardom. It's never exactly been considered a finger-on-the-pulse-type source for new talent, but rather a conversation starter and surface-level barometer for casual hip-hop hobbyists.

If you're somehow not aware B.o.B has been preaching a conspiracy theory suggesting the earth is flat on Twitter over the last couple of days, but that's hardly the whole story.

B.o.B has definitely gotten a little paranoid recently. You can hear it in the lyrics on his last mixtape FIRE (False Idols Ruin Egos), but you can hear it even more when he tries to prove the Earth is flat on Twitter.

In what's surely the strangest news to emerge from the hip-hop world tonight, Atlanta rapper B.o.B. is currently busy on Twitter attempting to prove to his followers that there is no evidence of any curve to the earth's surface; in other words, he believes the world is flat. 

Well it looks like yesterday’s video for “Cold Bwoy” isn’t the only thing we should expect soon from B.o.B. On Friday, the Atlanta rapper announced that he has a new project dropping in a couple days called FIRE, which stands for “False Idols Ruined Egos."

Just last month, Waka Flocka took to Twitter to publicly blast Atlantic Records for stalling the release of Flockaveli 2. Now B.o.B., fed with Atlantic's lack of support, has done the same.

It's only been three months since B.o.B released his mixtape Psychadelik Thoughtz. Already, the ATL vet is plotting his next move -- he'll release a new mixtape called WATER (We Are The Enemy Really) tomorrow December 4th. 

B.o.B took the surprise album route for his new project, Psycadelik Thoughtz. The Atlanta native announced the album with the artwork only a day or two ago, and has quickly followed that up with a stream of the new project.

Since speaking with us last fall, B.o.B's kept pretty quiet about his plans for his fourth album.

After a long wait, SURF is finally here. The debut LP from The Social Experiment (aka SOX) is billed as Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment despite the fact that the band’s biggest star is obviously Chance The Rapper. The album features, although they aren’t listed on the iTunes version of the free album, the likes of J. Cole, Big Sean, B.o.B, Busta Rhymes, and tons more, making SURF one of the year’s most star-studded affairs.

RESPECT Magazine have unveiled their new cover today, tapping both Ty Dolla $ign and B.o.B to share the issue. It seems appropriate given the fact that B.o.B was featured on "Paranoid," the hit which really started putting Ty on the map. Ty is taking over the map these days, becoming a go-to choice for r'n'b hooks and features alike. 

With a new album on the way, led by the massive single "Hood Go Crazy" featuring B.o.B and 2 Chainz, Tech N9ne continues to tap into the powers of the mainstream in ways most underground artists aren't able too.

With the evolution of producer software, everyone can make beats on their computer. It doesn't take a lot of money or studio time to learn how to chop up samples, loop drum patterns, and create something great. And we're finding more and more beatmakers are making quality tracks.

The winter is finally melting away, and HOT 97's Summer Jam is on the horizon once again. While the main stage headliners for the 2015 hip hop party of the year are still under wraps, they've announced the main acts for the festival stage.

BET's Soul Train Awards are back and better than ever this year. While the night has featured some predictably stellar performances from some of the best in contemporary R&B, including Chris Brown, Tinashe, Tamar Braxton, and Missy Elliott, the highlight at this point has to be return of Jodeci. Premiering their first single as a group since 1996's "Get On Up," K-Ci, JoJo, DeVante Swing, and Mr. Dalvin took the stage alongside B.o.B to perform "Nobody Wins." Check out the new track below and let us know if you're feeling it.

Since breaking through in 2010, B.o.B has kept himself busy to say the least. The Atlanta artist demonstrated his versatility on his debut album, The Adventures Of Bobby Ray and has continued to pump out projects since, releasing two more albums and a slew of mixtapes over the next 3 years.

Update: The venue has changed to S.O.BsB.o.B will be hitting up Irving Plaza on November 24th with special guest Kevin Gates. If you'll be in NYC on that date, and you haven't scooped up your tickets yet, we've got you covered. As we've done recently with Atmosphere and Ty Dolla $ign, we'll be supplying multiple winners with a pair of tickets to the show, so enter and tell your friend to enter too. As per usual, it's very easy to enter this contest. Follow the guidelines below.

Since releasing part one of his King Of Brooklyn series this January, Maino's been hard at work prepping a follow-up, and now he's ready to share the details on KOB 2. The 11 track project, which will be sold on iTunes and other digital retailers, is set to arrive on November 25th. Below, view the tracklist, and check out the front and back covers in the gallery above.