EDITORIAL

Though incomplete, the T-Wayne project is a necessary reference point for an influential time in both artists' careers.

Gang Starr's second album, turning 25 today, is a low-key classic.

Regardless of your taste in music, you cannot disagree with the notion that is explicitly claimed in the title of one of their most popular songs; “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F*** Wit."

Did Troy Ave, Spaceghost Purrp, and Kanye cross the line in their recent beefs?

Why the 2015 Carolina Panthers are the NFL team with the strongest-ever ties to hip hop.

The Game dropped "The Documentary" on January 18, 2005.

When rappers' personal lives spill out onto their social media accounts, things can get ugly.

Why the term "conscious rap" should be eradicated from hip hop.

Although he didn't even release "Views From The 6," Drake had the game in a chokehold this year.

What are the adverse effects of the lean-driven rap culture that's become so predominant? We take a quick look.

On this day in 2004, MF Doom released his album "Mm..Food." We reflect on the album for Classic Rotation.

A year after Future dropped "Monster," we look back on what's been the most successful 12 months of his career.

Weighing the obvious benefits of co-signs from Kanye West and Drake against the negative impact they can have on artists' careers.

We look at the formulas behind the best hip hop double albums of all time.

The state of the music industry's two newest streaming services.

The Game addresses the Baltimore Uprising in an editorial called "Young Black Men Are Targets."

For the nerd in every hip-hop fan, we take a close look at the idea of "poetic license," and how an MC is able to bend or completely ignore standard grammar rules because of it.

Is the platinum album in hip-hop long gone, or will it make a return in 2015?

Albums are being released with less notice, and in some cases, no notice at all. We dive in to the trend and dissect why this might be happening.

"Fuck the police."

Vanessa Satten, XXL's Editor-in-Chief, says that there will be more print editions of the magazine next year.

Almost 20 years after the height of the East and West Coast rivalry, we take a look at where things stand now for the two pioneering sides of the culture.

We use the internet all day every day, but how has our need for instant and constant media consumption affected the music industry, and hip hop in particular?

Rap music, specifically its lyrics, have been given numerous labels, but not necessarily the positive labels bestowed upon other forms of creative expression. No matter the divisiveness or repulsion, other forms and disciplines are usually accepted whole. Here, we explore some of the reasoning behind the subtle, and overt, rejections of rap lyrics as true art form.

HotNewHipHop takes a glimpse into Detroit's current hip hop scene.

A divide is growing in hip-hop between genre traditionalists and the artists many of them call "weirdo rappers." In this editorial, we examine the various differences between the two camps, and explain why they're both vital to the future of hip-hop.

Atlanta is home of hip-hop's most exciting sub-genre: Trap.

Rap is filled with a lot of MCs. No question. But what separates one rapper from the next? An artist's hometown is about as blurred as his flow and look compared to other like-minded entertainers. With the Internet and blogging, it's even harder to find an MC that's truly a product of where he represents. While we're growing to accept that sound does not need to be regional anymore, how have MCs evolved with the influx of independent labels, the blogosphere, and other elements of the millennial generation?