As they do every year, XXL will hold a concert in NYC with their Freshman Class. Often times, because of the last minute nature of the announcement and because it’s such a large group of popular artists with hectic schedules, not everyone is able to appear, but hopefully this year we’ll get the full Dirty Dozen! XXL also revealed that there are “more shows to announce,” so I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a Chicago show (as there are FOUR Chi-Town artists on this year’s cover!), and maybe a few other major cities like L.A. and ATL. Get the deets on the concert in the gallery, and below, go behind the scenes of this year’s cover shoot.
Guess Who Was Supposed To Be On The XXL Freshmen Cover But Cancelled At The Last Minute!
This year’s XXL Freshmen cover was revealed yesterday, with the ‘Dirty Dozen’ being Ty Dolla $ign, August Alsina, Chance The Rapper, Rich Homie Quan, Isaiah Rashad, Lil Durk, Kevin Gates, Troy Ave, Vic Mensa, Lil Bibby, Jon Connor and Jarren Benton…the latter of whom was voted in by fans. One person who should have been on the list but cancelled at the very last minute, though? Young Thug! I’ll get into those details in a second…but I’d like to add my little inside info first. I originally received the list before everyone got together to shoot the cover, and there were 10 people listed, as well as one slot that was TBA. The only two missing from that list were Kevin Gates and Chance The Rapper, and judging by the popularity of Chance, I’m going to make an educated guess that Kevin was the last-minute addition. Just a little tidbit! Now on to Young Thug! During her interview with Sway In The Morning this morning, XXL’s Editor in Chief Vanessa Satten revealed the ATL rapper was scheduled to be on the cover, but called 10:30pm the night before the cover shoot and said he wouldn’t be making it. Interesting move! They also discussed other artists who are bubbling right now that didn’t make the cut…like Sage The Gemini (he was left out because he had a major label debut already) and IAMSU!, who they said is likely to be a contender for next year, and broke down why they included singers for the…
(Photos) 2014 XXL Freshmen Class Revealed!
It’s official! The 2014 Freshman class has finally been revealed. Live on 106 & Park right now, all 12 artists have been revealed, and while some are unexpected, some were definitely expected as well! Check out the gallery to find out who made the cut and see the cover!
DJ Mustard Announces Debut Album
After a wildly successful past couple of years producing for damn near everyone in the game – from Tyga to YG to Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown and more – California producer DJ Mustard is gearing up for his own solo project. The Roc Nation signee took to Twitter yesterday to announce 10 Summers, his debut album set to drop at an unspecified date (though likely later this year.) I’m sure the features on this one are going to be insane!
(Photos + Video) Ty Dolla $ign Previews Upcoming ‘Beach House’ Tour
Starting April 29th in Fresno, CA, Ty Dolla $ign will hit the road on the Beach House tour in support of his Beach House EP, released earlier this year. The tour will stay mainly on the West coast, and wraps up May 22nd in L.A. (Don’t worry, though, East coast – you can catch Ty$ rocking the stage at Summer Jam on June 1st! He’ll then be joining Wiz Khalifa, Jeezy, Tyga and a slew of others on the ‘Under The Influence Of Music‘ tour come July.) Ty took to YouTube earlier today to let fans know what they’re in store for, and it looks like it’s going to be really good! If you didn’t know, Ty can play a ton of different instruments, and judging by a few pics that were also shared it appears that will definitely be incorporated in the show. Check out his promo below.
Wiz Khalifa Announces ‘Under The Influence Of Music’ Tour With Ty Dolla $ign, Sage The Gemini, Tyga, Mack Wilds & More!
Oh I am here for THIS! Keeping the tradition going, Wiz Khalifa will be heading out on his annual ‘Under The Influence of Music’ tour once again for the summer, and this time, he has a whole new cast of characters with him. Joining the Taylor Gang CEO will be his fellow Taylor Gang artist Ty Dolla $ign (who was on last year as well,) as well as Rich Homie Quan, Sage The Gemini, Mack Wilds, Iamsu! and DJ Drama. Commencing July 24th in Scranton, PA, it will keep going through August 24th in Irvine, CA. Tickets go on sale April 25th. Check out the full list of dates below.
