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Kendrick Lamar’s Music Is The Subject of a New Temple Course

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Kendrick Lamar’s Music Is The Subject of a New Temple Course

Kendrick Lamar’s music and cultural impact is the focus of a new course Temple University will be offering this fall. NBC10 Philadelphia reports that Timothy Welbeck, a professor for the Department of Africology and African American Studies and the Director for the Center for Anti-Racism at Temple University, is launching the course. Welbeck has taught at the university for 14 years, including classes on hip-hop, Black culture, and urban Black politics.“My current department chair was very open to the idea […]

todayJuly 11, 2025 1

Billie Eilish Cried When Seeing Jake Johnson

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Billie Eilish Cried When Seeing Jake Johnson

In an interview from a few months ago, when asked to name her favorite actor, Billie Eilish had two picks: Steve Carell and Jake Johnson. She’s had the chance to speak with Carell before (as well as other favorites from The Office). She’s met the New Girl star, too, but before she did, she was very starstruck, to the point of tears. Eilish revealed this during a recent interview, explaining: “Last year, I was flying somewhere and as we pulled […]

todayJuly 11, 2025 1

Larry June Interview on Being Yourself, Lifestyle Rap, Hustling

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Larry June Interview on Being Yourself, Lifestyle Rap, Hustling

Game for SaleFor 15 years, Larry June has done the slow-and-steady race to achieve hip-hop success on his terms. The West Coast rapper is a best-case scenario for the independent rap hustle.Interview: Peter A. Berry Editor’s Note: This story appears in the Winter 2024 issue of XXL Magazine, on newsstands now and available for sale on the XXL website. Larry June isn’t a life coach, but he sounds like one. For the last 15 years, the San Francisco native has supplied game from a […]

todayJuly 11, 2025

Mariah The Scientist Shares ‘Hearts Sold Separately’ Date

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Mariah The Scientist Shares ‘Hearts Sold Separately’ Date

Mariah The Scientist’s next musical experiment is coming soon. Hearts Sold Separately, the Atlanta singer’s upcoming fourth studio album, is officially set for release on August 22. Mariah kicked off the rollout for the new project in May, with the video for the first single, “Burning Blue.” It has been a while since we last heard from the Scientist, whose last album To Be Eaten Alive came out in 2023. While 2024 was a relatively quiet year on the new […]

todayJuly 11, 2025 1

FLO Taps Kaytranada To Set ‘The Mood’ On Their New Single

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FLO Taps Kaytranada To Set ‘The Mood’ On Their New Single

Kaytranada has built a reputation as a go-to producer for alt-R&B vocalists, contributing to or collaborating with such names as Tinashe, Kali Uchis, Victoria Monet, and more. So, it’s only right that pop-R&B trio FLO would tap his talents for a new single of their own. The British girl group is a perfect pairing for Kaytranada’s EDM-influenced R&B production. Fresh off the release of their album Access All Areas and its accompanying tour, FLO looks to be gearing up for […]

todayJuly 11, 2025

Akon’s Futuristic Senegal City Project Scrapped

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Akon’s Futuristic Senegal City Project Scrapped

Akon’s plans for a multibillion-dollar city development on Senegal’s Atlantic Coast has been scrapped. According to Bloomberg, the West African country has instead opted for a scaled-back project that will rely on private funding. Most of the land that had been set aside for a futuristic “Akon City” is now back under state control and that project “no longer exists,” Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of Sapco-Senegal, the state-owned entity that develops coastal and tourism areas, told L’Agence de presse sénégalaise.Most […]

todayJuly 10, 2025 1

Deftones Announce ‘private music,’ A New Album

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Deftones Announce ‘private music,’ A New Album

In recent days, there have been rumors that Deftones are planning to release a new album this summer, with some associates saying they’ve heard it. It turns out everything was true: Today (July 10), the band announced private music, their first new album since 2020’s Ohms. They also shared the single “My Mind Is A Mountain.” The band recorded the album in California and Nashville with producer Nick Raskulinecz, with whom they previously worked on Diamond Eyes and Koi No […]

todayJuly 10, 2025 1

Hotboii Back in Jail Again, Five Arrests in Seven Years

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Hotboii Back in Jail Again, Five Arrests in Seven Years

Hotboii was arrested again on gun and trespassing charges in Miami yesterday.Hotboii Arrested AgainOn Wednesday (July 9), the Orlando, Fla., rapper, born Javarri Walker, was booked for firearm possession by a convicted felon and trespassing on school property with a firearm, according to police records obtained by XXL on Thursday (July 10). He has since been freed on a $2,500 bond. Few details have been released about the latest arrest. XXL has reached out to Hotboii's attorney and the Miami-Dade Police […]

todayJuly 10, 2025