Rap in 2025 was all about experimentation. From the year’s first runaway hit, NBA player-turned-musician Gelo’s single “Tweaker,” to the maximalist ecclesiastics of Playboi Carti’s Music, or even in ...

Hip-hop has officially exited the upper echelon of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time in more than three decades. The top 40 of the iconic chart currently contains zero rap songs, marking ...

Week in and week out, there are plenty of brand-new rap songs, no matter the time of year. It can be really difficult to stay aware of what’s out and also what’s hot, so XXL decided to make things ...

We live in the Dot era. After demolishing rap rival Drake last year, Kendrick Lamar’s victory lap has dominated 2025 and the current hip-hop landscape. Super Bowl performance. More Grammy wins. “Not ...

Expect to see selections from the established stars, the next wave of new talent, the up-and-comers and everyone else in between. If the song is fire enough to beat the competition, it'll take one of ...