Inside the Volcano

Inside the Volcano

Back in 2003, when people still bought CDs in the waning days of the analog era, Meat Puppets singer-guitarist Curt Kirkwood, Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh, and Ziggens bassist Jon Poutney recorded 13 new songs in a southern California studio. They called themselves Volcano. The band was a casual extension of Kirkwood and Gaugh’s previous trio,…

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Every XXL Freshman Cover Since 2007

Every XXL Freshman Cover Since 2007

When the rising rap talent of the mid-2000s—from Lupe Fiasco to Plies to Papoose—graced the 2007 cover of XXL magazine, no one foresaw the “Leaders of the New School” tagline evolving into one of hip-hop’s most important institutions. Yet, that was the foundation from which XXL‘s annual tradition, the Freshman Class, was built. Eighteen years and 18…

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