On newsstands now.

Previously: Theophilus London – I Stand Alone (Video)

Rick Ross talks about what he’s preparing with God Forgives, I Don’t as well as the crew he’s raised with the Maybach Music Group signees.

“I’m enjoying my last few moments at No. 2,” Ross says. “It’s like I’m watching the No. 1 man on stage, my legs crossed, I’m smoking big, hollering at the bitches in the crowd. And this album gonna do it. I got the formula.”

“When I make music, I go back to my late nights of me by myself, listening to Curtis Mayfield or R. Kelly’s 12 Play,” he says. “There’s certain depths that music can take you to. There’s certain feels that you need to have. When you get to the last song on the album, I want you to have that feeling of being whole. I want to give these muthafuckas classic joints. That means more to me than anything else.”

Props: XXL

Related: Meek Mill Says He’s Holding “Ima Boss” Remix For T.I. + Self Made, Vol. 2 Out Before 2012

Previously: Rick Ross Receives “I’m On One” Gold Plaque (Video)

Game and 3 naked chicks cover this week’s edition of L.A. Weekly. Read the full cover story here and hit the jump for a behind the scenes look at the cover shoot.

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YN released the unauthorized Watch The Throne cover for the Fall issue of RESPECT. Mag. Out on newsstands September 6th.

Young Jeezy appears on the cover of The Source’s August/September issue to discuss his hiatus, the plight of American street youth and whether or not he recognizes rap rivalry.

Are you aware that your fans are demanding a classic album?
Young Jeezy: “I think they deserve a classic. They’ve waited long enough. I think that every record on this album is an anthem.”

The August/September issue of The Source Magazine will be on newsstands nationwide August 23rd.

Here’s the cover for XXL’s upcoming September issue which will pay tribute to Lesane Crooks in honor of the 15th anniversary of his passing. The issue will include interviews with The Outlawz, ‘Pac’s ex-wife Keisha Morris, his ex-manager and mentor Leila Steinberg and his biological father Bill Garland who had this to say about his son:

“[Tupac] cared for people,” he said. “That was his main thing. He really cared for people. I think that’s why he would get so upset when people tried to question his commitment, his love for Black women or Black men. The East Coast/West Coast, you know, that’s a fabrication. I don’t have to begin to tell you that. So when that was questioned, it bothered him. Because he would give his heart or soul. He was a giving person. He would give anything to people. He would go in a store. [If there was a] Black man who couldn’t afford a $1,500 pair of boots, he would buy ’em for him. Think that Black man would ever forget Tupac? That’s just the way he is. But I don’t think that he did it for that. He did it because he had it, and he didn’t. That’s the way he is.”

Look for the issue on newsstands starting August 16th.

Previously: 2Pac – NY ’87 (Now That’s Dissin) & Watch Yo Mouth (CDQ)

French is featured in the new issue of SNEEZE Mag, out now. Click the picture to expand.

Sneeze Issue 12 features Model Kate Upton on the cover photographed by Kenneth Cappello, along with an editorial with French Montana shot in the Bronx by Angelo Baque (Supreme) he also shot Vado for us a few issues back as well as Drake and the entire OVO gang. This issue features art work by Richard Hambleton. For further additional info: SNEEZEMag.com.

Outtakes from the shoot here.

Previously: French Montana ft. Trae Tha Truth – Cocaine Mafia (Video)

In this clip, Jay talks about how that particular line in “The City Is Mine” was a vow to Biggie which was also addressed later on in “What More Can I Say”.

Props: Roc4Life. Cop the Decoded iPhone app here.

Previously: Jay-Z on Rap as Poetry (Video)

Talib and Maseo peruse Hip-Hop: A Cultural Odyssey, an epic 400 page coffee table book chock full of images and essays chronicling the history of Hip-Hop culture, that coincided with the launch of the Grammy Museum’s exhibit of the same name earlier this year.

Previously: Talib Kweli’s Gil-Scott Heron Tribute

Wayne covers the July/August issue of XXL and announces in the cover story that he plans on retiring soon, maybe even after Carter IV drops.

“I’m bowing out still on top,” he says. “I’ma make y’all want me when I retire. I’ma make y’all be like, ‘Nooo!’ I ain’t leaving out this bitch when y’all be like, ‘Yeah, it’s about time, dawg.’ Carter IV might be my last one. I’ma make y’all be like, ‘Fuck!’ Yeah, nigga, I’m gone.”

Wayne saying being a good father to his children would be the cause for an retirement. “Honestly, this is the real truth,” he says. “I honestly think it’s unfair to my kids. I’m super dedicated into what I do. Like, it’s no questions—it’s hands down, I do this. I live this. I don’t have a day out my week that I do something else. I do this every day of my life, and I’m not about to stop, ’cause that’s the only way you can succeed in this business, is to do it the way I do it. I want to succeed the way I want to succeed. You can succeed. You can put out a hit… But to do it the way I want to do it, to be comfortable to do what the fuck I want to do, you’ve got to work like no other. Like I said, it’s unfair to my kids. So about 30, 31, 32, I gotta get ready.

To which I say: bullshit. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that he’s not going anywhere, not for any significant amount of time anyway.

Previoulsy: Rick Ross ft. Lil Wayne – 9 Piece (Teaser)