XXL Magazine Launches XXL Higher Level Radio Show

XXL is officially bumping through speakers. Today (Nov. 14), Townsquare and Compass Media Networks announce the launch of XXL Higher Level Radio, a new syndicated radio show centered around all things XXL. The show, which officially launched on Monday (Nov. 11), airs weeknights from 7 p.m. to midnight on nine of Townsquare’s Urban radio stations across the U.S.

WBLK Buffalo radio personality DJ Digital will host the nightly show, which features exclusive artist interviews, content from the annual XXL Freshman Class, hip-hop news straight from the XXL news desk, mixes, top hits countdowns and more.

Jared Willig, Townsquare's Senior Vice President of Digital, sees the move as a continuation of a plan that began five years ago. “When Townsquare acquired XXL Magazine in 2014, our mission was to expand the iconic brand via social, video, podcasting, events and more while maintaining the core print magazine, which is so important to the community," Willig says of Townsquare's goals for the brand, which reaches over 6 million unique people every month via XXLMag.com and the XXL mobile app.

XXL Higher Level Radio is the next phase of that strategy, and like the brand itself, we are excited for it to be influential, interactive and digital-forward,” Willig continues.

XXL's Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Satten thinks the show will give fans content from artists in different phases of their careers. “XXL Higher Level Radio is an exciting extension for us that will both respect and celebrate hip-hop like our website and magazine do," Satten says. "The music comes first and this show will not only highlight who and what everyone is listening to, but showcase stars of the future as well.”

Music for the show's playlists will be largely curated by data from XXL's site, app and social media. The XXLMag.com app will serve as a tool for fans to interact with the show and DJ Digital in various ways. The app is available now for both Android and iOS.

See Photos of Every XXL Freshman Ever Inducted Into the Freshman Class Over the Years