The 2022 XXL Freshman Class has been making rounds on the internet for the past few hours, and without even having heard any cyphers or read any interviews from the artists, Twitter looks to be divided on the lineup (as they are on many other issues).
In case you missed it, this year’s list of inductees boasts 12 names: Nardo Wick, Doechii, SoFaygo, Babyface Ray, Kali, KayCyy, Cochise, Big30, KenTheMan, Big Scarr, Saucy Santana, and 10th spot winner, BabyTron.
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As far as snubs go, social media users have been pondering why names like Lucki, Yeat, Autumn, Summrs, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, Kashdami, BabySantana, Yvngchris, Slump6s, Yung Fazo, and Iayze were left off.
“Just saw the XXL Freshman list, and I only know two of them n*ggas,” one user wrote. “Yeah, I’m old as f*ck bro.” Others echoed similar sentiments, revealing that they weren’t familiar with any of the up-and-coming stars either.
BabyTron’s appearance seems to have elicited an incredibly positive reaction, and Santana’s inclusion certainly raised a few eyebrows (as he’s become accustomed to doing).
Overall, though, there’s a hard-felt nostalgia for what XXL Magazine managed to curate back in 2016 when they tapped Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Kodak Black, Denzel Curry, G Herbo, Dave East, Lil Dicky, Anderson .Paak, Desiigner, and 21 Savage for their cover.
“This 2022 XXL Freshman Class is probably the worst I’ve ever seen,” one person tweeted, earning hundreds of likes. They were quickly countered with a quote tweet reading, “This is actually the best XXL Freshman since 2016,” earning just as much attention.
Check out all the reactions below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more hip-hop news updates.