flo milli

Here’s a Complete List of Every XXL Freshman Over the Years

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A look at all of the stars who have graced XXL Freshman covers over the years. Continue reading…

‘XXL’s 2021 Freshman List Includes Blxst, Coi Leray, DDG, And Pooh Shiesty

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The 2021 XXL Freshman cover has arrived! Each year, rap fans wait and speculate in anticipation to find out which artists made the coveted list, mostly so we can all speculate and wait on their activities for the future — or debate whether they deserved placement.

But this post is just to let our readers know who all made it. This year’s cover includes plenty of Uproxx favorites like Blxst, DDG, and Pooh Shiesty, as well as 2020 fan favorites like 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, and Toosii. There’s plenty of female representation on this year’s list, with Coi Leray, Lakeyah, and Rubi Rose holding it down for the ladies. And breakout artists Iann Dior and Morray round out the list after some attention-grabbing features introduced them to a whole new audience.

This year’s list looks pretty well-rounded, as the breakout artists included have all made impressive debuts, charted highly, or garnered plenty of viral attention in the past year. Many regions, races, and styles are represented, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, to South Central, Los Angeles, with many of the entries hailing from oft-overlooked origins when it comes to hip-hop such as Milwaukee, WI, Lexington, KY, and Corpus Christi, TX.

Last year’s cover included breakouts like Chika, Jack Harlow, Mulatto, and Rod Wave. And for those who didn’t make it, there’s always next year — or the chance for a surprise breakout.

Meanwhile, XXL is gearing up for the usual slate of Freshman programming, including freestyles, Cyphers, and profiles on these up-and-coming artists. Stay tuned.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Flo Milli Fans Are Convinced She Was Snubbed By The BET Awards

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Flo Milli, the breakthrough Alabama artist who put the early half of the quarantine in a chokehold with her fan-favorite mixtape Ho, Why Is You Here?, is nowhere to be found on the list of nominees for the 2021 BET Awards — and now, fans want answers. While the Best Female Hip Hop artist nominees include shoo-ins Cardi B, Coi Leray, Doja Cat, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, and Saweetie, Flo Milli’s name climbed into Twitter’s top trending topics as many wondered why she wasn’t nominated herself after dropping beloved singles like “Weak” and “Send The Addy” and featuring on Yung Baby Tate’s viral hit “I Am.” She was, however, nominated for Best New Artist.

Some fans complained that Flo Mili’s absence — as well as those of names like Chika, Tierra Whack, and Yung Baby Tate — constituted colorism on BET’s part. “If Flo Milli was yellow, then she’d be on the list,” asserted one fan. Another grouped Chika and Tierra Whack with Flo Milli, asking, “Wtf is going on???”

“Flo Milli didn’t rebrand the entire state of Alabama to get snubbed like this,” one fan said. However, another pointed out the lack of statistical support for claims of the Mobilian’s popularity. “Everyone in the quotes acting confused on why Flo Milli not nominated when y’all don’t even support her offline,” they wrote. “Her mixtape peaked at #78 and none of her singles charted. Y’all need to stop showing fake love because she is talented.”

And while much of the outcry focused on Coi Leray’s two 2021 singles blowing up, they seemed to overlook her 2020 EP Now or Never, which was supported by a number of well-received singles, and the three years of foundation building she’d done with appearances on the Spider-Verse soundtrack and breakout single “Huddy.”

Of course, invested fans can spot a snub for any given award show and this isn’t even the first time that BET has been called out in this particular field. In 2017, Dreezy called out the BET Awards for including multiple women who hadn’t even released projects in the prior year, so while there’s no pleasing everybody, there’s at least been a tremendous amount of progress made in the years since. And hey, there’s always next year.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Yung Baby Tate Calls Beyonce’s ‘Black Is King’ A Big Inspiration Behind Her ‘I Am’ Video

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In the latest episode of Behind The Video, Yung Baby Tate admits that the shoot day for her “I Am” video with Flo Milli was a lot harder than it looks. The video from the Atlanta rapper’s After The Rain EP may feature glamorous women being pampered and lounging in the sun, but in reality, Tate says it was a cold, cloudy day, and her and Flo Milli’s stilettos made them sink into the wet lawn. Tate’s clearly an artist who will suffer for her art.

But we don’t want her to suffer any more than she has to, so this time around, we only pulled nice comments for her to react to. One compares the video to ones from superstars like Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, and Missy Elliott, prompting Tate to admit that Beyonce’s Black Is King film was a “very big inspiration” on the video’s concept and editing. Meanwhile, she jokes that she was confused about who the brawny men were and why they were there but “I was eating it up,” she chuckles. Her co-star’s improvised shade throw — the literal kind — was actually a surprise, as well.

You can watch Yung Baby Tate’s Behind The Video above.

Yung Baby Tate is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Most Popular Hip-Hop Ad-Libs Right Now

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From DaBaby’s “Let’s go” to 21 Savage’s “On God” and more, these are the best ad-libs in hip-hop right now. Continue reading…

2021 XXL Freshman Class 10th Spot – Vote Now

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Before the annual Freshman Class cover is revealed, it’s time to cast your vote for the 10th spot. Continue reading…

Flo Milli Is ‘Flora The Explorer’ In Her Colorful ‘Back Pack’ Video

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Flo Milli keeps on rolling in 2021, maintaining the momentum of her breakout 2020 and debut mixtape, Ho, Why Is You Here? Today, she shares the video for her new song “Back Pack (Flora The Explorer).” Normally, when you hear the terms “backpack” and “rap” together, it means something else entirely (shout out to MC Jin), but Milli takes her cues from the Nick Jr. family fave Dora The Explorer for her new single, sampling the theme song the title character sings every episode about her magical, talking storage accessory.

In the video, “Flora” explores her new environs on the West Coast with a pink Jeep and wardrobe imitating the song’s inspiration. Content-wise, though, it’s still a Flo Milli classic — boastful, playful, and bold, Milli taunts haters with a sing-song flow and dances alongside a pink, animated monkey (that doesn’t look anything like Boots, to keep it a hundred, but nobody wants Nickelodeon sending C&Ds, right?).

Following the breakout success of Ho, Why Is You Here?, Flo Milli started the new year with the release of her song “Roaring 20s,” celebrating both the calendar year and her lifespan so far over another unusual sample, this time from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. She followed up with a flapper-inspired video for her own single, as well as an appearance alongside Mulatto and Rubi Rose on Rich The Kid’s new video “Nasty” as a burlesque dancer.

Watch Flo Milli’s “Back Pack” video above.