XXL Freshman

Here Are 10 More Artists Who Could Have Been 2024 ‘XXL’ Freshmen

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XXL announced its 2024 Freshman class today including standouts like Hunxho, Lay Bankz, Maiya The Don, That Mexican OT, and more. They’re all future stars in the making, but here are 10 more rappers who shouldn’t be overlooked.

310Babii

The Southern California rapper’s breakout single “Soak City” continues to gain momentum, but besides that, he just received the biggest co-sign someone from his city can get: Performing at Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth Pop Out concert as a special guest of Mustard.

Anycia

Thanks to Latto teaming up with her on “Back Outside” and the release of her mixtape Princess Pop That, Anycia’s star is on the rise. We’ve also got a collab with JID to look forward to.

Connie Diiamond

While the Bronx native is far from a “Freshman” in the sense of “just starting out” as she kicked off her career at just 14 years old, she’s started to gain more traction in recent years, particularly with her song “Ghetto & Ratchet.”

Flyana Boss

You either love them or hate them (and if it’s the latter, keep it to yourself, please, for your own good), but you know them and you’ve definitely seen them sprinting through just about every notable building in LA. 2023 was a standout year for the Dallas/Detroit duo, and with their debut album still in the works, they certainly have another one coming down the pike.

Gloss Up

Her buddy GloRilla was already featured in the coveted roundup, so why not join her and collaborator Sexyy Red in glowing up via the XXL Freshman list? With underground hits like “Come Here” and “Ride Home” she’s more than qualified.

Karrahbooo

Another Atlanta standout with a big-name co-sign, Karrahbooo is the clear star of Lil Yachty’s Concrete Boys clique, but was already building a steady buzz even before she was officially signed to his label.

Kenny Mason

Kenny got plenty of attention in 2022 when he and J. Cole teamed up on Dreamville‘s compilation cut “Stick” and JID’s “Dance Now,” and since then, his string of solid EPs, 3, 6, and Highway 9 have firmly established him as a talent to watch.

Ray Vaughn

The future of Top Dawg Entertainment might have seemed precarious with the departure of Kendrick Lamar and Reason, but Long Beach native Ray Vaughn’s nonstop stream of hard-hitting singles have shown he’s got the talent and the motivation to put the West Coast label on his back.

Remble

If it seems like there might be a bit of a Los Angeles bias here… Duh. You think a Compton native wouldn’t try to counterbalance the Northeast bias exhibited by the music journalism business for the past six decades? Anyway, Remble has the most unique and charismatic flow to crop up in years, he’s had the big-name co-signs to boost his momentum, and he was also featured in Kendrick’s Ken & Friends show, exposing him to a national audience.

Teezo Touchdown

Yes, he’s a little beyond the strictest definition of a “Freshman,” but that’s never stopped XXL from including an artist on their storied annual feature, so hey, I’m putting him in mine. If he’s not still in the “making” phase of stardom, there’s still plenty of room between him and his ceiling.

XXL’s 2024 Freshman Class Includes Lay Bankz, Maiya The Don, And More

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The most anticipated preview of hip-hop to come has arrived. The XXL Freshman Class is an annual tradition that lets hip-hop fans get a look at the year’s fastest-rising stars.

This year’s list includes Dallas rapper BigXThaPlug, Tallahasee, Florida rapper Bossman Dlow, New York rapper Cash Cobain, Atlanta rapper Hunxho, Philadelphia rapper Lay Bankz, New York rapper Maiya The Don, Boston rapper Rich Amiri, New York rapper ScarLip, Texas rapper That Mexican OT, and the mysterious crooner 4Batz.

Prior lists have included Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, and more, so it’s usually a pretty good indicator of how artists’ careers are playing out — and at least one name on the cover is almost guaranteed to become a superstar. See below for a breakdown of each rapper’s breakout moment.

BigXThaPlug

BigXThaPlug hails from Dallas and his big hits so far are “Mmhmm” and “Texas.”

Bossman Dlow

His breakout single “Get In With Me” went viral on TikTok earlier this year, precipitating a No. 20 debut for his new tape, Mr Beat The Road.

Cash Cobain

Known for his “Slizzy” approach to the traditional New York sound, Cash’s biggest looks came from “Fisherrr” and his J. Cole collab, “Grippy.”

Hunxho

Hunxho’s rise has been steady since 2021, with “Let’s Get It”; he’s since released a string of solid mixtapes including 2023’s For Her, which peaked at No. 83 on the Billboard 200.

Lay Bankz

A string of viral TikTok hits culminated this year with “Tell Ur Girlfriend” and After 7 her major-label debut project.

Maiya The Don

In October 2022, Maiya dropped “Telfy” garnering about as much popularity as the titular bag. She’s since supported Flo Milli on tour after appearing on the Montgomery rapper’s “Conceited” remix, and even teamed up with the New York Liberty.

Rich Amiri

“One Call,” was just the latest song to jump from TikTok to the Hot 100 in February.

ScarLip

You’ve likely heard “Glizzy Gobbler,” Scar’s 2022 hit viral hit; if not, you may have seen her featured alongside some of the biggest names in hardcore hip-hop, including Swizz Beatz, Jadakiss, and Benny the Butcher, Snoop Dogg, and more.

That Mexican OT

Best known for his 2023 single “Johnny Dang,” That Mexican OT is probably the breakout star of this year’s Freshman class. His albums, Lonestar Luchador and Texas Technician, have both been critical and commercial successes, and he’s bringing back the Houston sound.

4Batz

“Act II: Date @ 8” became an out-of-nowhere hit early this year, garnering the timely co-sign of Drake just before he took a shot at Kendrick Lamar and had the whole rap world turn against him. It doesn’t look like the blowback has landed on 4Batz, though; he seems to be doing great in comparison.

Why Is Ice Spice Not In The ‘XXL’ Freshman Class For 2023?

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The 2023 XXL Freshman Class was revealed today, and many fans who checked it out found themselves with one major question: Where is Ice Spice?

It’s hard to deny that the “Princess Diana” rapper had earned the spot; after her song “Munch” went viral on TikTok last year, she skyrocketed to nationwide ubiquity, such that any woman who had curly orange hair was subjected to calls of “Ice Spice!” from passing teens in public.

She was paired up with Drake via AI, collaborated with Nicki Minaj on the remix of the aforementioned “Princess Diana,” pitted against the 2022 it-girl Latto in a made-up beef by fans of Nicki Minaj, and admitted that even she was shell-shocked by her sudden fame. She even collaborated with Taylor Swift, arguably the biggest pop star on the planet. So…

Why Is Ice Spice Not In The XXL Freshman Class For 2023?

It’s hard to say because Ice Spice herself has yet to address the list herself. But prior lists also had fans up in arms, such as in 2020, when Don Toliver did not appear on the list or even in 2009, the list that coined the “Freshman” terminology, when Drake was overlooked. The next year, Nicki Minaj was also left off. In those cases, there were a variety of reasons given by XXL‘s editorial staff. While they just straight-up whiffed on Drake — sorry, Datwon, you know what you did — Nicki deemed herself too big to be established to be considered a “freshman” in hip-hop in 2010.

Likewise, Don Toliver flat-out declined appearing on the 2020 list because he didn’t want to participate in any of the peripheral content, according to XXL Editor-In-Chief Vanessa Satten. He and Nicki are not the only artists to turn down the honor, either. ASAP Rocky, Juice WRLD, Post Malone, and Young Thug all opted out and all wound up being huge stars anyway. Ice Spice may have turned down the cover because she’s already achieved greater publicity than she believes in can bring or to give that opportunity to artists who may “need” it more, or perhaps she’s just too busy to carve out the time needed for the photo shoot, freestyle, cypher, and tour that accompany it these days.

Either way, she seems to be doing alright without it, and will likely continue to be a star as long as she keeps dropping inescapably catchy songs and getting opportunities like the Barbie soundtrack.

The 2023 ‘XXL’ Freshman Class Boasts GloRilla, Lola Brooke, Luh Tyler, And More

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The 2023 XXL Freshman has been revealed. The artists gracing this year’s cover include Philadelphia’s 2Rare, UK rapper Central Cee, Milwaukee native DC The Don, Memphis breakout stars Finesse2Tymes and GloRilla, the crooner Fridayy, New Yorker Lola Brooke, Florida fly guy Luh Tyler, New Orleans standout Rob49, Real Boston Richey, Michiganer SleazyWorld Go, and Houston viral star TiaCorine.

If those names aren’t familiar to you, Uproxx has you covered with some background. See the links below for more information about each of these rappers, from their UPROXX Sessions performances to profiles and interviews explaining just who they are and why you should be paying attention.

Here’s 2Rare’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Q-Pid.”

Central Cee and Dave recently teamed up for the drill hit “Sprinter.”

DC The Don performed “Enemies” on UPROXX Sessions.

Finesse2Tymes shared his Bar Stories with Uproxx’s Cherise Johnson.

GloRilla heavily features in this overview of the carefree Black girl backlash.

Uproxx’s own Wongo Okon interviewed Fridayy.

Here’s our interview with Lola Brooke.

Who is Luh Tyler? Find out here.

Rob49 gave our Chloe Caldwell a tour of his native New Orleans.

Here’s a double dip for TiaCorine: Her UPROXX Sessions performance and a mini-profile here.

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

Doechii Leads Off The 2022 ‘XXL’ Freshman Cypher With Saucy Santana, KayCyy, And SoFaygo

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The 2022 XXL Freshman Cypher has arrived. The first round consists of Doechii, SoFaygo, KayCyy, and Saucy Santana, with a beat produced by Wheezy. Obviously, your mileage may vary, but the clear standout here is Saucy Santana, who approaches this year’s Cypher like he has something to prove, delivering a rapid-fire verse with a hand on his hip like he’s already tired of the inevitable Twitter comments.

Members of this year’s class included the above-mentioned names, as well as Babyface Ray, Babytron, Big30, Big Scarr, Cochise, Kali, KenTheMan, and Nardo Wick. It’ll be interesting to see how this group is divided up between the next two potential Cypher videos. Will the Detroiters Babytron and Babyface Ray be split up? What about the two Memphis upstarts, Big30 and Big Scarr? Meanwhile, standouts in the standalone freestyles included Doechii, Saucy Santana, and Nardo Wick, so that last name will certainly be one to watch out for when he shows off his skills alongside his classmates.

2022’s Freshmen have had a standout year so far, with Doechii delivering an explosive performance of her songs “Crazy” and “Persuasive” at the 2022 BET Awards and the Danny Brown-cosigned Saucy Santana securing a Beyonce sample on his song of the summer contender, “Booty.”

Watch the first 2022 XXL Freshman Cypher above.

Saucy Santana Delivers A Picture-Perfect ‘XXL’ Freshman Freestyle

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Saucy Santana has officially arrived. Despite only starting his professional rap career in the last three years, Santana has seen his fame skyrocket behind ultra-viral tracks like “Here We Go,” “Material Girl,” and “Walk.” His latest single, the Beyonce-sampling “Booty,” is already taking over radio stations and was even tabbed by fans as a song of the summer before it was even officially released. Last month, Santana’s status was sealed as he was one of the 12 artists selected to represent XXL‘s annual Freshman class for 2022.

In his swaggering freestyle for XXL, Santana postures behind an ornate portrait frame in a Givenchy hoodie, decked out in stunner shades, glistening jewels, and his ever-present long nails. Rapping acapella, Santana details his experiences as “the gay boy on the block selling a purse full of drugs,” and dismisses haters who’ve questioned his presence and popularity due to his sexual orientation. “I’m still snatchin’ y’all wigs,” he boasts. “Call me ‘hair physician’ / Million-dollar deal on a billion-dollar mission.” Like I said, Santana has arrived. It’s up to fans to get used to him.

Watch Saucy Santana’s swaggering XXL Freshman freestyle above. You can watch Nardo Wick’s Freshman freestyle here and Doechii’s Freshman freestyle here.

Doechii’s Forceful ‘XXL’ Freshman Freestyle Arrives As Fans Discover Her House-Inspired Hits

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XXL Freshman Doechii has been getting plenty of attention over the past few months, mainly as a result of the TikTok popularity of her 2021 song “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.” But since then, she’s released two new songs, “Persuasive” and “Crazy,” showing off a new direction influenced by the dance music of the ’80s and ’90s — just in time to catch the wave generated by Drake’s head-turning surprise album, Honestly, Nevermind (I guess it’s true: High tides lift all boats). And now, in a feat of timing that frankly feels fated, Doechii’s XXL Freshman freestyle has arrived.

Just like the rest of the freestyles, Doechii’s finds her rapping acapella as the camera rotates around her and she shouts out her “stripper peers” while showing off a flow that shows off the Nicki Minaj DNA that runs throughout her work. She even lets out a primal scream, highlighting the next level that her live performances often reach and showing off the charm and charisma that are guaranteed to make her a star.

The genre-bending TDE rapper’s new Vevo DSCVR performance is also going viral as Drake’s house music turn dominates the discourse. Doechii performs both “Crazy” and “Persuasive” with the help of her DJ in a lightbox that allows her to capture all the attention. The video has reached Twitter, where it’s already going viral in multiple tweets, bringing added attention to the rising rapper. Knowing TDE, they’ve already got a plan to capitalize.

Watch Doechii’s Freshman freestyle and live performances above.

XXL’s Freshman Class Of 2022 HIghlights Babyface Ray, Kali, Saucy Santana, And More

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The 2022 XXL Freshman Class is here, highlighting all the rappers expected to blow up in the year ahead. included are Detroit rappers Babyface Ray and Babytron (no relation), Memphians Big30 and Big Scarr (ditto), Florida’s Cochise, TDE-signed, genre-bender Doechii, Atlanta TikTok favorite Kali, Kenya-born Minnesota transplant KayCyy, Houston firecracker KenTheMan, “Who Want Smoke?” star Nardo Wick, out-and-proud Saucy Santana, and just-out-of-his-teens map-hopper Sofaygo.

Each year, the highly anticipated list offers listeners a guide to some of the hottest up-and-coming talents of the past 12 months. Some are viral stars in their own right, with hit records on TikTok or lots of Twitter buzz. Others are often established vets who are only just receiving their big breaks after signing major label deals or garnering big-name co-signs. While some of the names may not be familiar to many readers when they’re first announced, many of those names do become undisputed stars, headlining festivals, making television appearances, and representing hip-hop in the mainstream for years after their selections.

Prior stars who appeared on XXL‘s Freshman list include high-flyers like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar, while last year’s list highlighted breakout stars like Blxst, Coi Leray, Flo Milli, Morray, and Pooh Shiesty.

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

42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, And Rubi Rose Take Over The 2021 ‘XXL’ Freshman Cypher

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The next installment of the 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher is here. For this round, viral favorites 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, and Rubi Rose take on another hypnotic Nick Mira production to display their varying takes of the annual tradition.

Rubi Rose sets things off with a fittingly raunchy verse in her signature husky verse, followed by a braggadocious, bouncy approach from Pooh Shiesty. Flo Milli drops in and steals the show, turning up the energy with both her bright looks and quirky punchlines, leaving 42 Dugg to bring the baton home with a laid-back verse.

While Blxst and Toosii’s Cypher was competent and the first group of MCs was uneven but attention-grabbing, this year’s batch of Freshmen has certainly added to growing sense that hip-hop’s women are doing more to stand out than the men. So far, the consensus MVP of this year’s Freshmen has been Lakeyah, who’s sharp wit and precise flow impressed fans, while Flo Milli brought something a little different with her perky output. Even Coi Leray, maligned as her performance has been, brought something different to the table and looked like she was having fun instead of just trying to look cool.
Watch XXL’s Freshman Cypher with 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, and Rubi Rose above.

Pooh Shiesty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Blxst And Toosii Keep The 2021 ‘XXL’ Freshman Cypher Rolling

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After yesterday’s leadoff, West Coaster rap-crooner Blxst and North Carolina’s Toosii accept the baton for the next leg of the 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher. Once again, their bumping backdrop is provided by Internet Money’s Nick Mira, giving the two rappers an exotic-sounding beat to flex over. Blxst’s verse is a boastful affair in which he offers “two places I won’t go back, of course, / That’s ‘broke’ and that’s ‘forth,’” while Toosii offers an extended verse from his previously teased “Ms. Parker” snippet.

All in all, their part of the Cypher is calm, straightforward, and surprisingly short, with Blxst obviously bringing a bit more effort than Toosii. It marks an intriguing departure from the proceedings yesterday, where Coi Leray’s antics captured the attention of fans on Twitter — and not in a good way. While her cohorts DDG, Lakeyah, and Morray acquitted themselves well — Lakeyah especially impressed a number of fans with her technical proficiency and witty wordplay — Coi Leray delivered an odd, unserious verse/hook/ad-lib combo, giving up after only a handful of bars to twerk instead. Responses weren’t kind, as many questioned her inclusion in this year’s Freshman class, as well as her rap skills in general.

Watch the latest installment of the 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher above.