Here’s the Deal With These XXL Freshman
UTIOM’s in-house hip-hop heads break down the talent, and lack thereof, within the newest class of emcees (can we even call all of them that?)
By Kevin Sowkey, Elliot C. Williams, and Kiran Swamy
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the XXL Freshmen list, and the first cypher was just released and is now trending on YouTube. Naturally, we decided to break this thing up like a fantasy football cheat sheet. There’s been a lot of hype surrounding this class, and it can be a bit daunting to research all of them. Here, we give you our breakdown of this fresh crew chosen by XXL magazine as the next rappers to blow up.
Kevin’s take:
KYLE
Kyle Harvey, aka SuperDuperKyle, or KYLE from Ventura, California doesn’t look like a rapper. Rather, he looks like that dorky kid from high school who was REALLY into Dragon Ball Z. He cemented his spot on this list last year with his release of “iSpy,” which climbed all the way to #4 on the charts, making Kyle the artist with the most mainstream plays on this years’ list.
His XXL freestyle was super duper (pun intended) impressive. He didn’t catch a melody like many of his classmates. Despite his ability to sing radio-friendly hooks, he just spit for 60 seconds. There was a hard hitting bar about his father, as well as playful ones about gas prices and the movie Friday.
Kyle has a future in music for sure. I don’t think he’ll ever be an artist releasing club bangers, but he’ll keep us singing along to his groovy tracks for years to come.
Kamaiyah
“Straight up outta Oakland/ The dopest hip-hop chick that you’ve probably ever seen/ Do this hip-hop shit.”
Kamaiyah’s no joke. Being the only female in this class, there’s a huge magnifying glass on her. With people clamoring that there were more talented and deserving female artists (Young M.A.), Kamaiyah has to prove to the culture, more so than any of the male rappers, that she belongs on this list.
Personally, I had no idea who she was before this cover. Being from New York, I was rooting for Young M.A., and was slightly disappointed when I didn’t see her on the list. But as soon as I searched Kamaiyah on Spotify and listened to her tracks, everything made sense.
Kamaiyah’s dope, there’s no way around that. She’s got such a superb bounce and flow to her that screams “West Coast,” and you’ve gotta respect her hustle:
XXXTentacion
Where do I start with this kid?
XXXTentacion (Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy) is a 19-year-old rapper from Lauderhill, Florida. He is the most unique person on this list by far, and that’s truly saying something.
Many of us first tried to pronounce his name after the whole fiasco with Drake where XXX accused Drake of biting his “Look at Me” flow for Drake’s song “KMT.” Without everything that accompanied that short beef, I don’t think XXX makes this list.
Initially, after listening to “Look at Me,” I had painted XXX as another mumble rapper. Not until he started releasing more music did I realize that this kid might be something special. His influences aren’t what you’d expect from a rapper, stretching from Lil Wayne and Biggie to Nirvana and the Fray. His catalog of songs reflect these influences. The fact that he can create a song like “Revenge” (which is my JAM) makes me believe that XXX has some very interesting music in store for us.
Elliot’s take:
Kap G
Despite the fact that Kap G looks like a Raichu (an evolved Pikachu), he’s the unofficial kap-tain of swag. I mean, how many rappers — or recording artists, for that matter — have ever pulled off an album cover sitting on a horse?
The first-generation Mexican-American rapper from College Park, Georgia has nearly 300k followers on Instagram where he flexes his style daily, proving he’s got plenty of hype. But is he worth the hype?
Well, his most recognizable single is “Girlfriend.” The trap beat is a perfect match with Kap’s southern flow and is pretty indicative of the rest of his catalogue. Pharrell met Kap G and called him “the future.” Not a bad co-sign, right?
And yes, he did make a cameo in ‘DOPE,’ which is pretty fitting, because overall, Kap G is dope and deserves to be on this list.
Kap G’s debut album, SupaJefe, dropped April 14 on Atlantic Records.
Aminé
Aminé, the son of Ethiopian immigrants, has the most potential in this group. His debut single “Caroline” reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is still catching steam. His contagious “REDMERCEDES” and it’s subsequent remix with Missy Elliott will be in every viral dance-studio video this summer. There’s no denying this 23-year-old Portland rapper can spit with the best of them. Some think he’s overrated, but they clearly haven’t heard his Afrofuturist-influenced mixtape, Calling Brio. Aminé, who started rapping by making diss tracks against his rival high school, has since appeared on Jimmy Fallon, and of course, he secured a spot on the XXL Freshman list.
Plus, it doesn’t get much better than this:
PnB Rock
Not gonna lie, I couldn’t stop calling this guy PB&J Rock for the longest time. But PnB Rock is a Philly native, so he already has points from me. And out of the rappers on this list, he has the catchiest song with “Everyday We Lit” — I mean how can you not rock out to this feel-good radio jam?
Rock’s freestyle might be the deepest out of all the freshmen — it’s certainly the longest (2:11). His ear for melodies is apparent on “Selfish,” which peaked at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Having been incarcerated and then homeless just two years ago, it makes sense why the newly successful rapper-singer is lit, everyday.
Ugly God
Last and least on my list is Ugly God, the Houston rapper who’s ignorant ramblings can somehow be deciphered as modern music. Indeed, Ugly God is the weakest of the bunch. His main lyrical content consists of how he’s gonna “fuck on your bitch.” Or on your daughter. Or on both.
His self-deprecating rap thing is too reminiscent of Lil B (aka the based god), and Ugly God is less funny. He chose his name as a means of accepting his less-than-attractive features, and I’m all for self-acceptance. But how this dude, who started his career with the stage name “Pussy Bacon,” ever made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 has left me scratching my head.
And what the hell is he talking about here:
Kiran’s take:
Playboi Carti
Playboi Carti came in as a heavy favorite to make the XXL Freshman list, mostly because of his popular hit “Magnolia.” The nauseatingly-catchy hook — “In New York I Milly Roc/ hide it in my sock/ Running from at opp/and I shoot at opp” — inspired videos like this and even a Lil Wayne freestyle. Carti is also known from his affiliations with the A$AP Mob on a number of tracks.
I’m hashtag not a fan of XXL choosing Carti as a Freshman this year, and I was truly hoping that mumble rap was going to be a fad from 2014–2016. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s here to stay. Playboi is a subpar rapper with a few bangers here and there. There are two types of mumble rappers: the good (Future, Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, and even Chief Keef), and the bad (Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, and Kodak Black). Playboi falls in the latter.
As for his freestyle for XXL…Well, it’s trash. It has around 25k likes and 38k dislikes on YouTube. That has to tell you something.
Madeintyo
MadeinTYO, or Made in Tokyo, was born to a military family in Hawaii, and his family moved around often. He’s lived in Tokyo, San Diego, Virginia, and Texas, but his family eventually settled in Atlanta.
I don’t hate this choice by XXL. TYO talks a big game in his XXL freestyle by saying “This that mumble rap, mumble rap/ Old heads really want none of that.” I’m a fan of it. If you’re going to mumble rap your way through your career, stand behind your product.
As for his music, I think it’s so-so. Madeintyo landed most of his fans with his 2016 hit “Uber Everywhere,” which he recorded in his mom’s kitchen. His track “I Want” speaks of his ambitions, while most of the YouTube comments focus on his short stature (5'4"). But the 25-year-old certainly has room to grow, and the XXL nod hints at his potential.
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
A Boogie With Da Hoodie is my favorite of my three chosen freshman. I knew his name going into the release of the list from his track “My Shit,” one of my favorite bangers from last summer. His latest single that most folks know is called “Drowning,” featuring Kodak Black.
Boogie could get swept under the rug by some of the others on the list, but his talent and energy will take him a long way. After all, his actual first name is Artist. I want to hear him diversify his music a little bit, and if he used half the auto-tune, he’d be a great artist.
His freestyle was short and sweet, PLUS he gave us a taste of his singing capabilities. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is the perfect name for him, but he should boogie a little more.
That’s all, folks. For more collab posts, check out our UTIOM Staff page.
