2023 XXL Freshman Cyphers

7.24.23

2023 XXL Freshman Cypher Producer

The 2023 XXL Freshman Cyphers are in. A clear fan favorite in the roll out of the XXL Freshman Class each year. We get to see how the artists can “freestyle” over a beat, and play off of each other in a group. Nothing would ever top the energy from the 2016 Cypher, but with a solid group of fresh voices, its fun to see how everyone performs.

This year we have two cyphers: the first featuring Finesse2tymes, Lola Brooke, Fridayy, Real Boston Richey. The second, includes artists Rob49, Luh Tyler, DC The Don, SleazyWorld Go, 2Rare, TiaCorine. Pi’erre Bourne produced both cyphers, and expressed interest in the music and working with all of the artists featured from the XXL Freshman list.

From the first cypher, Finesse2Tymes opened up strong. I would say he was a year late on the list and carried for the group here. This feels like where he probably started his love for music and grew to a trending sound artist over time. Boston Richey went viral for saying he used to try to sleep with his cousin, and just continued talking about his sex drive which was all just very odd. Fridayy may have been at a loss for words because he had to follow this strange act, and though he has it a bit more tough as a signer, he appeared to be off beat and uncomfortable the whole time. Lola Brooke reeled them all back in, though and slid through her verse, showing her feminine side and her street side. After telling a personal story through freestyle earlier in the Freshman Roll Out, she gave the people what they know and love her for during the cypher, and she totally crushed it.

Rob49 kicked things off in the second cypher. He was one of my favorite artists from the list overall, and I was excited to see what he would do during the cypher. The beat was perfect for him to deliver something that sounds natural to his own artistry. He got some pretty heavy smiles from Luh Tyler and SleazyWorld Go in the group, likely pumping them up for their turn as they were next to come.

To my surprise, I would have to say SleazyWorld Go had the best cypher out of everyone. He was clear and on point with his delivery, he had punchlines every other bar that were relevant to his audience (music lovers), and he even addressed a serious topic in music (gun violence) and vowed to step away from the scene. He looked great, and seemed totally relaxed with his stage presence and freestyle. SleazyWorld Go just dropped new single Don’t Get Ya Feeling In It, with Luh Tyler, who was also a part of the same cypher group.

Luh Tyler performed incredibly well. I would definitely be interested to learn how many takes they did to get this right. His bars sounded like most of his music, so it was likely written, but he sounded great and didn’t miss a beat. For someone so young in this environment, I think that is important to note. The group themselves seemed to enjoy DC the Don the best. They put him in the middle and that is when the adlibs from the group started to kick in heavy. 2 Rare finished this group. He went way too long and was not great, but he had fun with it, and of course closed us out with a dance.

Who was your favorite from the 2023 XXL Cypher?