2020 XXL Freshman Class 10th Spot Prediction

3.30.20

@xxl

There are three things that I look forward to every year. Opening Day, the Super Bowl and the XXL Freshman Class reveal. XXL just released the pitches for 2020, which are basically all the artists’ submissions explaining why they deserve to be a part of the upcoming Freshman Class. Vanessa from XXL and her team select nine artists who they believe should make the cover, which is always followed up with so much controversy and discussions about who got left off. So, the past few years XXL has let the listeners vote for “the 10th spot” so the crowd favorite is sure to make the cut.

There are almost one hundred candidates to vote for, currently. Not all of them submit pitches, however there are a few things I need to think about when going through these. Firstly, I’m thinking, who is already making the cut? Like NLE Choppa for example, he’s on everything right now. As long as he doesn’t go to prison, he will be on this years’ Freshman cover. So, I do not need to vote for him. Then, I listen to the relevant artist speeches, and decide who my favorites are. Each year I feel like there is someone super outspoken that I wasn’t expecting, and tons of people that can barely formulate sentences. Finally, there are always some wild cards. Someone maybe you didn’t know of, or someone from a different region, or someone you just thought wasn’t quite ready.

If I had to put my guess on the top nine right now, I would select: NLE Choppa, Calboy, Don Toliver, Fivio Foreign, Lil Tecca, Polo G, Rod Wave, Tyla Yahweh and Jack Harlow. Calboy just came out with his album that was really good. NLE Choppa and Polo G I feel are pretty on top of their class right now. People have really been on the Rod Wave, Don and Fivio have recent really big hit trending. Lil Tecca is legend because of his super young age, Tyla Yahweh just came off tour with Post Malone, and I think Jack Harlow is the wild card in here. Doesn’t look like he fits, but he just dropped an EP and has been getting tons of traction in the space.

Now let me break it down for you. The close, the terrible, the well-spoken, the female, the sleeper, and the 10th spot winner. Can’t wait to follow up with how my predictions went.

The Close, But Not Quite:

Guapdad 4000 is one of those guys that you’ve heard of, but doesn’t really go anywhere. He hasn’t made a big enough splash to make the cut. I like him, but I hated his pitch. He whispered a bunch of nick names for two minutes. This was not funny.

I like Lil Gotit after the project he did with Zaytoven. He also has a project out with London On Da Track. I think he’s always going to be only somewhat relevant, but not quite enough of the XXL Freshman Class.

Stunna 4 Vegas was actually a bit funny in his pitch. I would like to put him on the list, but I just don’t think he makes the cut. I would have to say people are like “oh yeah your on that one song.” But not really know what song or what verse was even his.

Lil Tjay isn’t on my list because he keeps getting in trouble. I know that XXL tries to stay away from controversy when dealing these things. He did recently have an encounter with the police. I don’t believe anything came of it, but Lil TJay has a historical past with the law, so this is where he hurts.

Lil Keed and Lil Loaded are rappers you think you know, but they’re names just all sound the same.

Sada Baby’s new album was great, but no one cares.

Shordie Shordie had one really great song, Bitchuary, with an even better remix. Too bad no one on the planet knows that is his song.

The world has a problem with Smoove’L after the Pop Smoke beef. By the world, I mean me, and probably the rest of the world.

The Laughable:

Some speeches, you have to listen to, just because they’re hysterical.

Chika, by her photo I thought was an angry man. I apologize. Her pitch made me nervous. She was super sarcastic, telling us about how much better she was than everyone. Then, all of a sudden, she started crying about how much this meant to her. I felt bad, but then she said “when I was six someone told me, you won’t make the 2020 Freshman Class.” So at this point, I think it’s a joke and I ultimately just have no idea what is going on.

King Von, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did get on the cover. He did just put out a project, that had a number of really great features. However, he himself, is bad. I also could not understand a word he said in his pitch.

Quando Rondo is goofy as hell. He says he’s super real, but this year he wants to start being himself, and maybe that will be a hit. He says he is in the studio non-stop, but he’s ready to get in the studio and make a hit. This was super strange for me.

Hott Lockedn says he has the best adlib game around. That is likely because, he can’t speak real words. His entire vocabulary is an adlib or a continuous lisp. Skooly and Yung Mal, are equally as terrible.

The Female:

Last year was female heavy, and I think it’s the opposite this year. Asian Doll just got dropped from Gucci Mane’s 1017. Whether or not she asked for removal, she doesn’t make the cut. I would love for Coi Leray to make it. I’ve never heard anyone that sounds like her. I’ve never seen someone who can be so hard, and so goofy and fun at the same time. I don’t think she’s hott enough right now, for the Freshman cover, though. I don’t think everyones on her, just yet. DaniLeigh probably has the highest likes in the female category this year, but only because of her “How High Levi Challenge.’ I don’t think her music gets her into the Freshman Class. I think if it were any year, it’d be last year when she had the Lil Baby hit.

Out Of Our League:

As I’m sure you can tell by now, I love XXL so much. I love the Freshman cover, the cyphers, the freestyles, the pitches, and the entire process. I even love watching people fight over who should have got in over another, because it just continues the conversation of music. However, D Smoke is already above the XXL Freshman class, and should not be on the cover. After winning Rhythm and Flow, he already has gained so much success and credibility working with T.I, The Game and other legends in the industry. The Freshman class is for the up and comers, and I think D Smoke is beyond this. He is too mature, he doesn’t fit in here, and he honestly doesn’t need it. I think it would be a great look to have XXL do something with D Smoke, but I call him and tell him you got him on his own feature. It’s not Freshman.

The Surprisingly Well-Spoken:

24KGOLDN did go platinum with his debut song, Valentino. I saw him live, he has a ton of energy and is super fun. Surprisingly, he is so well spoken. In his pitch, he spoke about his accomplishments with his music, and then said “but what really sets me apart from other artists, is who I am as a person.” I almost cried. He talks about interacting with his fans, and how he wants to be a role model to others, and help them accomplish their dreams, rather than glorifying drugs and degrading women. Well played, 24K. I think he misses the cut, just because I think it’s a little late for Valentino, and I haven’t heard much sense. For sure at the show, no one knew who he was until he played this song. Everyone went crazy, but he needs some more time, some more hits, maybe a few good features.

The One That Will Get Away:

42 Dugg does deserve to be a XXL Freshman. He just signed with Yo Gotti and CMG, he’s going on tour with Moneybagg Yo, and he just dropped his album Young & Turnt 2. I do think that it is interesting he is from Detroit, and joining the headlining crew of the south. Still, I think he fits in, and I think he is going to blow up with the crew rather quickly. I think that 42 Dugg misses the mark for the freshman list, because people aren’t paying super close attention to him right now. Perhaps the album was a bit overshadowed by PartyNextDoor, Joyner Lucas and the high coming off of The Weeknd. However, this is the one that Vanessa is going to look back on next year, or the year after, and say “yup, we missed that one,” like with Tee Grizzley.

My 10th Spot Choice:

My list of automatic ins is pretty diverse. A few singers, a trap artist, a white boy and couple of new-hip-hop kids. What is missing? That hard, deep, ‘trenches’ kind of rap. Every year I think we’re moving farther away from that type of hip-hop, but I like to keep one in each of my Freshman Classes to keep the spirit alive. Key Glock is my choice for the 10th Spot. He didn’t put out a pitch, and granted, we probably wouldn’t be able to hear or understand through his Memphis accent, anyways. However, I think he’s killing the game right now. As a member of Paper Route Empire, Key Glock put out a joint album Dum and Dummer with Young Dolph last year, where each shared hits and had their own throughout the album. I truly think Key Glock outshined his superior on both ends of this project. At the top of the year, Key Glock released his solo album Yellow Tape, reaching number 14 on the Billboard 200. Not to mention, this album had zero features. His visuals are really great, as Glock and Dolph have been traveling the world with super talented director/editor/photographer “Ithinkethan.” Key Glock is next up for sure, in whatever is left in the gangsta rap era. As long as the world still needs this like me, (which I’m not totally sure they do), then Key Glock gets the 10th spot.