"XXL Freshmen Class Revists" Thu Dec-18-14 02:49 AM by iHoller
There have been a bunch of artists that have graced the covers of XXL over the past few years. And I've realized that I haven't done the best of jobs keeping up with them. I honestly don't know much about any of them, however I do know that certain artists pop up and get mentioned more often than others.
What I ask is who, since 2010 would you say are the best artists from these Freshmen classes who are still around? Please choose one song from each artist that you mention, that you think best defines them, or is their highlight song. You can go on and mention why you like them, their strengths, and shortcomings. Or why you think they should get more shine.
I hear everyone mention Kendrick Lamar, I hear everyone mention J. Cole, I hear people talk about KRIT.
you have to choose one song from whatever artist you mention.
>>Saigon > >I did like his debut but not much else since. Some of those >mixtapes had some joints. > >"Greatest Story Never Told" is so hard - >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ArfGK31w-g > >>Plies > >I literally don't know any of his music. > >>Rich Boy > >Loved the first single like everyone else did. Didn't keep up >with him. > >>Gorilla Zoe > >I never heard one bar. > >>Joell Ortiz > >One of the most talented rappers of our time. > >"Nosetalgia" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCT3CUfQaI8 - I >mean goddamn, Ortiz went the fuck in. > >>Lupe Fiasco > >One of the best rappers of the era, criminally slept on. > >I know it's old but "The Show Goes On Is Dope" - >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmp6zIr5y4U > >>Lil Boosie > >I don't know shit about him > >>Crooked I > >Low key my fave dude in Slaughterhouse off the bars alone. > >Crooked I got so many dope bars - >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kY8a-TIRmo > >>Papoose > >I've enjoyed a lot of Pap's songs but he's made some terrible >choices too. > >One of my fave Pap joints - >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wTFVXIP3hw > >>Young Dro > >The best rapper in the South to me. That year, his I Am Legend >mixtape was a personal classic. > >From I Am Legend - >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh6e7hM_qcI > >Of this grouping, I can't just pick the best of the bunch. My >bad.
"When Niggas Get to Poppin" is probably my favorite Rich Boy track. That beat is crazy, I used to have that song on repeat. I know the single you're referring to, but I didn' play it like I did the one mentioned. I'll slowly make my way through each track over time though thanks for the run down.
11. "I wont be posting songs, just comments" In response to Reply # 1
>Saigon He could/can(?) rap, I just never gave a shit
>Plies coon Tupac knock off. didn't give a shit
>Rich Boy Loved "throw some Ds", never heard another song
>Gorilla Zoe some people swear by him, I think i've heard a song or two
>Joell Ortiz I dig Joell, but rarely DL his tapes
>Lupe Fiasco he doesn't have a classic LP, but he's easily one of the best rappers of this generation
>Lil Boosie don't give a shit, though folks claim he go that spit
>Crooked I I've known Crooked could SPIT since I was 17 years old. A friend of mine even produced a track for him around 08/09. but again, I don't check for his projects
>Papoose LOL
>Young Dro sucks T.I. mishandled his career. One of the most fun / clever rappers of that era
19. "08 had some talent huh?" In response to Reply # 1
Saigon-Timing is so important, and it's the only reason Sai isn't in a more important position. I wish Just Blaze still worked with him, now is the time that his messages would actually be heard,
Plies-Might be the most ignorant rapper ever...but it makes him entertaining. I don't listen to him, but he does have his own lane so I can respect that.
Rich Boy-I wonder how many dope Polow beats he wasted that's sitting on a hard drive somewhere. So odd that both he & Polow disappeared off the face of the earth...wonder what happened?
Gorilla Zoe-Was wack in the first place and didn't deserve to be on this list. Not surprised he isn't around.
Joell Ortiz-So slept-on. Hopefully fans of the Hardcore NY sound play his shit more as the years go by. Outside of SH he never gets beats that are as good as his bars.
Lupe Fiasco-God Level. Can't wait til Tetso & Youth drop...and to see what happens now that he's off Atlantic after this album.
Lil Boosie-Is all the southern music fans still waiting on him?!? I don't see that hype like when he was in jail. I only hear his music through features, so my opinion is prolly useless.
Crooked I-Needs to drop a real album. Not this half-assed mixtape albums he's been doing. I think he's got a real good album in him, he just needs to focus and do it.
Papoose-I'm an american....not an ameri-cant. (SMH)
Young Dro-So talented in his own way. It sucks that when it was his time to breakout T.I. kept going to jail and no one apparently knew how to run the biz w/o him around. I wouldn't be surprised if he stumbles on another hit at some point.
___________________________ OL' DIRTY BASTARD on himself: "I may curse, I may have a bad mouth, whatever whatever. I'm not that bad, yaknow'mean. Bad to y'all, I dunno how y'all... I don't give a fuck. Um, I'm a good person at heart, for real and shit.
BrooklynWHAT Member since Jun 15th 2007 85076 posts
Mon Dec-22-14 09:07 PM
27. "most solid list if only because it was the first one." In response to Reply # 1
>Saigon >Plies >Rich Boy >Gorilla Zoe >Joell Ortiz >Lupe Fiasco >Lil Boosie >Crooked I >Papoose >Young Dro
its hard to even consider the list in the same lane with the rest because the intent was clearly different. i mean lupe was a plat and a gold album in by then.
garbage overhyped nyc rapper who never amounted to shit
>Plies
hey he has a college degree
>Rich Boy
one hit wonder who still gets mentioned every now and then when some hipster wants to rep a rapper from an obscure state. (krit is the new version of this)
>Gorilla Zoe
who? think i use to see him in the source modeling avirex jackets
>Joell Ortiz
got bars but nil star potential
>Lupe Fiasco
of the best rhymers of his generation. it's a shame his career is going the way it's going because he doesn't like obama
>Lil Boosie
i like the idea of him more than the music. much like pimp C the legend of the artist was WAY better than the actual music
>Crooked I
rappidity rap rap mixtape rapper. i like some of his lines but had as much chance of blowing as ras kass or someone of that level
>Papoose
see saigon
>Young Dro
good rapper but didn't have star potential and TI is a horrible cultivator of talent.
>Wale never gave a shit, even during his supposed great mixtape run
>B.o.B same as above. he has some bars tho
>Charles Hamilton LOL
>Asher Roth LOL
>Cory Gunz i think Cory can rap, he just is not very good at making songs
>Blu easily one of the best artist of this generation. He's better now, than he was during BTH. HE DID squander is opportunity to become his generations Common tho. I always check for Blu projects, ALWAYS
>Mickey Factz LOL
>Ace Hood LOL
>Curren$y One of the best discogs in the history of rap. yes, read that line again. i'll stand by it. He is very boring now tho, still great ear for beats
>Kid Cudi Cudi always been wack. Folk riding for him never made sense to me, but since he was an integral part of 808s, i guess I can't hate him that much
20. "The year of frustration..." In response to Reply # 2
This year is full of people that I couldn't wait to drop real albums. Then things went haywire for almost all of them.
Wale-How he fell out of favor and back in on a major level is so odd. I'm interested to see how people react to the next album w/all the Jerry Seinfield involvement. Hopefully he won't have to compete w/J. Cole & Jay-Z this time so people will actually listen to his album.
B.o.B-Is sellout the right word? His mixtapes are so good because he does have something to say...but his albums are so bad because he put little to no content on them. I guess the check is worth it. The "New Black" mixtape he dropped last month was really good tho.
Charles Hamilton-Sigh...if he hadn't said that pregnant punchline...or said he talked to Ma Dukes...or stayed in the same space longer than a week. As a fan I'm not mad, I got 500 songs from the guy...too bad he went crazy making them. Em mentioned him recently in a verse, so I guess I'm not the only fan he has.
Asher Roth-I just wanna hear the second album that Def Jam wouldn't drop with the 8 Neptunes songs....and the records he did with Pete Rock this year. Roth may not ever be a mega star...but he's happier than most rappers I've seen.
Cory Gunz-I bet everyday he thinks about how A Milli should've changed his life. Bars for days still...maybe he'll get another shot one day.
Blu-I liked NoYork...why did he want to make it his major label album I will never know. Why sign to a major and not even attempt to make a hit. Oh well, at least he releases music that's mixed now. Can I get another album w/Exile please?
Mickey Factz-If there's ever a "don't sign to a major" story it's his. Beyond talented.
for some reason I seem to be the only one who rides for him here.
Ace Hood-Who would've thought he'd be the (2nd) biggest artist commercially. He just keeps making radio hits....I think he's wack tho.
Curren$y-How does he keep giving away such good music without really touring. How does he make money?!? Whatever he drops I ready for. Pliot Talk 3 is next!!!
Kid Cudi-Now that's he gotten past producing for himself Cudi can go back to being the go to guy for Emo records. MOTM 2 is a personal classic.
___________________________ OL' DIRTY BASTARD on himself: "I may curse, I may have a bad mouth, whatever whatever. I'm not that bad, yaknow'mean. Bad to y'all, I dunno how y'all... I don't give a fuck. Um, I'm a good person at heart, for real and shit.
This was the year where I thought there was a good change happening in hip-hop... new artists coming up who had a bit of 'individual' about them, and a creative edge that didn't happen in the mainstream in previous years
But after impressive starts, most of them didn't quite reach the potential I expected
>Wale Used to play the 100 miles & about nothing mixtapes ALOT, and his albums I liked more than most people did too.
>B.o.B Also had a good mixtape run but after hearing that 'Airplanes' song so much everywhere I pretty much got sick of hearing him.
>Charles Hamilton Had the creativity, but the execution didn't do it for me. His recordings were too budget sounding for me.
>Asher Roth All i know is the house party song.
>Cory Gunz Never listened to him
>Blu Below the Heavens blew me away, and I play that still front to back. The 2nd album didn't move me though, and since I haven't checked out his releases.
>Mickey Factz Never really took the time to hear his stuff. And I'm not sure why
>Ace Hood All I know is that Bugatti is a club BANGER
>Curren$y Sometimes LESS IS MORE. I did enjoy Pilot Talk though, I checked that out because of the features.
>Kid Cudi Liked his mixtape run, but the albums weren't my kind of thing. I respect that he puts out what he wants though.
flip flopped as an artist , had some buzz/excitement now i think his career is on the downswing. i only found him aight as a MC but liked his flow and the fact DC finally had a rapper
>B.o.B
know dude as a less talented version of andre3000 and for the eggplant friday thing
>Charles Hamilton
conceptually interesting at first then just became weird he's important because he is an early example of social media/music forum hype
>Asher Roth
who?
>Cory Gunz
had major hype but not enough material to sustain it
>Blu
downloaded off the okp hype shit was corny to me
>Mickey Factz
who?
>Ace Hood
like the energy in his songs and think he can actually rap career is fucked now though. biggest thing he got going on is wearing modisch hoodies and getting his dreads moisturized
>Curren$y
one of my favorite artists work ethic crazy, beats crazy, flow crazy, concepts aight zero star potential though
Only ones I fuck with. And both of them seem to be losing their way. Although the Pilot Talk 3 snippets sound dope enough to rejuvenate my interest in Spitta.
13. "RE: Class of 2010" In response to Reply # 3 Mon Dec-22-14 04:28 PM by astralblak
>J. Cole kid is a semi-star. makes good rap songs
>Pill folk like Noz swore he was just as good as Gibbs. he wasn't.
>Nipsey Hussle never heard any of his tapes
>Freddie Gibbs top 5 right now. the end
>Big Sean weak
>Wiz Khalifa I fucked with OJ and Allderdice, and some songs from his studio albums, he has more of a mainstream career than most from the first years, but he really is a minimal talent as a rapper
>OJ da Juiceman FOH
>Jay Rock He really needs to create a great album. He has it in him
>Fashawn slept on. very good talent. quality projects as well
Some stars in this crop but also some dudes who literally don't even have careers anymore.
___________________________ OL' DIRTY BASTARD on himself: "I may curse, I may have a bad mouth, whatever whatever. I'm not that bad, yaknow'mean. Bad to y'all, I dunno how y'all... I don't give a fuck. Um, I'm a good person at heart, for real and shit.
>Meek Mill want to like him more than I do, just don't
>Big K.R.I.T. loved the first three projects, now it all sounds the same to me
>Cyhi The Prynce never checked his tapes, but always enjoyed his verses
>Lil Twist WHO...
>Yelawolf disappointing. he's a great rapper. He needs a one producer project
>Fred the Godson blah
>Mac Miller WACK
>YG had two of my favorite popular singles this year, never heard his album, even tho folk claim this years joint is flames
>Lil B I did not believe at first, but he really was ahead of the curve. everyone stole from him, it's sad. He should've not been so in on "the joke" and made a great project instead of projects filled with filler and nonsense and greatness
i predict his career is on the downswing. he always has 1 or 2 GREAT songs on his albums. hard to listen to his albums all the way thru though
>Big K.R.I.T.
like a handful of his songs. feel like dude got way more hype simply for being southern and having rapping ability. the verse on jetlife made me think he would be way better overall
>Cyhi The Prynce >Lil Twist
who?
>Yelawolf
he's white and authentically ghetto. all i know really
>Fred the Godson
head so fat he gotta sit his fitted on the edge of his forehead and just let that shit teeter
>Mac Miller
like his song with the Internet. that's bout it
>YG
only know his singles. not that pressed to learn about him
>Lil B
I'm gay was a classic to me. most of his songs are hit or miss like a mutherfacker tho
>Kendrick Lamar
2nd best MC of his generation with a real chance to become #1 with this next album
>Diggy Simmons
nepotism don't be working though i think he and will smith jr can actually rap
didn't realize he was a rapper i like some of his songs, he's nothing special especially if you're classifying him as a rapper
>Kid Ink
who?
>Danny Brown >French Montana
don't think either of these dudes bars are worthy of the hype i think both of them get ALOT of style points the fact that ppl were saying that french would be better than max b seems criminal in retrospect
>Macklemore
only know his singles. Trader Joe's rap is not for me.
>Don Trip
who?
>Machine Gun Kelly
i may be getting MGK and yelawolf mixed then again i might not. it probably doesn't matter
>Hopsin
who?
>Iggy Azalea
only know know one song from her. that shit go though
guest verses >>>>>>>>>>>> his album he went from someone i was excited about to weed carrier status wit the quickness imo
>Trinidad James
internet haters were finally right about somebody
>Joey Bada$$
underrated. should be bigger than he is. rhymes good, beat selection good
>Ab-Soul
like a handful of songs.
>Logic
hear hype. heard naan songs yet though
>Action Bronson
mostly known for being a poor mans Ghost and having pastrami breath. i gave him a chance and it wasn't good enough for me to go back to the well
>Kirko Bangz >Travi$ Scott >Dizzy Wright >Angel Haze
who?
>Chief Keef
is now weed carrier for his former weed carriers never a good sign when you're the breaking act and significantly worse than everybody in your collective trying think has that ever happened before.
the lil B of thug rappers. work ethic is crazy and usually has 1 or 2 great songs on any given tape. but shit is too hit or miss for me to put too much time into
>Kevin Gates
liked what i heard on kevin gates vs. young thug tape
>Troy Ave
had cigar smoke and everything on repeat for a couple days few months ago afraid his opportunity has already passed.
10. "XXL always seems to be 1 or 2 years behind..." In response to Reply # 0
Each artist every year has already put out multiple projects by the time they're named "Freshman"... Just doesn't make sense... Blu. had out 3 albums and a mixtape by the time he was named a Freshman... Kendrick had the EP, OD mixtape, and I think the Dre co-sign before he was named a freshman... When I first heard about these issues, I thought the point of them were to break new artists... All picks are hella safe... And Ab-Soul and Schoolboy on there is laughable...
Now, they have fans vote on it... They should really try a new way of coming up with these lists...
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