It's that time of year again as XXL is back to reveal the latest edition of their storied Freshman Class. This marks the 18th in the publication's history and like always, it's already sparking passionate discourse online. But before that, here are the 12 artists who were selected out of the field of 68.
In alphabetical order, the 2025 XXL Freshman are 1900Rugrat, BabyChiefDoIt, EBK Jaaybo, Eem Triplin, GELO (LiAngelo Ball), and ian. Then, rounding them out are LAZER DIM 700, Loe Shimmy, Nino Paid, Ray Vaughn, Samara Cyn, and YTB Fatt.
EBK Jaaybo was this year's 10th spot winner and due to him dealing with legal issues, will not be able to be a part of the always anticipated cypher. Speaking of which, the outlet also revealed that over this next month, ABCs, freestyles, interviews, and more will be on their YouTube channel.
As for who concocted this year's beats for the rapper, hitmaker Cardo Got Wings was tasked with that for 2025. Overall, this should be a thrilling 30 days for XXL and rap fans in general.
The biggest names right off the bat are most likely going to be GELO, Ray Vaughn, and ian for most people. Sure enough, a lot of people have been voicing their confusion and frustration over the former NBA prospect's inclusion.
In the comments section for XXL's Instagram post, folks didn't understand how one hit song was enough to earn him a spot. "Gelo for 1 song bruh? Cmon dawg, this list gets more & more meaningless by the year," one user harshly writes. "Gelo got 1 good song how the helly [laughing emoji]," another adds.
But with his lucrative Def Jam deal and a debut album on the way with more than one smash record, we can see why XXL selected GELO. As for Ray Vaughn, he just dropped the solid The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu in April. Moreover, he showcased his abilities to go toe-to-toe with a revered veteran in Joey Bada$$ as well.
As for ian, he's grown a steady cult-like following over the last several months with his Valedictorian mixtape. Additionally, he's got the splashy collabs and cosigns from Lil Yachty, Chief Keef, VonOff1700, and more.
As always, it's going to be fascinating to see how all of these artists' careers pan out following the XXL nod. Let's sit back and "let 'em cook."
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