This years XXL Freshman List has seen controversy for several reasons. From awful freestyles to cutting a freestyle short, there are a lot of flaws with this years list. Although the list has some glaring issues, there are some things about this list that the fans love.

XXL is an annual list that consists of a mix of up-and-coming talented rappers and more popular rappers who have already established their place in the music scene. The list usually consists of ten or more artists, and one artist that is voted onto the list by fans.

This list has previously included now-major artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, and many more. In the past, this list has helped artists grow a bigger fan base, pushing them into the mainstream.

This year’s producer for the cypher beats was Pi’erre Bourne, who has produced songs for many popular artists such as Playboi Carti and Lil Yachty.

A big complaint this year had to do with the beats that were used on the Freshman cyphers. Fans complained that the beats seemed to have no effort put into them. Accordingly, Pi’erre talked about how he created a plethora of beats to choose from. “I was taking my time the first day. And then the second day, I was working really, really fast. Maybe, two-and-a-half sessions it took me to complete 40 beats for the Freshman to choose from.”

Regardless, the XXL Freshman List can be used to determine the next rapping sensations. After a deep dive into their catalogues, here is my ranking of this years XXL Freshman:

12. Lola Brooke

Lola Brooke is the worst artist on this list because Brooke’s music is extremely basic and not very engaging, making it hard for the listener to stay interested in the song. After listening to only a few songs from her catalog, I was tired of hearing her music.

Brooke’s music is heavily catered toward women with the topics that she talks about in her music, but that’s not why she’s ranked last. Brooke uses extremely repetitive and sexual lyrics in her songs. These overly suggesting lyrics are common among female rappers such as Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, but Brooke doesn’t pull it off as well.

11. Real Boston Richey

Real Boston Richey, one of two Tallahassee natives on the list, is only slightly better than Lola Brooke. Richey is a very typical Florida rapper who doesn’t do enough to set him apart from any other rapper from Florida. Richey is one of many modern rappers who mumble too much in their music, making it hard to understand what he’s saying. On top of his incomprehensible voice, his lyrics are awful. He uses extremely basic and questionable lyrics, leaving the listener wondering if they might have misunderstood what he said.

10. SleazyWorldGo

SleazyWorldGo is a simple but entertaining artist who doesn’t bring much to the table when it comes to uniqueness. Sleazy is not someone one would listen to for his lyrics, but someone one would listen to for his style. He has a very simple flow, raps over very generic beats, and has an overall plain catalog.

Not all of Sleazy’s songs are bland and generic, with some standout tracks such as “Sleazy Flow” and “Step 1.” Even on these standout songs, Sleazy needs help from a feature time to time, with features from artists like Lil Baby, Offset, and Polo G.

9. GloRilla

GloRilla is a Brooklyn artist who blew up for her feature on HitKidd’s “F.N.F (Let’s Go)” and her song “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B. GloRilla offers a very energetic and fun style of music, taking the classic rap and making it faster and making it feel more lively.

GloRilla’s lyrics are very simple but catchy and enjoyable for anyone who just wants something to listen to for fun. At the same time, some of her songs are very sexually catered toward a female audience, which is the case for most female rappers. Though, the same could be argued for many male rappers catering to men. That being said, songs like these usually hold back an artist from going mainstream because most men don’t want to be singing along to those types of lyrics, and more men listen to rap consistently than women.

Fridayy is an artist who I believe should not have made this list. Fridayy barely makes the cut as a rapper, as he is more of an R&B artist. He only made it this high on my list because his voice combined with his lyrics make for quality music. However, on a list of rappers, his voice is not going to take him very far.

Fridayy’s actual rapping skills are subpar, which is shown off during his freestyle where he decided to bring in a choir as backup singers. Fridayy also showcased very little rap ability during his cypher verse, re-using his verse on his song “Shoot.”

7. 2Rare

2Rare is another interesting pick for this years list. Just like Fridayy, 2Rare is extremely different than every other artist from the list in the type of music he makes. 2Rare makes a unique type of music called Jersey Club music.

Jersey Club music’s main difference from standard rap music is the beat that the artist raps over. The bass on the beat is louder and more frequent, making the song feel bouncy and energetic. Although people enjoy this type of music, it also raised concerns for his inclusion on this list.

Fans were expecting a poor performance on 2Rare’s freestyle and cypher verse, and he delivered exactly that. 2Rare’s freestyle included a messy mix of different flows and random sound effects. His cypher was the same, with all types of different flows and awful lines.

6. Finesse2Tymes

Finesse2Tymes is an artist that I thought may have only made it onto the list because of his popularity, with his song “Back End” going viral on TikTok. After listening to some of his music, however, I was proven wrong.

Finesse2Tymes takes a different approach to the Memphis style, with a more aggressive tone and louder sound on most tracks. Finesse showcased this style in his freshman cypher, where he out performed everyone else in his respective cypher. He also had a unique freestyle where he hit a chair with his hand to create a beat for himself to rap over. Not many could pull that off.

5. Rob49

Rob49 is one of the most popular artists on the list, and after listening to some of his music, it was easy to understand why. Rob49 comes from Louisiana, and the influence is apparent in his songs. He makes music that is simple enough for any person who regularly listens to rap music to find some enjoyment in his music.

Rob49’s cypher and freestyle both demonstrate a great use of his southern voice and style. In his freestyle Rob49 raps at an extremely fast pace while rapping a mix of simple lines and witty wordplay. His cypher performance was nothing special, but compared to some of the other peformances, his lyrics and flow seem much more impressive.

4. Luh Tyler

Luh Tyler is a 17-year-old artist out of Tallahassee, Florida who blew up after he started making music in his sister’s closet. His unique voice combined with that classic Florida style rap makes for a fun and different first listen from most other artists.

The main thing that might make someone dislike his music is his voice. Luh Tyler raps with no bass in his voice, and this higher pitched voice combined with his raspy voice makes it hard for people to listen to him. Once one gets used to his voice, however, his music is extremely enjoyable.

3. TiaCorine

TiaCorine is one of many female artists to gain popularity in the past few years, but I think that she already stands out as one of the most unique and best female rappers of this generation. TiaCorine is comparable to artists such as Lil Uzi Vert and Trippie Redd. These comparisons are clear on songs such as “Beamie,” which has a futuristic feel with a loud synth beat and has Tia rapping with autotune on it.

2. Central Cee

Central Cee stands out from the rest of the artists on this list, as he is the only British artist. Central Cee is by far the most popular artist in the on the list with an insane 29.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone.

Central Cee has something over all of the other freshman, that being his creative lyrics. Central Cee has songs with truly meaningful lyrics, while also not straying from the more basic topics that you would expect to hear from any modern rapper.

Central Cee also has the most experience as an artist; he has been making music for seven years. Late last year, he blew up with his song “Doja,” and since then, he has seen support from top artists such as Drake.

1. Dc The Don

Dc The Don has consistently been making great music and evolving since 2018, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. Dc is by far the most unique artist on the entire list because he doesn’t confine himself to one style. Dc went from making trap music in 2018 to making an indie rock/pop album in 2023.

Dc has talent in so many different categories of music. He has an amazing voice, impressive flows, great wordplay, and the ability to adapt to any kind of genre for a song.

Dc has always experimented in his music, constantly sampling different types of genres for his beats, his primary choice being rock music.

Dc took to X recently to talk about the constant evolution of his music. “Aye if you wanna listen to the same album over and over again, pick another artist cuz ima disappoint you. Grow with me or don’t, but i gotta keep elevating.”

More than the other 11 rappers on this year’s XXL Freshman list, I believe he will.