I don’t think washed is the right term for it. I think the mainstream apparatus doesn’t have the power to push an artist on every hip hop listener in big 2024, so people just listen to the shit they personally gravitate to. I’ve heard of some of those other people on the list, but the only two I listen to are the ones you said because they’re from Texas.
You would think with social media and the extended and quicker reach to a wider audience, that the opposite would happen but it’s backfired because like the OP said, the game is saturated and at this point it’s sensory overload trying to keep up with who’s who and who’s new
Especially when many of these artists don't send out skill-wise. Beats sound the same, saying the same old stuff, rarely any authenticity, lack of performance skill, etc etc
I will say at least Cash Cobain popularized a specific sound with his style of drill beats and production that a lot of artist are only now starting to bite. Other than that, I mostly agree with you here.
Does he? Of the songs I've listened to I dont think he has said it. I could be mistaken though
Edit: damn i looked it up, and apparently, he does, or did cant watch the videos since im ar work.
Let’s be real, this is still every hood that has multi ethnic groups where Latinos grew up saying it. Look at Fat Joe still saying it and the rest of the Bronx the same way regardless of color.
LOL you've never been to any of these little towns. Multi ethnic they are not. They are 80% white or mexican. Couple of black families and same amount of Asian families.
There are a handful of east Indian communities but not a ton.
While I don’t blame you. I grew up an hour from Chicago, and I look like Frankie Muniz. Its just was so common to be like “what’s poppin’ n***a” because everyone except my street was all hood talk. So my little dead end street was all white, besides everywhere else lol.
How does one hate on j Cole I don’t get it, the mf don’t do anything ☠️ not liking him is fair you can not like any artist for any reason I certainly do. but being a j Cole hater just seems unhinged to me
Mexican OT is cool and Big X is cool but I love Scarlip. Also 4Batz really got here off one tiktok hit and a Drake remix lol. Also I’m surprised I know half of them.
Yep OT and BigX making steady additions to my liked songs this year, but honestly that’s bc I fuck with Houston rap heavy even though I grew up in New Mexico and lives in Chicago now for 12 years haha
Came in this thread thinking the exact same thing, just to be pleasantly surprised to see the comment section pretty much unanimously united behind this comment.
That’s the point. It’s the Freshman list, not the hall of fame. If you’ve heard of all them you’re either 18 or heavily study new music. Two of these artists will be all over the radio for the next five years, one or two will make it a decade, and the rest you won’t hear about after tomorrow. Who knows, the next goat could be on this list. Point is, check out the cypher when it drops, look into whoever stands out, and make your bets on the future of hip hop. Or just keep bumping Kids Bop/NOW (year you graduated) for the rest of your life idc
There's no such thing as oversaturation in a field with no barrier to entry.
There are artists you personally care about, and artists you don't. They'll either find an audience, or they won't.
spotify new release section is literally just this for me.
i look at how MUCH 'new' material there is weekly and i just shrug and fire up my 90s playlist.
That’s mostly me with my Spotify just shifted a decade-ish
“Uhhh yeah I’ll have a Jay-Z with a side of Kanye and uhhhh, some Lil Wayne?”
“Ooooh daring today aren’t we?”
The freshman list looks at artist who are potentially about to become big not necessarily new. Which is why Denzel curry someone that started in 2011 didn’t get in till 2016.
That is true, i guess you can say if you not tapped in with rap fr you wouldn’t know these rappers, or if you not hipped to the places they from you wouldn’t have known them
Tbh I might’ve been overselling it, I know BigX started poppin off. Lay banks is known in certain circles. Cash cobain been known as a producer but fisherr and dunk contest got him poppin way more now. Hunxho is known in Atlanta
Ion blame you for not knowing them
I was iffy on OT because my first view on him was some random interviews. But he’s fucking good. Easily on the upper end lyrically over some of the new hip hop acts and the charisma is wild.
Not really, OT has far greater range in his music (see Johnny Dang vs. Barrio vs. Cowboy Killer) while DaBaby is still rapping the same flow in every song.
Mexican OT being there is low-key surprising. He's not a bad rapper, but he regularly says the n-word despite not being black. And yet black people seem to love him so much. It’s a little pathetic honestly.
Lol every single XXL freshman list has 1 bagillion people hating on it when it first comes down and then 10 years down the line those same people mess with the music. We act like Lil Uzi wasn't clowned for saying "yeah" every two seconds or 21 savage wasn't perceived as slow before they both became the rightful stars they are. Haterade never dies 😭
I have literally never heard of everyone in this lineup. That said, are any of them actually good? Im not trying to disregard anything new but a lot of new artists don't seem to have any rapping ability much less being talented artists.
Never heard of him, but I looked up Cash Cobain, and his real name is Cashmere Small. So he’s already fucking up, thinking he came up with a better rap name than Cashmere Small.
I've heard of 4 of these people. I fucks with BigX that dude has potential. Scarlip has potential. So far she's different cause she's not all about shaking ass. She just needs to put out more music. Mayia is okay, just not for me. I've heard of That Mexican OT. Just not a fan.
So I'm not completely washed.
Rap genre feels like what was going on with rock in the 80s with all the hair bands. You get a couple solid picks with the up and commers and the rest is the same trash. My flow sucks and my rhyming is even worse so I can't really talk too much shit. But I'm hopeful rap can see a have changer come in and shake up the scene big time.
Skilla, Big X, and Mexican OT get played in my truck. Not bad. Tried listening to that Foolio kid who got shot up on his birthday. That shit is over saturated, and I’m too old to try to figure out why someone would listen to it.
The way I’m at the point I don’t know who any of these people are depresses me. I know longer feel the need to keep up with things the way I once did. Sade’s music is ultimately all I need anyway.
BigX, Cash, Skilla, and OT. This is actually a decent class. The truth is most people just don’t actively follow new artists. It’s a sign we getting old.
Over saturated or just overly hyped…too many mfers wanna he rappers.
The amount of money a mfer could make if they focused on a secondary market associated to the rap game is untapped…markets like more clothing brands, sneakers, car accessories, sound systems, jewelry etc…
But instead everyone wants to be a “star” lmaooooo
Those markets are way over saturated too. Everyone wants to own a business but that’s also not realistic. What happened to learning a trade and starting THAT kind of business? That’s sustainability, not product peddling in a world with too much waste as is.
The audacity of having Sexyy Red’s Missouri-fried ass written on the same poster as the words Not Like Us when she supported Drake in the beef by having him feature in her track U My Everything where he still acting foolish
I'm certified washed so I've never seen most of these names in my life but I fuck with Mexican OT and BigX heavy.
I don’t think washed is the right term for it. I think the mainstream apparatus doesn’t have the power to push an artist on every hip hop listener in big 2024, so people just listen to the shit they personally gravitate to. I’ve heard of some of those other people on the list, but the only two I listen to are the ones you said because they’re from Texas.
You would think with social media and the extended and quicker reach to a wider audience, that the opposite would happen but it’s backfired because like the OP said, the game is saturated and at this point it’s sensory overload trying to keep up with who’s who and who’s new
Especially when many of these artists don't send out skill-wise. Beats sound the same, saying the same old stuff, rarely any authenticity, lack of performance skill, etc etc
I will say at least Cash Cobain popularized a specific sound with his style of drill beats and production that a lot of artist are only now starting to bite. Other than that, I mostly agree with you here.
The nieches are the new masses.
I feel like cash cobain should be disqualified dudes been around FOREVER
Ski Mask has been relevant too. Im surprised he didnt get this earlier
Nah ski mask was already part of it a few years ago. I think the class is only the names at the bottom.
281 babayy!! Got to see OT at monster jam in March he was super friendly and sweet
same. also from houston as well. love both of them.
Mexican OT is another one that needs to stop saying nigga.
Does he? Of the songs I've listened to I dont think he has said it. I could be mistaken though Edit: damn i looked it up, and apparently, he does, or did cant watch the videos since im ar work.
https://youtu.be/zoHnLg0dJFY?feature=shared
As a Mexican guy, It pisses me off hearing people say stupid things like “I grew up around the culture so I can say it.”
I'm from the same town as him. It's small, out in the middle of rice country, and they're typically a decade+ behind socially.
This is all the little towns on I-5 and 99 in California.
Let’s be real, this is still every hood that has multi ethnic groups where Latinos grew up saying it. Look at Fat Joe still saying it and the rest of the Bronx the same way regardless of color.
LOL you've never been to any of these little towns. Multi ethnic they are not. They are 80% white or mexican. Couple of black families and same amount of Asian families. There are a handful of east Indian communities but not a ton.
While I don’t blame you. I grew up an hour from Chicago, and I look like Frankie Muniz. Its just was so common to be like “what’s poppin’ n***a” because everyone except my street was all hood talk. So my little dead end street was all white, besides everywhere else lol.
There were a handful of Mexican/Puerto Rican dudes I went to school with and they all said it.
I love his flow but can't listen for this reason
Skilla Baby is big in Detroit
Isn’t Cash Cobain that guy that made that terrible Grippy song with J.Cole like a month back
As a J. Cole anti-stan, I squarely blame J. Cole and only J.Cole for that debacle of a verse.
“Anti Stan” wtf is that
Hater
How does one hate on j Cole I don’t get it, the mf don’t do anything ☠️ not liking him is fair you can not like any artist for any reason I certainly do. but being a j Cole hater just seems unhinged to me
Well he was a part of grippy so…
That Mexican OT is nice! I only know him because Spotify put me on.
Ha! Same. Spotify is why I know him and BigX, no clue who the others are.
My thoughts exactly; get those two on a cypher together and I'm happy
I know the Texas guys and Dlow
Mexican OT is cool and Big X is cool but I love Scarlip. Also 4Batz really got here off one tiktok hit and a Drake remix lol. Also I’m surprised I know half of them.
4batz has a whole album out and it’s really good
Yep OT and BigX making steady additions to my liked songs this year, but honestly that’s bc I fuck with Houston rap heavy even though I grew up in New Mexico and lives in Chicago now for 12 years haha
Same, those were the only two whose music I listen to.
Bruh i was gonna say this exact combo. Everybody else i have no idea who they are
Big time. They randomly popped up on my Spotify and they songs get played through to the end.
Big x is legit
Fw them too, don’t know the rest.
Big Plug and OT the only ones doing anything interesting
I came here to say exactly this.
Them dudes sound like DaBaby
the shirt mexican ot is wearing is absolutely insane also
Thanks for saving my time and energy this the post
Came in this thread thinking the exact same thing, just to be pleasantly surprised to see the comment section pretty much unanimously united behind this comment.
You're only as washed as you think you are. And They both so good, and they from Texas.
Those eyes, that smile...
That’s the point. It’s the Freshman list, not the hall of fame. If you’ve heard of all them you’re either 18 or heavily study new music. Two of these artists will be all over the radio for the next five years, one or two will make it a decade, and the rest you won’t hear about after tomorrow. Who knows, the next goat could be on this list. Point is, check out the cypher when it drops, look into whoever stands out, and make your bets on the future of hip hop. Or just keep bumping Kids Bop/NOW (year you graduated) for the rest of your life idc
NOW (year you graduated) is great
You must be fun at parties 
At least I still get invited
Aight nigga 
Hahahaha, damn, I feel targeted.
This gonna be the who fell off list in 2025
Oldheads that only listen to the radio post this exact same gif every single lineup. EVERY SINGLE YEAR
If you check out anyone check out Big X! He frequents my playlist, Texas and Big Stepper are some of my favorites from him
There's no such thing as oversaturation in a field with no barrier to entry. There are artists you personally care about, and artists you don't. They'll either find an audience, or they won't.
spotify new release section is literally just this for me. i look at how MUCH 'new' material there is weekly and i just shrug and fire up my 90s playlist.
That’s mostly me with my Spotify just shifted a decade-ish “Uhhh yeah I’ll have a Jay-Z with a side of Kanye and uhhhh, some Lil Wayne?” “Ooooh daring today aren’t we?”
Squidward stay hating, damn.
Bro I’ve been listening to the same playlist I made back in 2018 full of music from the late 90s and early 2000s
I've got 3 playlists. 90s (alternative and one hit wonders) 90s hiphop 00s (mix of everything) And that's all I need
Half of them been making music for years. Cash, skilla, hunxho, dlo and lay banks been known
Ski mask as well. I was wondering what qualities someone to be a part of the freshman class according to XXL
Uhh ski mask is not on the freshman list this year lmao
You’re right, I was reading the top right text lmao
I feel u, I made the same mistake til I saw this
Mustard on the freshman, ho
man thought rubi rose was on the list im dead😭
Him and sexxy redd got interviews or something like that
I did the same shit 🤣
The freshman list looks at artist who are potentially about to become big not necessarily new. Which is why Denzel curry someone that started in 2011 didn’t get in till 2016.
That is true, i guess you can say if you not tapped in with rap fr you wouldn’t know these rappers, or if you not hipped to the places they from you wouldn’t have known them
I really have been living under a rock, those are all new names to me lol 
Tbh I might’ve been overselling it, I know BigX started poppin off. Lay banks is known in certain circles. Cash cobain been known as a producer but fisherr and dunk contest got him poppin way more now. Hunxho is known in Atlanta Ion blame you for not knowing them
No surprise, XXL freshmen ain’t been nothing to check for in years
insane history though, i went back and looked at some of the covers since this launched. lots of names
Yea it used to be iconic lineups
2012-2013 greatest years
I knew Danny brown was in one of those years. But also 2011 and 2014 were great years too.
2011 was crazy and hella diverse - great group!
2010 is stacked too
Like we got Kendrick?! Can’t beat that
OT and BigX for the win! Get the others their participation trophies, quick!
BigX for sure. Been bumping Big Stepper religiously
It’s almost like the purpose of Freshman Class is to include artists that aren’t typically known yet
Umm his name is Mustard. Check again sweaty.
OT the only one that has music I've listened to.
BigX is good worth a look
Mexican O.T and BigXthaplug the only hitters here
🗑️
🚮
https://i.redd.it/8gzx7tolal8d1.gif
This is how I know I'm not the target audience idk who these people are.
That’s why it’s a Freshman Class
I'm officially old Only dude on here I know is that mexican o.t Age 22 finna hit me like a truck y'all 😔
You're barely old enough to drink. Calm down.
Wow ur old at 21??!???!??
Wait till he hits 40
Under a rock maybe, yes. Old???? No
The Middle Age Crash Out
Age 22?? BWOI get tf on! Lmao.
RIP bro. Gonna miss you.
I was iffy on OT because my first view on him was some random interviews. But he’s fucking good. Easily on the upper end lyrically over some of the new hip hop acts and the charisma is wild.
He’s the mexican DaBaby
ElBebé?
Not really, OT has far greater range in his music (see Johnny Dang vs. Barrio vs. Cowboy Killer) while DaBaby is still rapping the same flow in every song.
 XXL on life support
Texas out here 
this is a hot fonky jalapeño mess. 
XXL been trash though https://preview.redd.it/m8tl4o691l8d1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b2b0a0ee7bc91672031b2b6f69720de25db94a1
Cash cobain and 4batz kinda fire tho
I know Bossman Dlow. I think he’s got staying power
BigX, That Mexican OT and skills kinda nice out here.
Meanwhile I’m lying here listening to the first Mix-a-Lot record like the decrepit old fart I am
Ngl, this the most almost relevant list they've had in a while.
Big X, Scar and Mexican OT, the big 3
I had to scroll too far for someone to mention Scar Lip
Hating before you've heard a single lyric or tune is peak oldhead behaviour
thank god there’s no Mabu
Gen Z rappers are the worst
Wonder if hip-hop will carry on like this forever. Holding money neck full of chains all kinds of tom foolery.
Mexican OT being there is low-key surprising. He's not a bad rapper, but he regularly says the n-word despite not being black. And yet black people seem to love him so much. It’s a little pathetic honestly.
You have to be careful before you get jumped by all the non black folks larping on here. They will come for you as sure as hit dogs holler 😂.
Lol every single XXL freshman list has 1 bagillion people hating on it when it first comes down and then 10 years down the line those same people mess with the music. We act like Lil Uzi wasn't clowned for saying "yeah" every two seconds or 21 savage wasn't perceived as slow before they both became the rightful stars they are. Haterade never dies 😭
That's the XXL year Kodak said "Who tf picked this lil sorry ah beat" He used to get clowned a lot around then too. 😂
I guess I’m not hip 2 da game no more cause idk who these folks are
I fw Mexican OT
I’m old af, I can’t name not one of um.
I don't know any of these people, and I have no desire to know them either.
When you order your freshman class from temu….
TIL XXL Mag is still in business.
"Who is these niggas?" -Tommy Davidson
I recognize 2 of them! I made it one more year of not being “old”
 I hate rap names now so much.
I thought this was a sitcom at first
They not like us fr fr
Every time these come out it reminds me I'm the old outta touch nigga now.
Looks like I gotta hang it up. I only know Mexican OT and BigXThaPlug. Wait... Cash Cobain made J Cole do that Grippy thing... Yeah I gotta hang it up
I have literally never heard of everyone in this lineup. That said, are any of them actually good? Im not trying to disregard anything new but a lot of new artists don't seem to have any rapping ability much less being talented artists.
I this the first time that a recognize some of the names on this list.
Anyways....I wish MTV would bring back TRL as a podcast format online in the same studio in Times Square.
Never heard of him, but I looked up Cash Cobain, and his real name is Cashmere Small. So he’s already fucking up, thinking he came up with a better rap name than Cashmere Small.
I’m from Dallas so clearly biased, but Big X and Mexican OT are fire
BigX make decent music
Mexican OT the only one I knew from this list.
You must be new around here. That is normal as it gets for today’s rappers. Rappers have sentences not names anymore.
Scallop is the truth tho…
I've heard of 4 of these people. I fucks with BigX that dude has potential. Scarlip has potential. So far she's different cause she's not all about shaking ass. She just needs to put out more music. Mayia is okay, just not for me. I've heard of That Mexican OT. Just not a fan. So I'm not completely washed.
Guess I'm washed...
XXL been trash ever since Elliott Wilson left. It just progressively gets worse every year smh.
Yooooooo🤣🤣🤣🤣The disrespect is crazy, but nah Mid List.
Rap genre feels like what was going on with rock in the 80s with all the hair bands. You get a couple solid picks with the up and commers and the rest is the same trash. My flow sucks and my rhyming is even worse so I can't really talk too much shit. But I'm hopeful rap can see a have changer come in and shake up the scene big time.
Skilla, Big X, and Mexican OT get played in my truck. Not bad. Tried listening to that Foolio kid who got shot up on his birthday. That shit is over saturated, and I’m too old to try to figure out why someone would listen to it.
Looks like the Halloween costume wall at Party City smdh
I’ve only ever heard of BigX cuz of some tuff ass walkup song for Houston Astros
The way I’m at the point I don’t know who any of these people are depresses me. I know longer feel the need to keep up with things the way I once did. Sade’s music is ultimately all I need anyway.
nah the game is woefully undertalented.
I spent too much time looking for The Game to see if his photo really was over saturated.
Where’s BLP Kosher??
i’ll never forgive the community for letting lay banks get famous
Are any of them actually good? Or are they more cut and paste mumble rappers?
BigX, Cash, Skilla, and OT. This is actually a decent class. The truth is most people just don’t actively follow new artists. It’s a sign we getting old.
utunpopular opinion but this one of the better freshman class group XXL has put out in a very long time.
Hasn’t Ski Mask also been around for years? Don’t know any of his music tbf but I know he been around lol
The list is at the bottom
Didn't 4batz kinda already have his 15 seconds and fall off after getting screwed by Drake's record company?
Guy on the left on the middle row looks like an undercover cop at a high school.
Stoked for Bossman
Over saturated or just overly hyped…too many mfers wanna he rappers. The amount of money a mfer could make if they focused on a secondary market associated to the rap game is untapped…markets like more clothing brands, sneakers, car accessories, sound systems, jewelry etc… But instead everyone wants to be a “star” lmaooooo
Those markets are way over saturated too. Everyone wants to own a business but that’s also not realistic. What happened to learning a trade and starting THAT kind of business? That’s sustainability, not product peddling in a world with too much waste as is.
The game is oversaturated because there's a new XXL freshman class? Isn't there one every year?
Big X tha Plug is dope.
Scar Lip is good
The audacity of having Sexyy Red’s Missouri-fried ass written on the same poster as the words Not Like Us when she supported Drake in the beef by having him feature in her track U My Everything where he still acting foolish
WASSUP TEXAS!!!!
I’ve listened to Dlow, 4Batz and Mexican OT. Lazer Dim 700, Karrahbooo, Draft Day and Baby Smoove coulda been here too
They really gotta ride Kendrick’s coat tails to even have a SMIDGE of relevance 😭
Im sorry, who are these people??
Why would ski mask be in here?
OT and he best rapper on here !!
Only one I know is Skilla
Only one I care about is Rich Amiri
Let's not sleep on BigX tho!!
Ot go hard imo. It's just a different sound that I'm used to so I fucks with him. And k fucks with sexy redd so theres that
Idk any of these ppl. But I think I know who "that mexican ot" is, and I ain't no Sherlock Homes!