A preface: the most popular does not always equate to the best. Yet there is merit in popularity, as mass appeal is a difficult achievement for any creator in any given medium. And while rap fans love to endlessly debate any given category, XXL has made our lives easier by sharing a few notable numbers. More specifically, the most popular XXL Freshman Cypher Freestyles, as based on YouTube views. Whether that equates to the most lyrically adept is another discussion altogether, but it's certainly interesting nonetheless.
According to their findings, the most popular Freshman freestyle of all time belongs to the 2016 class, which tallied a whopping 139 million views. The class, which features Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, 21 Savage, Kodak Black, and Denzel Curry proved a strange hybrid indeed, and the beginning of an era in which lyricism would no longer sit at the forefront of such activities.
Next up is the following year's 2017 class, which clocked in a total of 40 million views. The class featured Playboi Carti, XXXTentacion, MadeinTYO, Ugly God, and more. As this class was divided into various chapters, it stands to reason that the late Triple X had something to do with this one's popularity.
In third place is another batch of 2016 alumni, this time featuring Lil Dicky, Desiigner, and Anderson .Paak. Together, their cypher gathered 37 million views, and nearly as many YouTube comedians flinging at Desiigner's expense. Curiously enough, the top three span across the same two years, likely signaling a spike in the Freshman Cypher's brand. All things considered, where do you think these Top 3 most popular freestyles stack in the grand scheme of things?