The XXL Freshman Classes of late may have been gravitating away from the bar-heavy emcees from years past, but the cypher tradition has endured. That's not to say the most recent batch of rising rap stars are incapable of shining in such a format -- in fact, the new trailer for the upcoming event seems to point in a promising direction. With production set to be handled by Jetsonmade and bars by the collective talents of Polo G, Jack Harlow, Lil Keed, NLE Choppa, Rod Wave, Lil Tjay, Chika, Calboy, 24kGoldn, Mulatto and Fivio Foreign, all bets are off as to who might emerge as the MVP.
In the first batch we've got NLE Choppa, Lil Tjay, Rod Wave, and Chika, all of whom are paired with an emotional and up-tempo instrumental that pairs nicely with their melodically-inclined deliveries. The second beat is a little more unconventional, with slightly-delayed string-plucks giving the instrumental an interesting bounce; stepping up to the challenge are Mulatto, Fivio Foreign, Calboy, and 24kGoldn. Last but not least is the group of Jack Harlow, Lil Keed, and Polo G, who get the benefit of a beat that sounds tailor-made for radio -- though like XXXTentatcion, Ski Mask and Tierra Whack before him, Polo G appears to be going acapella.
Check out the full trailer below, and sound off -- do you think these cyphers will help cement this class as one for the ages? Or do you feel like XXL need to spark a new tradition better suited to this style of artist?