With every XXL Freshman Class, there's bound to be MCs included who will eventually flop-- that's just the nature of trying to predict who will break out in the sea of up-and-coming rappers. Since the magazine began the now-prestigious list back in 2008, we've seen several former Freshmen fall off, so we've selected ten that we feel didn't live up to their potential.
Not every Freshman cover star seemed destined for national stardom, and so workhorses with strong regional fanbases (like Don Trip) and niche internet followings (Mickey Factz) aren't on here. Instead, these are the one-hit wonders, the guys who seemed to stop releasing music altogether, and those who didn't even seem like they belonged on the cover in the first place. Recently, guys like Charles Hamilton, Fashawn and Diggy Simmons-- who we might've included on a list like this last year-- have mounted comebacks or released long-awaited albums, so good on them for keeping that grind going. No disrespect to anyone we've included on the list, but people often forget that turning down an XXL spot can be more beneficial to your career than not, as we've seen Drake, Young Thug, Nicki Minaj and others flourish after doing so.
Nobody from 2014 and 2013's lists have been included, because it's a little too early to call any of them flops yet, so the members of this alphabetical list are all taken from the first five Freshmen classes. Any glaring omissions? Anyone you feel like was unfairly included? As always, let us know in the comments.
Donnis
Class Of: 2010
Once signed to Fool's Gold and Atlantic Records, Donnis seemed to fizzle out pretty quickly. His Diary Of An ATL Brave tape got a fair amount of buzz, as did his single "Gone," but just about two years after he appeared on the cover, he seemed to stop releasing music altogether. He's still got a verified Twitter account, and says his next project will be "a fuck U to everyone sponsored by" Fool's Gold, so maybe we'll be eating our words in a year.
Fred The Godson
Class Of: 2011
A hallmark of each new Freshman Class seems to be the New York rapper that no one outside of the city has heard of. As XXL's based in NYC, it's understandable that thy want to give shine to local guys who've been grinding hard for years, but hopefully they won't give us another Troy Ave or Fred The Godson this year. Fred's never had a solo track crack a million plays on YouTube, and aside from guest spots on songs by Jadakiss and Jim Jones, he's never really had opportunities to pop up on anyone else's radars.
Gorilla Zoe
Class Of: 2008
Atlanta's Gorilla Zoe had a pretty great run, but the curtain closed on that a long time ago. Emerging as a street rapper alongside Yung Joc with the hit "Coffee Shop," Zoe has seen his career take a similar turn to Joc's recently. He even ventured into some Kid Cudi-style emo-rap with "Lost" and "Echo" a few years ago, but it didn't seem like he could flip that into commercial success. Unfortunately, XXL included him on the list when he was right in the middle of a hot streak that was only a year or two long.
Lil Twist
Class Of: 2011
Of all the rappers chosen for this list, Lil Twist is probably the one that everybody can agree on. Seemingly only chosen as a Freshman for his famous friends (Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber), the Young Money signee hasn't been popping since he was ten and his novelty song "The Texas Twist" had Dallas going crazy for a minute. In the years that have followed, Twist has been in the news more for his criminal activity than his music, most recently scooping up six felony charges last weekend.
OJ da Juiceman
Class Of: 2010
OJ's best contributions to the world: the song "Make The Trap Say Aye" and this ridiculous freestyle video with Gucci Mane. Juiceman is the rare artist that Gucci co-signed and then went onto obscurity, as the East Atlanta Santa has a pretty amazing track record as an A&R. Seemingly too unfocused to ever generate traction of his own that wasn't based off a unique ad-lib, OJ's still out there making tapes, but he's now been replaced by a new generation of colorful trap-rappers.
Papoose
Class Of: 2008
In some ways, Papoose seems like he was always destined for his current status as a great lyricist who will never be a star, but then there are his attention-grabbing antics that seem like power grabs. All of his diss tracks are pretty petty, especially his retort to Kendrick Lamar's "Control" verse, and those seem to be the only reasons he ends up in the news. Having been in the game for ten years by the time he was included on the cover, Pap probably shouldn't have been a Freshman in the first place.
Pill
Class Of: 2010
Pill's probably the most glaring example of a one hit wonder on this list. His "Trap Goin' Ham" was huge, and led to a ton of notable co-signs and a deal with Maybach Music Group, but for whatever reason, he wasn't able to capitalize on its success.
Rich Boy
Class Of: 2008
Similar to Gorilla Zoe in that he was a Southern rapper with a few hits under his belt by the time he made it on the cover, Rich Boy also had a successful run in his own right. "Throw Some D's" still gets the party jumping, but most would be hard-pressed to name another one of his songs. However, last year's "Ridin Thru My City" was pretty hard, so we could very well see a Rich Boy comeback in the near future.
Class Of: 2012
Once seeming like he'd be Atlanta's go-to hook man, Roscoe Dash fell off after being featured on Waka Flocka Flame's "No Hands" and Big Sean's "Marvin & Chardonnay." Dash definitely got screwed over by some artists who didn't give him writing credits he felt he deserved, so maybe it's unfair to say he flopped by his own actions, but whatever the case, he's grinding hard to get back to the top. Hopefully we'll see him find more success in the future.
Saigon
Class Of: 2008
Certainly one of the best and most accomplished rappers on this list, Saigon has a hell of a life story, but maybe it's his insistence on focusing each new project on his self-described "Greatest Story Never Told" that's hindered his success. No one can deny his lyrical abilities, but when he's best known for being "that rapper from 'Entourage,'" you can't exactly call him a star.