The 2024 XXL Freshman Class is finally here, and it's a pretty exciting roster of names that has people engaging in a lot of debate, discussion, and hot takes online. However, one aspect of this conversation so far online doesn't really concern the featured artists, but rather the slogan that the publication chose to attribute to them: "Not Like Us." This prompted many fans to do a quick scan and posit that this misses the point about what Kendrick Lamar's song is partially about. After all, this new Freshman Class includes no West Coast artists, so some folks online have an issue with using that region's current big hit.
Of course, the hype behind this Drake diss track is so massive across various corners of hip-hop that it's easy to understand why this 2024 XXL Freshman Class rollout would want to cement this moment within its coverage. In fact, Kendrick Lamar recently filmed the music video for "Not Like Us" in Compton, which makes this contrast caused by no West Coast artists all the more present in people's minds right now. Still, there's so much to talk about with the list either way that this backlash might fizzle out eventually. But the West will likely never forget.
2024's XXL Freshman Class
Regardless of all that, XXL's Freshman Class this year is going to show off their skills soon, and they'll prove fans' adoration or skepticism soon enough. BigXthaPlug, Maiya The Don, Hunxho, Rich Amiri, Cash Cobain, Lay Bankz, That Mexican OT, 4batz, Skilla Baby, Bossman Dlow, and ScarLip have fans ready to see what they've got. We all know how infamous or legendary some of these freestyles and cyphers can be, so it's going to be fun to watch it all go down. They already did a video series responding to hate comments, so they kicked off the content right away.
Fans React To The "Not Like Us" Slogan
Meanwhile, this has still been a phenomenal year for the West Coast, with or without XXL Freshman Class representation. Maybe the publication should consider an all-West Coast cypher much like they did with femcees not too long ago. Either way, there's a lot to be excited about, and much more to look forward to from California and company. As for the XXL list, we can't wait for those conversations.
