It's that time of year again. The 2018 XXL Freshman list has been revealed and, as usual, there are some rappers that are upset to have not made the cut. While all of the buzzing new faces in the industry were considered, XXL only has ten spots to fill and with Lil Skies turning down his invitation for the fan-voted tenth place, only nine artists graced the cover this year. The cover unveil is usually not the not exciting part of the Freshman List though as cyphers and freestyles await us, introducing the masses to some of the hottest new rappers that the game has to offer. Starting the freestyle sessions today, Smokepurpp was the first batter up to the plate.
One of SoundCloud rap's founding fathers, Purpp was probably not expected to perform the most exciting freestyle of the bunch as he does not typically gloat about his lyrical prowess. However, his session may surprise some of his naysayers as he kept things together, setting a bar for the others to reach. From the rest of the field, J.I.D. and Ski Mask the Slump God are likely the two favorites in terms of the freestyle section but the cyphers are where things will truly get interesting.
Talking mostly about his bust-downs and how he rides around town with a "thot b-tch," the content Lil Purpp is working with is not necessarily Nas' level of lyricism but it's probably more than what was expected of him. Compared to past years, where does Smokepurpp's freestyle rank in your books?