The long awaited reveal of the 2018 XXL Freshman List finally arrived last week, detailing nine of the hottest up-and-coming rappers in the game right now. While the list is typically controversial no matter who's on it, this year's list contained an high amount of "mumble rappers," including the freshman first on the list: Smokepurpp.
Born in Miami, Florida, Smokepurpp found his success like most rappers in his generation; dropping tracks on Soundcloud. As one of the forerunners of the grungy, hard hitting Florida sound that's become so popular, he joins XXL in a video profile to speak about his environment growing up, his musical inspirations, and his own sound.
According to Purpp, his upbringing had a direct influence on his sound. Florida is a summer state, and there are parties abound. That, in combination with the roughness of the streets, finds Purpp at the intersection of bouncy turn up music and trap-flavored street raps.
He claims that the main musician he listened to growing up were 50 Cent and the rest of G-Unit. He believes that some of 50's aggressiveness might have found its way into him. He also mentions Gucci Mane and Chief Keef as major influences as well.
In addition to the profile of Smokepurpp, the video also offers a preview of one of the upcoming Freshman cyphers. It appears that Purpp will be rapping alongside his contemporary, Lil Pump, as well as BlocBoy JB. While the raps can't be heard in the video, the energy displayed by the artists (and Pump throwing money in the air) means it's probably going to be an interesting cypher.
Check out Smokepurpp's profile below.