A Look Back @ XXL’s The 10 Freshmen
11.30.09
XXL dropped it’s, “The 10 Freshmen,” issue November 4th 2008, showing who they felt were the top 10 rookies in the Hip Hop game. With a year having gone by who lived up to the hype? Who was a disappointment? Who has the potential to take over?
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no drake no LIST!
NO J COLE
No Drake or J Cole, hamilton caught to many L’s and got dropped. asher is straight. B.O.B went missing but is still dope and comin bak. Ace Hood is coo in the streets, wale and k cudi are krazy, currensy aint ever gonna blow up, corey gunz spits fire and the other two dudes i could giv a fuck less
Only ones that made it big were Kid Cudi and Drake (not on the cover)
Currensy has a solid fan base, he’ll he’s not going nowhere but he wont be selling out albums either
The ones who did aight , established fan base, or still have a shot : Asher Roth, and B.o.B.
the rest? fuck em… ace hood and wale got no fans… gunz, blu, mickey, charles hamilton… who gives a fuck bout them?
lol@ace hood being on the cover.
In that list the only ones that matter are
Blu (if you don’t think he’s nice you need help)
Curren$y (Fly $ociety)
Asher Roth (Made an anthem)
Cory Gunz (Lyricist)
Wale (?)(debatable)
Seriously the rest is just not good. Notice that the good ones haven’t made it big (with the exception of Asher Roth).
im from miami and ace hood is garbage. Asher, kudi, wale, drake are cool with me.
corey gunz is a mixtape m.c. he aint gonna make it B.O.B. was hot for a minute and did a disappering act. everyone else fuck em
yea ace is pass freshmen
hes been around for a sec
and he aint taking nothing over
drake is the #1 feshmen …..but i guess they feel hes already blown
next to that …kudi, BOB, and asher are interesting
they hav the potential to do sum serious shit
as soon as drake allows them 2 i guess
Asher Roth had a lot of hype behind him so I consider him a disappointment. Cudi had a solid album he stayed in his won lane and didn’t change. Wale was under shipped No Drake. Charles Hamiltion was grinding then just stopped. B.O.B’s fan base grew same with Ace Hood. And Mickey Factz, Currensy, Blu didn’t really grow that much since the cover in erms of “hype” behind them and larger fan base
YALL SLEEP ON CURREN$Y HE FUCKIN WITH BLACROC NOW TO ME HE THE BEST NIGGA ON THE LIST, HE HAS THE MOST MIXTAPES AND HE NVER DISAPPOINTS
only one made it big is cudi
HAHA, ACE HOOD, DAM.
Asher- Did good, gotta hear his next album too know for sure tho
Gunz- Didnt blow up but he need 2
Cudi- Gonna be here for awhile
Blu- Havent even heard him
Hamilton- Nice but he toook a lot of L’s
Ace Hood- Wack
B.o.B- Best freshman out the south, need to blow up cuz he got sum buzz
Currency- Nice fan base but he aint gonna blow up
Factz- never heard him
Wale- boring
Drake is not really a freshman to me cuz he been out jus didnt have the buzz i consider him like a sophmore
Only Hold-Overs Are Kid Cudi & B.O.B.
Cory Gunz Nice, But Its Time We Hear Atleast A Song That Sounds Like A Single..
The Rest Are Done, Ppl Wont Buy Their Records, And Labels Done Gave Up On This Backpack Rap..
Ace Hood – LOL nigga keeps floppin and floppin and floppin
Currency – His career was DONE the day he left Cash Money
Kid Cudi – I aint feelin his style, plus weak album, but he’s perfect for maintream i guess
Asher Roth – His hype was all over after his first week #’s AKA when his label stopped promoting his ass
Wale – Dropped an ok album (better than Cudi in my opinion) but sales were SO LOW
Charles Hamilton – Its a shame. Probably the most skilled (minues Cory), but nigga takes too many L
Cory Gunz – Nigga been in the game for like 10 yrs. Its a shame, cuz he got SKILLZ!
J.Cole & Drake GOT NEXT!!!!!! definitely the best new rappers!
Cory guns wasn’t a rookie, that nigga been out for years; he came up with Jae Millz and J-Hood. He was on one of those smack dvds back in like 04-05 and was signed to Casablanca Records. He was supposed to drop and album back then. I used to listen to alot of his shit back in the day, I even got his old official mixtapes (one that seemed like it was only on his website)
Wale sucks, that niggas music is boring. Don’t know how he keeps getting on tv.
Currensy is nice; but I guess he got tired of waiting to drop an album so he left cashmoney.
The rest of them aren’t going to get any more popular then they already are. I don’t listen to their shit…
Wale won
if you think Wale wack go DatPiff
-100 miles and runnin
-Hate is the New Love
-Mixtape About Nothing
-Back to the Feature
niggas is sleepin, steady thinking whats on the radio defines whats hot. Cole is aight, comes correct sometimes, Drake is so so- but none of them have they own style. Only cats on that list with they own sound is Wale, Cudi, Currency, Bobby Ray, and maybe Blu
no j cole. no j cole. end of story.
Blu,Cory,Asher,cudi,micky wale is like ummmm hanging ther but ehhhh currency i dont hear about him really if it wasnt for Terry kennedy i prolly wouldn’t of heard of currency, Charles Hamilton idk you tell me the rest i dont think i heard of them
and yo dudes in here saying they never heard of Blu or Micky facts like dedass what u be doing fucking with that mainstream lil wayne rap all day?
ALLLL OF THESE NIGGAZ ARE HERBS!!!! THIS IS WHAT HIPHOP IS NOW…FUKIN SUCKS!!!….JUS TAKE A LOOK AT THAT FUKIN COVER!! R U KIDDIN ME…NIGGAZ ARE HERBS MAN…JUS BOOK RHYMES…NO REALNESS BEHIND THEM
Wale and Cudi are the ones that actually stood out with their albums and are poppin.
Asher Roth nobody cares for,
Mickey got ethered by Jay when Jay-z said Mickey Facts was not down with roc nation and doesnt undestand why people say he is,
Ace Hood flopped twice,
B.o.b is just a weirdo but he’s cool I guess,
Charles well you know what happened to him,
Currency will forever be a nice mixtape rapper but he lost when him and Wayne had a falling out.
Corey needs to get down with Young MOney or he’ll never make it,
Blu is a hip hop backpack artist and has a future in doing that
No Drake nor J Cole XXL failed!!!!
blu, gunz, currensy, asher, bob
wale kudi not sure
first of all……….DRAKE is arguably the biggest rapper of the year (WITH NOOOO ALBUM) and hes not even on the list. No J. Cole…..the only rappers who did anything were Asher Roth (I love college was a good record)……Kid Cudi (had 2 good singles) and Wale dropped an album w/ a good push from Lady GaGa…..Corey Gunz (no album…no buzz)…..Ace Hood (Garbage)……Charles Hamilton (no album….no buzz)
The lack of Drake and J Cole on the list made XXL look like idiots
Wale- Solid Album
Asher Roth- Solid Album
Kid Cudi- Average Album with good singles
Corey Gunz- Disappeared
Currency- Good mixtapes but often overlooked
Ace Hood- Wack
B.o.B- Disappeared
Charles Hamilton- Took too many L’s
Mickey Factz- Dissapeared
Blu- Who?
meh feeling for somo that lil tokyo. i know yall agree.
cheapie! niggas is droppin in just to pick up their own shit!
Cudi Or J.Cole
Okay, why in da hell is corey gunz on the cover ? ..nigga ain’t no rookie, he been in the game since 02-03 …and who da fucc is blu ..and why df does it look like ace hood has no neck in that pic ..ole mr potato head ass nigga ..but anyways the only niggaz on that cover i fuck with .. is charles hamilton , wale ..b.ob ..asher roth is alright some times …but thats it
Do aggin’s even realize that Curren$y dropped an album this year too!?! “This Ain’t No Mixtape” is a dope-ass album. He’s the livest to me but overall Drake, J.Cole, Spitta, Wale and Cudi are the only cats on that list with any type of longevity going forward.
THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE LIST
1.J.Cole
2.Drake
3.Cudi
4.Gunz
5.B.O.B.
6.Asher Roth
7.Charles Hamilton
8.Wale
9.Wiz Khalifa
10.Nikki Minaj
Anyone with their eyes know that this cover was all marketing dollars…I mean Charles Hamilton?
Bet his record label wanted they advance back after that chick two-pieced him, SMH.
Nipsey Hu$$le needed to be on the list.
eyes open*
ALL OF THEM ARE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND, STOP PLAYIN YOURSELVES
Here’s my take on the issue
Wale – good album no label backing
Asher Roth – Good Album but some people dont take him serious
KiD CuDi – Amazing Album gettin shine from the GaGa tour 2nd fav from the tour
Corey Gunz – dope lyricist but he wont be nothin more than a mixtape artist
B.o.B – very talented artist who’s finally gettin the push he should be gettin
Ace Hood – somebody cares about him lol
Charles Hamilton – too cocky/arrogant for his own health and only reaped the consequences
Mickey – got a fanbase somewhere
Curren$y – dude is dope but i cant get into his music for some reason
and down to the last
My Boy Blu – dude is my favorite artist on the list. dude can spit got concepts and is a good artist. to anybody talkin down on him listen to this and come back.
[www.youtube.com]
Dude has dropped three albums in a year and a half that were all made at the same time. Now he’s workin on his major label debut but dropped a mixtape and been on many features. he wont make it big basically because his sound is pure soul/gospel/backpack hiphop point blank.
and for everybody sayin that these dudes are not hiphop i wanna know whats your definition of hiphop because to me hiphop is being yourself and doing what you feel like doing. and a majority of these cats are doing just that….
Drake & J.Cole arent on the list AT ALL SO GET THAT THROUGH YALL HEADS…do they deserve it? yes i admit but Drake’s buzz didnt start gettin big until that fall when the mag came out but did yall get room for improvement in 06. what about when replacement girl was the new joint on 106 and when comeback season 1st dropped? And although J.Cole’s 1st tape came out in 07 and did yall know about him then????? Was his buzz as big as it is now?? So stop bitchin about them not being on the list when yall werent even listenin to them then. that was 08 this is 09
On Their Way
Blu (BTH is almost classic good , solid project after the next with J&J album…looking forward to his next album with Exile)
Curren$y (he got a strong following …his music is ok not a fan myself)
Cudi (had a solid year ..again not a fan..but he put out an album people liked ,on tour,etc)
Disappointments
CH (disappearing)
Wale (for still be trash)
Asher (same reason as Wale)
Ace Hood (nuff said)
Limbo
BOB (havent heard much music from dude he got an album coming out with Lupe, and Em features so i guess we’ll see if he delivers a dope project i def give it a listen)
Cory Gunz (not really progressing to anything he still freestyling over other ppl music but yet to get anything of original content from him… a mixtape, EP, album …nothing … maybe a freestyle rapper is all he aspires to be)
Mickey Factz (heaven’t heard a single bar of Mickey Factz rhymes in my entire life nobody has even tried urge me to so i cant comment on where his career is)
The best up and comers right now
1. Drake – I say he’s bound to do 5 million one day
2. Kid Cudi – Does it for the art
3. J. Cole – Does it for Hip-Hop
4. Wale – Same as J. Cole
5. Nicki minaj – Her fan base is ridiculous
6. Nipsey Hussle – Does it for the West
7. Tyga – He’s got the potential to be BIG
8. Wiz Khalifa – He’s got a talent at making songs (Flight School mixtape was nice)
Can’t think of anymore right now
CURREN$Y BY MOTHA FUCKIN FAR IS THE BEST ON THIS LIST!!! FLY SOCIETY NIGGA!!! GO ON YOUTUBE AND TYPE IN ”THIS AINT NO MIXTAPE”. IT’LL BE THE BEST SHIT YOU HEARD ALLLLL YEARRRR….
Kid Cudi, Wale & Asher lived up to they’re hype. Everyone else did o.k., without an album. But sadly Mickey Factz fell, I feel bad cause I’m a big Mickey fan.
jmoneys Says:
November 29th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
ALLLL OF THESE NIGGAZ ARE HERBS!!!! THIS IS WHAT HIPHOP IS NOW…FUKIN SUCKS!!!….JUS TAKE A LOOK AT THAT FUKIN COVER!! R U KIDDIN ME…NIGGAZ ARE HERBS MAN…JUS BOOK RHYMES…NO REALNESS BEHIND THEM
^^^^^^^^^^
co-signs HIP HOP DEAD bunch of fucking Faggots including Drake & J Cole
where’s the young Nas?? the real nigga like 2pac?? no Biggie type freestylers??
Glad i aint grow up in this wack ass generation bumps 90′s shit even early 2000 shit
@#38
Agreed, hip-hop is about being yourself, definition right there.
Blu, by many readers looking at this list right now, are still probably going to overlook him, but he really is one of the best.
Wale & Cudi did great this year, putting out good albums. Same goes for Curren$y, “This Ain’t No Mixtape” is the shit.
B.O.B came out with good singles, but fell off somewhere, hope he comes back with something hot.
For Cory Gunz, Mickey Factz, and Charles Hamilton, I can’t form a real judgement for them, only listen to a few song with them in it
Ace Hood just didn’t impress me at all
And for Asher Roth……….I thought he be like Em(kinda) but when his album came I was like “Are you fuckin’ serious” that has flop written all over it.
Everyone is complaining why Drake or J. Cole are not on this list. Duh this shit is old and buzz wasn’t as big or noteworthy back then.
Its sad to read the comments. that most people here never heard of Blu. He is the best rapper on that entire cover.
But I’m not surprised. None of you are Real hip hop fans. If you are a real hip hop fan than you search for your music instead of being a person that only gets their music when it is presented to them (radio).
And to those saying all these dudes are wack, eat a dick (more specifically #43)
Listen to Blu at least before you comment. Wouldn’t be surprised if his lyrics go over your pint sized brain.
LOL Curren$y and Blu weren’t freshmen anyways
The best rappers will no longer make it big, its all a business now. Get it together fans.
CUDI was on the best track of Blueprint 3, yeah he’s the winner.
xxl made the cover shoot wayy b4 j.cole even got really announced w/roc nation fukin idiots
drake stared on degrassi one of the biggest fukn shows on one of the biggest cartoon channels in the world and he’s was not poppin at the time either,
wale is da nigga tho slim lol like 4real street niggaz like his lil swag
he jus to fiminine dc niggz men
50 cent eithered ace hood
kid cudi – i mean day n nite the & he is down with kanye
asher was necessary
charles damn son like c’mon son !! lol
mickey wack’z is cool cause we need some cornball niggaz who no there lane
currency lil N O street rat kid nigga who made it, seen more then 2 dollas &
stabbed wayn in the back like u dont fall out wit niggaz who put u on
though u have your own style but you really made it cool 2 b yung money
y would u fuk that up, u idiot
blu who heard from you son y u take that place up
the same for fukin bob u wak ass andre 3000 country ass nigga
and lastly cory dumb’z u came in the game trynna b smarter than jay z
which is idiotic move u dumb ass, then u tell everybody shaq is your godfarther
like he aint the police ?? and your dads wak
drake is the nigga if u jus wanna keep menchnin him he always in dc
fukin with lola and them big butt girls, he know wale & woosie the prince of dc
also the nigga who got cut from makin the band who got a side deal with puff
j cole is next
dc rider, Teen Nick or Noggin, however you want to call it, is not a cartoon channel. It may be owned be Nickelodeon or something, but.. Oh, I agree. Wale is too feminine for his own good. No wonder him & Solange togeda.
Noggin or “Teen Nick” as it is now commonly referred to is Not a cartoon channel. Wale is pretty feminie tho, good thing Solo keep his rough a** in check.
FUCK ALL YOU THEY ALL SUK ASSHOLE RAP MUSIC IS FUCKED UP WHEN THIS IS ALL WE GOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO!!!!!
as in these niggas tripping still if you appreciated good music your comments wouldnt be so ignorant….”i havent heard any of blu or mickey factz shit” youtube these niggas and listen stupid muthafukaz . Blu in all honesty probably makes the realest music gives u that old school 90s feel like some tribe called quest mos def shit “backpack rapper” but he will never be able to sell records which just comes to show u people love gimick music and fuc^kry hip hop talking about the same thing on every song you listen to …Mickey aint bad either ..i dont think the list was bad at the point in time it was made seeing that drake and j cole had no buzz at the time…..buuuuuuuuuut ace hood is easily the wackest dude on the list khaled couldnt even help dude and “he the best” lmao
Asher – Disappeared when Em came back the same year his buzz went up and album came out. Dope album but it was messed up how that played out.
C. Hamilton – Took too many L’s and on top of that got ahead of himself though he drops dope music. I probably had the highest hopes for him if he’d chill with some of that silly stuff he was on.
Mickey Factz – Nice on the mic but is too cocky and hasn’t gotten a good break yet. Has showed promise over the course of the year but have yet to drop a hot single to break the glass ceiling yet.
Ace Hood – On Defjam as far as i know and nobody cares as far as i know. Never really cared for his music, but to each his own.
Blu – Has been busying touring and has dropped a new mixtape but i forgot the name of it. Still one of my favs, but i doubt people will fuck with him unless he sells his soul.
Curren$y – Is cool but probably regrets leaving Young Money. He still drops mixtapes so hopefully he’ll get his shot.
Cory Gunz – One of my personal favs but he’s has the worst trouble with labels and actually getting a push.
Wale’ – He was lucky to get on Roc Nation because he fucking sucks in my book. His album has nice production but he doesnt stand out lyrically and is nothing more than a tax write off. Its bad when you rep a place that doesnt really accept you.
Kid Cudi – Has a decent following and i like his music but hopefully he actually raps on his next project. Glad he got to shine and that he’s got creative control on his music.
B.O.B – Goes by Bobby Ray these days and is ghost writing/producing and working on his new album. Didnt care for his music at first because of the andre 3000 similarities but he grew on me with the talent that he has. He’s got promise but unless he can change the game, he’ll be overlooked.
As far as drake and J. Cole are concerned, people forget that nobody was on drake’s tip like that until he dropped “So Far Gone” and “Best I ever Had” in 09. Same thing with J. Cole, nobody cared for him until they found out he was the first signee on ROC Nation. Both got their spots in XXL but i think the Cool Kids should been apart of the freshman issues instead of being honorably mentioned on the next page after the interview.
GAZUATE, that is the gayest line ever. The best ain’t help Ace Hood
But, it’s ok. Ace brings that southern twang that Rick Ross brings. If only people would listen..
I for one cannot really say any of these dudes except Drake and Kid Cudi are big in my state, so..maybe it is the labels fault. Radio wants to hear radio friendly tunes.
I mean, I’m not sayin’ it got ta be some Radio Disney shit, some High School Musical – We’re All in This Together/Corbin Bleu shit, but.. b*tch you betta work!
none of these niggas made any noise besides cudi
4 me drake n cudi,j cole n wale kinda make sens right nw Ya crazy 4 hatin derez a upcoming rapper doin his thing hard check him out he go by da of prince dia….dat boi spit fire he da next big thing….www.myspace.com/princedia heard he in serious talk with roc nation
That’s because Cudi can attract those Girls like Beenie Man, ya know
I mean..who can work with Shakira and Little Boots..and still be tight?? And let’s not forget about Lady GaGa..she soothing else!!
something*
She like Honey to these cats..Mariah who??
I think no one on that cover lived up to their potential. Cudi and Wale had to major artist backing them and both of their albums did not generate and buzz or sales.
I thought last year would have been cory gunz year but maybe next year lol
Game got a NEW video @the club getting BOOED. He freestyling about how he made Wayne, Gucci, Jim Jones bloods lol. Put the video up.
Kid Cudi rocked this year,,, loved the album…
Yeah 2 bad neither Drake nor Nicki Minaj was on that list cause they hawter than hot…
Peace.
I said Drake would be the biggest thing in music back in early 2008: [corporatetakeovermag.com]
gave him the full cosign, one of the first mags to ever do so.
Here is how Drake said he planned to Takeover 2008/2009:
CT: How do you plan on taking over 2008?
DRAKE: I plan on doing something that nobody my age has ever done before. I plan on being unafraid. That’s really the best way I can put it. I’m not scared. I’m not scared to release a R&B song, I’m not scared to rap the way I rap, and I’m not scared to dress the way I dress. Before people believe in you, you have to believe in yourself, you know? And that goes for every decision, even when you’re wrong. Even when you’re wrong, you have to make people believe you’re right. That’s the best way I could put it. I just plan on being a risk taker and being unafraid. Hopefully people will fuck with that.
ACE HOOD TRASH!!!
this should prove…..XXL Dont KNOW what the hell is going on….ACE HOOD? WTF? Def Jam must’ve paid XXL to put him on that cover….his album went double wood
@#54But, it’s ok. Ace brings that southern twang that Rick Ross brings. If only people would listen…LMAO. Pleases tell me that your joking when you say that?
@#54 my sides hurt from laughing so hard from that comment hahaha
kid cudi- is sick with it he actully i dropped an album i can play all the way thru
wale- is cool he is good in concert and his cd was decent
currensy-aint eva gana blow should stayed with cashmoney
asher roth- is artie his cd was lame but he can spit and i mess with alot of his mixtape shit
cory guns- is dope
and why no drake on the list
Cosign all the Blu backers…!!!!! This dude is clearly the best on the cover, point blank period..!!!!! His Below the Heavens album.. is considered in most circles a CLASSIC..!!!! But then again i’m not surprised most of you brainwashed RADIO (caught in the matrix) listeners never heard of him…!!! ya’ll are part of the problem…..
Oh yeah…NIpsey and Mykestro should of been on there reppin that killa Cali….
Yo that nigga Ace Hood got another album droppin on Def Jam called Mr.Hood..This nigga bout to be 0 In 3 triple urainium! Khaled building a house over there with all these Bricks!
Just listened to Blu for the first time. I was shocked by his skill. Looking forward to more of his work, but that still doesn’t save this list. Nipsey, Drake, and J Cole still shit on this list.
Mr. LA Reid whats going on @DEF JAM? U got DJ Khaled is running def jam into the ground. U cant let Ace Hood come out with another album c’mon son. I demand U to bring back Kevin Liles.
I bump pretty much all of them cept Hamilton, Asher, Factz, and Ace Hood… J Cole should def be on this list cmon!
What about XV and Kidd Kidd
honestly in terms of pure rappin ability…Blu is clearly the better MC…if you need some convincing listen to his album Below the Heavens and indisputable debut classic
I was going to write a similar blog concerning this topic, you beat me to it. You did a nice job!Thanks and well add your rss to come categories on our blogs.Thank you so much, Jon B.college singles
WHAT ABOUT WIZ KHALIFA?? HES BETTER THAN ALL OF THEM ON DA COVER
children children…
wale is signed wit Roc Nation and is soon to be big…already has a billboard hit
asher also has a billboard hit and is huge in the ‘burbs
Kid Cudi is big and lived to his hype
Blu has insane albums…but will never blow up…because he is not a pop star but a rapper
Gunz, Charles and, Mickey have fan bases but they may and may not blow up…
the rest are done