XXL revealed its 2023 Freshman Class Wednesday morning, with blossoming artists like GloRilla and Luh Tyler front and center. This year’s issue is aptly titled “All Eyes on Us.”
The magazine narrowed down a list of over 80 artists to a list of only 12. Each of these artists have made their mark on the music industry so far, releasing songs that have been on heavy rotation in our speakers and on social media. Some might recall GloRilla’s song F.N.F taking reign of the sound waves all of last year.
This year’s issue hits stores July 18th, but over the next month XXL will be releasing a flurry of content like freestyles, cyphers, and interviews from each Freshman. The cypher’s beats will be produced by Pierre Bourne, who has been the man on the console for songs from artists like Drake, Playboi Carti, and Kanye West.
Over the years, the XXL cypher has been one of the most anticipated events of the year where artists can shine on the mic. One of their most popular cypher’s came in 2016, amassing over 200 million views on YouTube over the years. This cypher introduced many people to Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, and Lil Yachty, all of which have gone on to have prolific careers since.
XXL hit the nail on the head when they titled this year’s cover “All Eyes On Us.” If you haven’t been paying attention, these artists might make it impossible not to in the next few years.
By Enzo Luna