Earlier this month, XXL Magazine released its 12th Annual Freshman Issue, revealing its 2019 Freshman Class.
Every year fans of rap wait eagerly to see who the magazine chooses to shine a light on as the years hottest up-and-comers.
This year, the XXL Freshman Class has the most female rappers in its history.
The featured femcees include Rico Nasty, Megan Thee Stallion and Tierra Whack.
What is your favorite class? 🤔⬇️
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) July 3, 2019
The XXL Freshman Class has always been on the pulse of new talent that’s waiting to spark.
2011 featured Kendrick Lamar and Mac Miller as bright young faces, while 2012 saw Future and Iggy Azalea on the cover.
It’s hard to predict the future, but XXL seems to always know who will become household names before they do.
And this year is no different, so we’ve decided to give you an in-depth look at the shining female rappers featured this year.
Rico Nasty
Listen to the addictive ‘Smack A Bitch’ below:
At only 22 years old, Rico Nasty, born Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly, has already made massive waves in rap.
Her 2018 album Nasty was considered one of the years best, receiving widespread critical acclaim.
Rico is hard to ignore. She has a signature raspy voice and isn’t afraid to rage into the microphone for your pleasure.
Teaming up with Kenny Beats for her 2019 project Anger Management, Rico only just cemented her place as one of the best rappers around.
As a teen parent whose partner died young, Rico carries her past with power and pride, and glows up whenever talking about her son.
It’s no surprise Rico has landed a spot as a member of the Freshman Class of 2019, her originality is undeniable.
Be sure to check out her entire discography, and maybe punch a wall or two during the process.
Tierra Whack
Watch the music video for Tierra’s 15-minute long album Whack World below:
Tierra Whack, which is the artist’s real name and not a stage name, is one of a kind.
In 2018 she released Whack World, an album that changed the game with 15 one-minute-long songs.
It goes without saying the album went for only 15 minutes, yet caught everyone’s attention with its creativity.
Since then, Whack has been on everyone’s radar, and released her ‘Whack History Month’ slew of singles earlier this year.
It’s been a long time since a femcee has had fun in their music videos with an original concept.
Whack brings back the kind of entertaining energy that hasn’t been seen since Missy Elliott was in her prime.
Originally performing as “Dizzle Dizz”, the 23-year-old artist decided to revert to her birth name in only 2017.
She was a surefire pick for this year’s Freshman Class, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
Megan Thee Stallion
Watch the hottest jam of the year ‘Big Ole Freak’ below:
Meet Megan Pete, the Texas-born 24-year-old rapping champion, who performs under the name Megan Thee Stallion.
Coming onto the scene with a litany of impressive freestyles, everyone was waiting to see what Megan would do next.
With her slogan “Real hot girl shit,” Megan, who now joins the Freshman Class of 2019, has released two mixtapes in the last two years.
This year’s project, Fever, gave us all a reason to get up and shake what we were blessed with over 14 extraordinary tracks.
Megan is also one of the first XXL Freshman Freestyles that have been released so far.
Every year fans eagerly await the freestyles from the Freshman Class, which are performed without any beats whatsoever.
Be sure to check out Megan’s discography, and join the army of ‘real hot girls’.
