With the release of the annual XXL Freshman list commemorating twelve up and coming Hip-Hop artists that are expected to make an impact in the genre throughout their careers. Selected to the 2022 XXL Freshman List are Nardo Wick, Doechii, SoFaygo, Babyface Ray, Kali, KayCyy, Cochise, BIG30, KenTheMan, Big Scarr, Saucy Santana, and BabyTron. Some of these names are artists I’ve written or talked about within the past year and others are artists that I’m being exposed to for the first time. Having listened to a lot of their music and curated a playlist with some of their best tracks, here are my rankings for the 2022 XXL Freshman List.

Superstar Potential

BIG30

BIG30 has been one of my favorite new artists of the year. I’ve written about his project King Of Killbranch more in-depth, however, one thing you need to know about this rising star out of Memphis is his presence is strong on every track I’ve heard from him thus far. The command he has on each beat he raps on along with his straight to the point lyrics will take him a long way.

Babyface Ray

Babyface Ray, another artist I’ve written about, has emerged as another of my favorite new artists of 2022. The music he put out on his 2022 project Face, was the perfect exhibition of his talents, merging that Detroit sound with his chill demeanor from track to track. His beat selection and ability to navigate the unique beats he selects are the cruces of his talents.

Doechii

I first became familiar with Doechii last year, when the popularity of her biggest song to date ‘Yucky Blucky Fruitcake’ was at its peak. Her musical talent and personality shined through eventually earning her a place on the Top Dawg Entertainment roster. With Doechii’s musical talent and TDE’s reputation for getting the most out of their artists, I wouldn’t be surprised if Doechii is a mainstay artist for the next decade.

Solid

Nardo Wick

Nardo Wick’s debut album Who Is Nardo Wick?? didn’t last as long as I expected it to in 2021. With two hit tracks that carry huge features, ‘Who Want Smoke??’ featuring G Herbo, Lil Durk, & 21 Savage and ‘Me or Sum’ featuring Future & Lil Baby it seemed certain that Nardo Wick would make a late run to be one of Hip-Hop’s rising stars. To live up to those expectations Nardo Wick needs to continue to grow his artistry.

SoFaygo

SoFaygo’s presence on Trippie Redd’s ‘MP5’ was an impressive feature on Trippie Redd’s Trip At Knight. In listening to more of his individual music, two things have become apparent. The first is that SoFaygo’s versatility continues to shine as he continues to make music and the second is that SoFaygo will not be limited by the confines of Hip-Hop. Signed to Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack label, the tools are there for SoFaygo to continue to climb the Hip-Hop ranks.

BabyTron

I didn’t understand the BabyTron hype at all, however, at the pleas of my friends to continue listening to the Detroit artist, it’s all starting to make sense to me. In short, if you like Detroit-style beats paired with good punchlines and timely sports references, BabyTron is the artist for you.

Cochise

A few of Cochise’s hit songs have made their way over to my side of the algorithm over the course of the past couple of years. My first impression of Cochise was that Playboi Carti’s baby voice became sentient. As his career has continued, Cochise has started to carve out a lane for himself with his fast-paced flow to match the tempo of the beats he selects.

KayCyy

By being the glue on Kanye West’s ‘Keep My Spirit Alive,’ KayCyy established himself as one of the key pieces on Donda. With fans disappointed in Kanye’s decision to alter the track by removing KayCyy’s hook in favor of Kanye’s version ultimately leading to the original version with KayCyy being added back to Donda, it’s clear that KayCyy has made an impression on fans. On his new project, Get Used To It, KayCyy put forth an interesting set of sounds. However, two questions remain. What does KayCyy as a fully polished artist look like? Will KayCyy’s popularity from ‘Keep My Spirit Alive’ translate to his art as an individual artist?

Kali

The versatility Kali shows throughout her most recent album Toxic Chocolate is a feature that shows promise for her career. If Kali can fine-tune her various talents, she has a spot in female rap for sure.

Not For Me

Big Scarr

A rapper signed to Gucci Mane’s 1017 label, Big Scarr’s music can be best described as niche. With little variance in style and beat selection from track to track, Big Scarr appears to be an artist that fans will either enjoy all his music or not find anything they like from his catalog. More versatility will be needed for me to buy a ticket for the Big Scarr train.

Saucy Santana

An artist from Connecticut, Saucy Santana has been starting to gain traction on social media over the past few months. While his talent peeks out on occasion, there hasn’t been a consistent run of tracks that has completely sold me on the replay value of his music.

KenTheMan

It should be applauded, anytime an independent artist like KenTheMan can grow their fanbase to gain national prominence. Hailing from Houston, KenTheMan’s ability to maneuver the beats she selects is impressive, however the target demographic she creates music for doesn’t include me.

With such a vast spectrum of talent and sonics that are represented by this freshman class, it’ll be interesting to see what the narrative will be five years later. There are many moving parts behind the curtains of the music industry that determine if an artist’s career will be a successful one. Hopefully, each of these XXL Freshmen can achieve the version of success they’ve envisioned for themselves.