MB's 2017 Freshman Class

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

I'm assuming most of the other hip-hop fans on here are aware of XXL's freshman class, and just how bad this year's class actually was.

If not, check it out here 2017 XXL Freshman Class

Anyway, because we're such an opinionated bunch (with much better knowledge on what constitutes good hip-hop but w/e) I figured it would be a cool idea to come up with our own freshman class.

I'm not sure entirely what the requirements are for the XXL list, but they've had some pretty old rappers (Danny Brown was well over 30 when he made it) on their lists before so let's not worry about artists actually being "freshman." The main idea will be to highlight some lesser known rappers who released projects this year that you feel deserve more attention.

My idea for the layout is that everybody chooses their nominees (no max or minimum within reason, if you just want to nominate one or two that's fine) and provide a short write-up, one or two lines will be more than enough if that's all you got, and one or two of their must-hear songs from this year. Then, I'll take all the nominees, get a mod to add a poll, and everyone will have 8* votes to pick who they deem worthy of appearing the in the freshman class. I figure this might be a little easier than a Survivor thread as listening to a couple songs by an artist will probably give you an idea of whether you want to explore them any deeper or if you don't think they should be anywhere near the list.

*if we get enough nominees, I might go up to 10 like the actual XXL list, if we don't have enough, we can reduce the number as well.

I also ask that nobody nominates an artist who has already appeared on the list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XXL_(m..._Freshman_List as it kind of defeats the purpose a bit.

[Exo]

I love how they kept XXXTentacion on the list even though he'd a giant pile of human garbage.

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

i mean if he wasn’t a piece of **** (he is, he definitely is) it’s not like he deserves to be on there by artistic merit either.

he’s an awful person and a ****ty rapper and the fact that his fans defend him because he’s “sad” and “different” is one of the grossest things ive seen a fan base do.

[Frownland]

J.I.D.

This dude's going places. Not sure how obscure he is tbh but his debut The Never Story came out this year and it's great.



Wiki

His album No Mountains In Manhattan is a very traditional record with a lot of modern inflection that's really grown on me over the past few months. He was on I Don't Like ****, so that ought to get him some cred around here.



Moor Mother

I went back to Crime Waves and The Motionless Present and appreciated them a lot more when I wasn't expecting a Fetish Bones 2.



Does Uncommon Nasa count?

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

yeah Uncommon Nasa counts. they can be known rappers, just preferably not someone who has already established themselves as a very popular artist within the hip-hop world. i would consider someone like Billy Woods or Open Mike Eagle to be a valid choice as they still aren't well known to the vast majority of hip-hop fans, and their fanbase mostly consists of people who are already really deep into the genre. i just don't want people trying to make a case for someone like a Post Malone or 21 Savage who have obviously established themselves far outside of the sphere of the genre. i guess just use your personal judgement, i dunno.

[Frownland]

Billy Woods has been in the game for a minute but aight. I'll only be posting tracks from this year.

Shabazz Palaces

These guys are gods. Psychedelic, spacey, psyched out gods. Many people knock the Quazarz albums from this year for not being developed enough, but from interviews that I've seen and read, they're going to expound on that concept in later projects, so it kind of makes sense as a snapshot of the world they've made. Most artists would approach that with a bang if it was going to be a series, but Shabazz opens up with a bang that takes a step back into underwater trippy beats. I think Sun Ra would be very proud of these two. I will say that some of the lyrics are a bit grumpy technophobia, but it's tough to tell when they're playing characters or not and it doesn't really take away from the music imo.

Spoiler for tracks:

Billy Woods

Production that jumps from jazzy to jumpy to boom bap while Billy Woods spits wry riddles. His latest record Known Unknowns was excellent, I think that if it had been released after History Would Absolve Me, people would have stuck around since Dour Candy turned a lot of people off. This has some of Woods' most intricate tracks, Washington Redskins, which was a huge payoff for me because it gave me a lot to chew on. What Billy Woods may lack in groove, he makes up for with wit 1000-fold.

Spoiler for tracks:

I'll let you do the Milo write up.

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

yeah but XXL’s list isn’t about time spent, like the Danny Brown example I used above. it’s more showcasing the breakout artists who deserve more credit for what they did in that year, i think.

[Frownland]

SHABAZZ in all caps then because even the hipsters are missing out.

[OccultHawk]

Is Jonwayne fair game?

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

Is Jonwayne fair game?

def. was gonna be on my list but i've got lots of others so go for it.