2016 XXL Freshman Class

The 2016 XXL Freshman Class is the ninth annual celebration of up-and-coming hip hop stars, curated by American hip hop magazine XXL. It consists of 21 Savage (Atlanta, Georgia), Anderson .Paak (Oxnard, California), Dave East (New York City, New York), Denzel Curry (Carol City, Florida), Desiigner (Brooklyn, New York), G Herbo (Chicago, Illinois), Kodak Black (Pompano Beach, Florida), Lil Dicky (Montgomery County, Pennsylvania), Lil Uzi Vert (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), and the 10th spot winner, Lil Yachty (Atlanta, Georgia).
The Freshman issue was published on June 28, 2016, the same day as the XXL Freshmen concert at New York City's PlayStation Theater.Pearce, Sheldon (June 13, 2016). "Anderson .Paak, Desiigner, Lil Yachty, More Make 2016 XXL Freshman List". Pitchfork. On July 25th, the Freshman class showcased at Los Angeles' Fonda Theatre, though 21, Anderson .Paak, Kodak and Uzi couldn't make it."Desiigner, Lil Dicky, G Herbo and More Perform at the 2016 XXL Freshman Class Show in Los Angeles". XXL. July 26, 2016.
In 2020, XXL reported for the particular class, "Out of every 2016 XXL Freshman, Lil Uzi Vert has the most songs certified platinum (four) and multiplatinum (five)." The publication added, "has had the best first-week sales for an album" (Eternal Atake) and "best-selling solo single" ("XO Tour Llif3").Berry, Peter A. (May 14, 2020). "Here Are 50 Surprising Facts About the 2016 XXL Freshman Class". XXL.
== Background ==
The photoshoot was done by Travis Shinn, with the type and artist logos designed by Jethro Haynes. It was reminiscent of the 2007 XXL Freshman class cover, where they uniformly wore white. The list was made up of primarily American male rappers, save for 21 Savage who is British, and Lil Uzi Vert who came out as non-binary in 2022.
Upon the class's reveal, it faced mixed reactions from online. Many rap fans disagreed with the chosen artists, deeming them as garbage. One meme circulated over Twitter, displaying the cover with the trash emoji superimposed over most of the rappers' faces. This largely stemmed from the negative perception of SoundCloud rappers, who were seen as gimmicky and a temporary trend. The pejorative term was used by hip hop old heads to dismiss the subgenre's growing commercial force. DJ Drama, who was DJ of the cyphers from 2013-2016 and owner of the Generation Now label, retrospectively remarked, "It was a changing of the guard. The old heads didn't understand the Uzi Verts and the 21 Savages and Yachtys and the Kodaks."Berry, Peter A. (June 21, 2022). "Why the 2016 XXL Freshman Class Stands as the Best Ever". XXL. Pitchfork analyzed the uprising of SoundCloud rap, "Publications were forced to reckon with them because if the SoundCloud scene wasn't being represented on their sites and in their pages then they were out of touch. The success of having Uzi, Yachty, and Denzel grace the XXL cover—their cypher also featuring Kodak Black and 21 Savage is the magazine's most popular YouTube video with over 118 million views—only confirmed the changing of the guard."Pierre, Alphonse (February 27, 2019). "How Rap's SoundCloud Generation Changed the Music Business Forever". Pitchfork.
Uzi mentioned in the XXL interview of difficulties with making it out of their hometown: "It's hard. There's a lot of haters in Philly, but it's a lot of people that give you support—but way more haters. It's definitely a great city to be from. But it's not really a lot of people that come out of there. So when you like make it out of Philadelphia everywhere else is easy." They continued, "One thing I could tell you is that I'm all over the place. I know about everything, like one of those guys. When you get to that point it's kinda hard to say who you influenced by because it's so many people and then you embody it, not embrace it, embody it until something that you turn into your own. And then it's like I just created this. You can't say I look like this person or sound like this person exactly because I made it my own. I'm pretty, pretty influenced by myself right now."Cline, Georgette (June 28, 2016). "Watch Lil Uzi Vert's 2016 XXL Freshman Interview and Freestyle". XXL. In a joint review, Uzi stated of their sound, "I describe myself as a feel-good rapper. You just hear my sound and be smiling every time. It don't matter what I'm saying, I just make that motherfucker sound good."Darville, Jordan (July 13, 2016). "Watch Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Kodak Black, 21 Savage, and Denzel Curry Do an Interview Together". The FADER.
== Cypher ==
The 2016 cyphers were split into two groups: the first with Desiigner, Anderson .Paak, and Lil Dicky, and the second with Denzel Curry, Lil Uzi, Lil Yachty, 21 Savage, and Kodak Black. The latter is the most-viewed video on XXLs YouTube channel, likely due to all becoming successful commercially. It gained notoriety for Kodak's line, who opened with, "Who the fuck picked this lil' sorry ass beat?" with the DJ right behind him. Curry's or 21's verse is often cited the best of the cypher, with Yachty believing 21 to have the best.Johnson, Zoe (March 30, 2021). "Lil Yachty Thinks 21 Savage Had Best Verse from 2016 XXL Freshman Cypher". XXL. On November 6, 2022, 21 claimed that he would be able to beat anyone from his freshman class in Verzuz. Both Kodak and Desiigner responded by disagreeing, the former saying Kodak was too cap and the latter argued the accomplishment of going platinum twenty times.Griffin, March (November 7, 2022). "21 Savage Says He'd Beat XXL Freshman Classmates in a 'Verzuz,' Kodak Black Responds". Vibe.Elibert, Mark (November 7, 2022). "Kodak Black & Desiigner Respond to 21 Savage's Claim He'll Beat Any 2016 Freshman in Verzuz". HipHopDX.
In a 2021 Twitch livestream, Yachty shared that each of them did their part 3-4 times, though Kodak did it in one take, refusing to do it again."Lil Yachty (@lilyachty)". Twitch. December 2021.
== Gallery ==
File:2016 XXL Freshman Class.jpg|Photo by Travis Shinn
File:Lil Uzi Vert - 2016 XXL Freshman Class.jpg
File:Lil Uzi Vert - 2016 XXL Freshman Class (2).jpg
File:Travis Shinn - 2016 XXL Freshman Class.jpg|Photo by Travis Shinn
File:Travis Shinn - 2016 XXL Freshman Class (2).jpg|Photo by Travis Shinn
File:Lauren Gesswein - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS.jpg|Photo by Lauren Gesswein
File:Lauren Gesswein - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS (2).jpg|Photo by Lauren Gesswein
File:Lauren Gesswein - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS (3).jpg|Photo by Lauren Gesswein
File:Lauren Gesswein - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS (4).jpg|Photo by Lauren Gesswein
File:Lauren Gesswein - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS (5).jpg|Photo by Lauren Gesswein
File:Lauren Gesswein - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS (6).jpg|Photo by Lauren Gesswein
File:Lauren Gesswein - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS (7).jpg|Photo by Lauren Gesswein
File:Lauren Gesswein - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS (8).jpg|Photo by Lauren Gesswein
File:Lauren Gesswein - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS (9).jpg|Photo by Lauren Gesswein
File:Lexi Lambros - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS.jpg|Photo by Lexi Lambros
File:Lexi Lambros - 2016 XXL Freshman Class BTS (2).jpg|Photo by Lexi Lambros
File:XXL Freshman 2016- Lil Uzi Vert Pitch
File:See the Many Faces of the 2016 XXL Freshman Class
File:2016 XXL Freshman Cover Shoot- Go Behind the Scenes
File:Lil Uzi Vert Profile Interview - XXL Freshman 2016
File:Lil Uzi Vert Freestyle - XXL Freshman 2016
File:Kodak Black, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty & Denzel Curry's 2016 XXL Freshmen Cypher
== References ==
Category:Groups