XXL 2019 Freshman Class Ushers in a New Age of Rap

The inclusion of Megan Thee Stallion, Rico Nasty, and Tierra Whack on this year’s XXL Freshman Class signals that a new era of rap is on the horizon.

Written by Delaney Davis

Each year, hip-hop music magazine XXL releases their anticipated Freshman Class list. Rappers and fans alike eagerly await the publication of the list, which has garnered a reputation for furthering the careers of on-the-rise artists and rappers. Making it on the list is quite the honor — rap heavyweights such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Future were featured before becoming the icons they are today, among other legends in the genre.

The 2019 Freshman class was announced on June 20. This year’s lineup consists of 11 up-and-coming rappers: Blueface, Comethazine, DaBaby, Gunna, Lil Mosey, Megan Thee Stallion, Rico Nasty, Roddy Rich, Tierra Whack, YBN Cordae, and YK Osiris. Soon after its release, the list was met with widespread praise across social media. Chance the Rapper, who made the cut for the 2014 Freshman class, commented on newly-inducted YBN Cordae’s Instagram, “Strong possibility that you part of the best freshman class so far.”. T.I. mirrored the rapper’s praise, adding, “This is the dopest class in a min.”

This year’s class also captured attention for including the most female rappers in the list’s history — a whopping three. However, while XXL has yet to release a list close to 50% female representation, the inclusion of breakout stars Megan Thee Stallion, Rico Nasty, and Tierra Whack signals that gender-based conversations that once dominated the rap scene are now changing.

Even just a year ago, it seemed as if the only female rappers included in mainstream conversation were Nicki Minaj or Cardi B. These conversations were at best focused on comparisons between the two, and at worst, centered around pitting the two against one another. The overwhelmingly public feud between Cardi and Nicki did nothing to discourage this hyperfocus, and instead reinforced limiting perceptions of women in rap. Beyond the sexist implications of this conversation, it excluded several other female rap talents from receiving their due credit. While small, the number of women included in the 2019 Freshman class indicates that the dawn of a new era of rap is approaching, one where a wide variety of female rappers are celebrated for their diverse musical prowess.

This new period in rap is long overdue, considering that female rappers were contributing to the genre long before Cardi or Nicki stepped onto the scene. Icons such as Lil’ Kim, Lauryn Hill, and Missy Elliott paved the way for female rappers, both on and off the XXL list. Stepping away from the tired conversations that are obsessed with pitting women against one another honors their legacy by showing that more than one female rapper can dominate the rap scene like their male counterparts. By including more female rappers in mainstream conversation, we’ve allowed ourselves to be exposed to a wide variety of new talent, including the three dynamic women included on this list.

Fans were ecstatic to see Houston’s very own Megan Thee Stallion included on the list. Megan first blew up in 2017 after releasing “Big Ole Freak” from her first EP, Tina Snow, which garnered both critical and commercial acclaim. But, the rapper released her first mixtape, Rich Ratchet, back in 2016 while still in college, with the song “Last Week in HTX” racking up more than six million views on Youtube. Following the release of her debut album Fever in May 2019, Megan cemented her spot among some of the hottest rappers in the game right now.

Her “Hot Girl Meg” persona has inspired her female listeners to have a “hot girl summer” — one in which they’re empowered to live their best lives and not be tied down by a man. Her verses mirror this same energy, exuding both a care-free attitude and an emphasis on feminine sexuality. Throughout her rise to stardom, Megan has maintained a humble attitude, interacting with her fans — dubbed “Hotties” — on social media, even organizing a beach cleanup in Santa Monica with them. If this summer is any indication of the future, Megan is certainly proving herself as a force to be reckoned with.

Rap meets punk with the second of the list’s three female rappers: Rico Nasty. Like Megan, Rico released her first mixtape, Summer’s Eve, long before reaching mainstream success. Her 2017 mixtape Sugar Trap 2 was named one of 2017’s best rap albums by The Rolling Stone, with the video for the single “Poppin’” gaining close to six million views on Youtube. What sets Rico apart from the rest of the crowd is her ability to infuse punk with rap, ultimately uniting two genres that rarely coexist. “Smack a B----” and “Countin’ Up” — two of her most beloved tracks — prove those who doubt her abilities wrong, delivering hardcore verses that prove that rap is punk.

Punk is much more than a sound for Rico, seen in her fashion choices — mohawks, chunky boots, and all of the chains and spikes imaginable. Still, her style eschews the typical all-black color choice typical of punk, instead opting for color and showing that Rico makes everything she does her own — just like her sound. Even when mixing both rap and punk together, she brings a sugar-sweet energy to her work, creating something uniquely Rico. Her latest mixtape, Anger Management, released in April 2019, further shows off her ability to pioneer her own sound in just nine tracks.

Where Rico brings punk, Tierra Whack brings whimsy. Her 2018 debut album, Whack World, featured 15 tracks, each only a minute long and accompanied with a video posted on the rapper’s Instagram. Tierra brings the eccentricities to her visuals as well, with each of her music videos emulating the artist’s unique approach to music. The Grammy-nominated music video for her song “Mumbo Jumbo” — which features Whack taking a literal approach to mumble rap by rapping almost inaudibly over a soft trap beat — shows Whack in a dentist office attempting to rap while dental hygienists stick tools in her mouth. Whack leaves the dentist’s office with a new, oversized smile, only to be greeted by an apocalyptic world outside. Her commitment to producing one-of-a-kind visuals that also extend to her live performances illustrates that Whack is dedicated to creating art on her own terms, ultimately rejecting the box that many attempt to keep female rappers enclosed in. In a reference to her album and her artistry, Whack told The FADER, “...I’m living in Whack World.” And she’s right — this is Whack World. We’re just privileged to live in it.

In an interview with Joe Budden on his web show “Pull Up,” Megan Thee Stallion’s comments show that the dynamic is changing between female rappers themselves. “All the new girls that I’m cool with, I try to keep us all together,” she said. “Because a lot of beef between women gets started because of their fanbases, I feel like. Let’s all get to know each other. Let’s be cool because when the fans see that girls are being nice to each other that makes them lessen that drama.”

As this new age of female rap domination begins, we’re sure to see some of the best work from women in the rap industry in years. While the media conversation surrounding female rappers evolves, we’ll continue to encounter new talent previously drowned out by past conversations. Here’s to Megan, Rico, and Tierra and the countless other female rap talents who will finally get their well-deserved time in the spotlight.

Afterglow ATXJune 24, 2019