Download "Country Cool" Remix.

Download The Invitation.

Thoughts on the mixtape?

Download "Yup."

"Every verse a work of art, call me Donny van Gogh,

Wanna cut my ear off just hearing all ya'll flow,

Ohh no!"

"They bankin on the young boy got all of they interest/ Only fuckin with fam, yea nigga incest." -- Donnis

The tape helps to defend the new class of emcees against bitter fans and critics who argue that a different group of ten are more deserving. It also serves as a quick glimpse into each artists' style.

Regardless of whether or not these are the best freshmen emcees in the game, I applaud XXL Magazine for continuing to create a great deal of buzz around ten hard working artists each year.

(More..)]]> Yesterday, XXL Magazine and DJ Whoo Kid gave us a handful of new tracks from some of the best new artists in the game with their 10 Freshmen for ‘10 mixtape.

The tape helps to defend the new class of emcees against bitter fans and critics who argue that a different group of ten are more deserving.  It also serves as a quick glimpse into each artists’ style.

Regardless of whether or not these are the best freshmen emcees in the game, I applaud XXL Magazine for continuing to create a great deal of buzz around ten hard working artists each year.

As far as the actual music goes, I was hoping to hear all new material.  Unfortunately, none of Nipsey Hussle or OJ Da Juiceman’s tracks were new.

Below, I’ll take a closer look at a few of the stand out tracks:

Freddie Gibbs – “Born to Roll”

Freddie Gibbs stole the tape’s spotlight with his impressive flow and gangsta lyrics, destroying the classic Masta Ace track, “Born To Roll.”

Here’s an excerpt:

“Tales of a nigga livin in his momma basement,
Listen to her bitchin every morning, it’s the same shit,
Time for me to get out on this corner, make a cane flip,
Post up at a nigga residence and be invasive,
I’m knockin at your door bitch like I was maintenance and you sprung a leak
Heard that you get pounds of that grape shit every other week,
So my inclination to take shit at its fuckin peak…
Some might say that I think illogical,
Cause I still believe in God, but down to dance with the devil to make a dollar though…
Keep my name hot in the hood,
And my dick in a hood bitch,
Niggas violate, we slice ‘em and dice ‘em like wood chips,
Or we straight Vanilla Ice ‘em, and get on some Suge shit
Hang a nigga from 40 stories watch him drop like Wiley Coyote,
New in your hood, but G.I. to the Chi, them niggas know me,
Gangsta Gibbs from the guts never gave a fuck,
Excuse me while I get my paper and my haters up.”

I like how Gibbs referenced Suge Knight dangling Vanilla Ice over a balcony.  That’s still a hilarious image!

J.Cole – “Who’s World Is This”

J.Cole didn’t murder the instrumental of Alicia Keys’ “Diary,” to the degree that I expected.  Having said that, the track is still noteworthy as the Roc Nation emcee spits some clever lines with:

“Straight out the ville and I made it,
Hope you feeling my latest,
Ay, what I spit on this page is highly anticipated,
Contagious, so when I spit it you gone get it,
Slightly different from these rappers who just spit it but don’t live it,
See I ain’t no flashy nigga, so don’t expect me to floss,
These niggas out here rappin with they fucking fingers crossed,
I was a dreamer then I came up with a plan,
Where I land, I put it all in God’s hands.”

The image of lesser rappers spitting lines with their fingers crossed has me cracking up!

Fashawn – “So Hard Freestyle”

The Fresno representative of this year’s class goes in over Rihanna and Jeezy’s “Hard,” with:

“I did it without a track from Kanye,
Beat from Dr. Dre,
Hook from T-Pain,
Co-sign from Jay,
A sixteen from Drake,
A Cameo from Snoop,
Dance like Soulja Boy, you gotta salute,
How I came in the game,
Took it back to the essence,
Put it back in perspective,
What an immaculate conception,
I’m complex,
Still ain’t made the cover of Complex,
Bomb sets for trying to intercept my conquest.”

It’s good to hear Fashawn making use of the impressive freestyle that dropped a few weeks ago.  If you still haven’t heard the Boy Meets World album, you can hear Fashawn discuss it in our recent interview.

Pill – “Angels Freestyle”

After hearing Pill’s opening lines, I knew this freestyle was going to be a good: “Dressed to kill, my outfit is a murderer/  Break in your bitch pussy, they consider me a burglarer.”  The Pink City native rarely disappoints.

Check out the whole tape below, and be sure to catch DJ Whoo Kid mispronounce Wiz Khalifa’s name at the beginning of “G’d Up,” ha!  I know it’s a hard name to pronounce, but how did this make it on the final copy?

DOWNLOAD 10 Freshmen For '10.

For more information on all 10 artists, check out our feature article!]]>

Here’s the official XXL Magazine 2010: Freshmen 10 cover. You can pick up a copy when it hits newsstands on March 16th.

For more information on all 10 artists, check out our feature article!

Continue Reading..]]>

The official XXL Magazine issue, with this year’s 10 “Freshmen” artists to watch, hits newsstands on March 16th.  However, I’ve compiled a list below with some visuals and a quick description of each rapper to be featured in the magazine.

1. Pill

Pill’s music is refreshing, as he paints a portrait of the streets in a very natural and real way, effectively shaming all the artists who pretend to be from his part of town.
More on Pill..

2. Wiz Khalifa

Wiz’s hustle, coupled with Rostrum Records‘ impressive grassroots campaign, has given him quite possibly the strongest buzz out of all the “new” artists in the game.
More on Wiz..

3. Nipsey Hussle

Nipsey’s music is often a reflection of his surrounding environment, and with tracks such as “We Gang Bangin” and “The Hussle Way,” he gives us a view into the harsh realities of LA street life.
More on Nipsey..

4. Fashawn

Due to Fashawn’s flow, lyrical content, and “classic hip hop” style, he’s received numerous comparison’s to a young Nas.  This likening to Nasir Jones becomes more obvious after giving his album, Boy Meets World, a listen.  It also helps that the album artwork is very similar to that of illmatic.
More on Fashawn..

5. J.Cole

J.Cole’s been getting major love from industry insiders, has laid down a handful of impressive guest verses, and is currently working on one of the most anticipated releases of 2010.
More on J.Cole..

6. Big Sean

Big Sean’s put in a great deal of work over the past 4 years after being signed to Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music label, but never received the spotlight.  It looks like that’s about to change with his debut album, Finally Famous, on the horizon.
More on Big Sean..

7. Freddie Gibbs

Freddie Gibbs has the necessary experience to navigate his way to the top of the music industry, having already spent years with Interscope in an unsuccessful attempt to get his music distributed.  He’s now working without a major label backing, but has a strong team around him, including the extremely influential DJ Skee.
More on Freddie..

8. OJ Da Juiceman

Aside from that horrible press night in New York, OJ Da Juiceman had a great 2009.  He was able to move an impressive number of units on his debut album and keep the trap happy with mixtape releases.
More on OJ..

9. Donnis

Before Donnis, the last two artists who released a 10.Deep sponsorship mixtape were Kid Cudi with A Kid Named Cudi, and Wale with The Mixtape About Nothing.  That powerful co-sign speaks for itself.
More on Donnis..

10. Jay Rock

Jay Rock’s been on the brink of breaking into mainstream notability ever since the video for “All My Life” dropped last year.  With the buzz created off this XXL Magazine cover, hopefully his debut album can finally see the light of day.
More on Jay Rock..