XXL Magazine Reveals 12 Artists for 2025 Freshman Class

XXL Magazine selected its 2025 Freshman Class, picking 12 rising stars from a pool of 68 candidates. This marks the 18th year of the magazine's annual spotlight on new rap talent.

At the front of this year's pack stand Ray Vaughn, Gelo, and Samara Cyn. The list includes Chicago's BabyChiefDoit, who, at just 17, stands as the youngest pick on the list.

Three artists from the West Coast made the cut: TDE's Ray Vaughn from Long Beach, EBK Jaaybo out of Stockton, and Chino Hills native Gelo. From the Sunshine State come Loe Shimmy of Pompano Beach and 1900Rugrat from West Palm Beach.

The rest of the class spans the map: Samara Cyn (Murfreesboro), Ian (Dallas), Lazer Dim 700 (Cordele), Nino Paid (Landover), Eem Triplin (Johnstown), and YTB Fatt (West Memphis).

According to XXL Magazine, "These 12 prominent rising rappers are at the head of their class with raw bars, real stories, and unshakeable energy. From the recording studio to the cover, these are the artists shaping the next era of hip-hop.

Unfortunately, a May 2025 arrest kept fan-voted pick EBK Jaaybo from joining the cover shoot. As the magazine puts it, "he didn't get to rap with the rest of the group, but he's still part of the class." Beat wizard Cardo Got Wings laid down the tracks for the upcoming cyphers, set to show off 11 of the chosen 12.

Over the next month, fresh content from these picks will be posted on XXL's YouTube channel. You can watch the freestyles, cyphers, and sit-downs with each artist. Past classes launched big names like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Megan Thee Stallion, and 21 Savage into stardom, so history says don't sleep on these young stars.

Ray Vaughn made waves this year during his clash with Joey Badass. On a recent appearance on the Bootleg Kev podcast this June, he shared tips he got straight from his label mate, Kendrick Lamar, about his song.

"If anything, he's like 'Take something out'... like ad-libs... It's still the way we run at TDE. You've got to go down the line. When they post it, it's going on TDE page. So, it's like 'n***a, you speaking and it's coming from our side'," Vaughn told host Kev, as reported by Sportskeeda.

The new issue is now available, featuring chats from the new class, plus bonus talks with stars Aminé, Larry June, and Tech N9ne. You can snag a copy from the magazine's website along with some exclusive merch of the Freshmen.