57) Reason

Los Angeles and TDE denizen Reason delivers struggle stories with an uncommon earnestness in the year 2019, making him a standout in this shortlist and in the scene overall. Introspective and at times heart-wrenching (“Colored Dreams”), Reason’s stories are more directly poetic than abstrusely complex. At length, one can feel a lack of variety in his catalog, especially his frequent choice of subject matter being cheating/being cheated on (“Superman”), but his available singles off of official debut There You Have It are much more polished. A rare breed (and underrated, or underlistened) among a sea of artists focused on vibe and energy, Reason satisfies a niche department most don’t participate in these days.

My older cousin been dabblin’ in cocaine sniffin’

Love him to death but feeling like I can’t hang with him

Went to Atlanta to hopefully get some change with him

Woke up the next morning, the nigga chain missin’ — “Better Dayz”

58) Rico Nasty

Rico Nasty isn’t the most traditionally popular emcee on this shortlist, but fits XXL’s bill so perfectly it’d astound me to not see her on the list. Among the new school of aggressive female artists in hip-hop, she’s by far the most entrenched on the internet, with loads of social media presence and varied output on YouTube and Twitter. Her frequent collabs with Kenny Beats are among the most fluid producer/rapper combos observed in recency — Rico’s assertive rasp and beatdown delivery work flawlessly alongside Kenny’s distorted, glitching percussion landscapes. And even among the vibrant, diverse stylings that many contemporary artists today possess, she manages to stand out: grungy, scene-inspired wear and attitude that appeal to a sect of alternative kids who never see much representation otherwise. The DMV’s had a great couple years in hiphop, and Rico’s among the best to represent it.

You like to play hide and seek, I can’t wait to find you

Diamonds on me blind you, ballin’ on ’em, Caillou

I look good in every angle so you don’t like me beside you

Seven bitches, three lines, bitch, that’s a haiku — “Roof”

59) Rod Wave

St. Petersburg’s Rod Wave sounds a lot like Kevin Gates, except he honestly might have the edge when it comes to singing. His celebratory post-struggle anthems are heartwarming — maybe too-sweet at worst — and his consistent release pattern over the course of the last year has garnered solid viewcounts and includes some notable features (“Feel The Same Way” ft. Moneybagg Yo, “Bag” ft. GlokkNine). Utilizing a more soulful cadence than most of the melodically-inclined candidates on this year’s shortlist, he’s a recognizable voice with a significant amount of potential yet to be utilized.

‘Member back when I was broke lil’ bitches would ignore me

Now we runnin’ up that dough so all the hoes adore me

They wouldn’t book me at no shows ’cause I was a shorty

Now when they call me to book me they can’t afford me — “Bag”

60) Roddy Ricch

Compton’s Roddy Ricch has had nothing short of an astronomical comeup in the last year. The street-rap crooner dropped “Die Young” last summer, a single that would go on to net Ricch cosigns by Meek Mill as well as the late Nipsey Hussle (“Racks In The Middle”). With nearly every single of his from that point nearing 50 million hits on YouTube, as well as collaborations with massive artists such as Marshmello (“Project Dreams”) starting to populate his catalog, Ricch might be riding the strongest momentum out of any artist on this shortlist — a strong command of melody and knack for memorable bars only further secure his position as a strong candidate.

And we been on this money shit for years

Gotta drink this mud to make the pain go away

I been dropping these codeine tears

Praying Roddy rich don’t go insane today — “Ricch Forever”

61) Sada Baby

Detroit’s most recent bannerwaver Sada Baby isn’t just another face in the crowd. In fact, his recognizable voice, idiosyncratic delivery, and stank-face one-liners make him one of the most unmistakable talents in the lineup, and a unique look coupled with a performer’s video presence make him a top-quality entertainer. Tracks like “Bloxk Party” and “Rock With Us” easily run up millions of views on YouTube, but you don’t need numbers to see that Sada’s special — something about his goofy dance moves and templateless lyricism emanate with a individuality that brings to mind versatile oddities like 03 Greedo. It’s a shame Tee Grizzley didn’t receive a Freshman spot last year, but if Detroit needs a (very) strong rep for this year, it’s Sada Baby.

With that molly in my lemonade, dope all in the ‘frigerator

FNs on my renegade, cocaine on my Carti shades

Xanny in my party days, hittin’ hoes from far away

Just to give they heart away, like Ro we gon’ start today — “Pimp Named Drip Dat”

62) Saweetie

SoCal’s Saweetie has never managed to recapture the viral success of “ICY GRL”, despite possessing an admirable work ethic as well as strength as a songwriter and performer. Her affiliation with Quavo isn’t something she’s leaned on in terms of popularity, though the above-embedded “Emotional” has received a fair amount of play (and is a surprisingly refreshing sound). But for the most part, she’s made big moves in the last year, with plenty of collaborations including London On Da Track (and G-Eazy, and Rich The Kid on “Up Now”) as well as well-received remixes (“Anti Remix”). It really does seem like she’s got a trajectory to superstardom locked down — she just needs something that can boost her past the rest.

Want a man with big, big bucks, money longer than my weave

My hair cost a lot, I’ma need a couple g’s

Not a PlayStation, so do not play with me

’Cause I will black op a nigga who don’t gain with me — “High Maintenance”

63) Sheck Wes

Everyone’s heard the song by now, and most everyone’s heard it too many times. I came across Harlem’s Sheck Wes through last year’s XXL shortlist, and while “Mo Bamba” hadn’t gone astronomical at that point, it was slowly finding its way into shitty frat houses and seedy warehouse parties. And very little has actually happened since it did blow up: MUDBOY dropped in all of its OG Maco-esque muttered fury, some singles followed, but none reached the hit’s peak — he actually hasn’t broken 10 million views for any other song. Now, that’s not to disregard the 225 million views “Mo Bamba” has, but given the number of other artist on this list with more consistent and steady viewcounts and streams, it seems…questionable to grant a Freshman status for a single.

Ugh, you can cop it, but never for retail

Prices, couldn’t top it, flip it, profit resale

I like real bad bitches, I like dreads with pink nails

I’m young and misguided, but I’m so into detail — “Gmail”

64) Skinnyfromthe9

Here’s a video of Skinnyfromthe9. This guy looks and sounds like the fever dream of a record label exec who learned about SoundCloud rap at a PTA meeting.