Introduce Yourself To The 12 Rappers In XXL’s 2014 Freshman Class

Lupe Fiasco. B.o.B. Kendrick Lamar. J. Cole. There are few, if any regrettable choices for XXL‘s annual “freshmen class” list headliner, and their choice for 2014 is already an established talent, Chance the Rapper, so there’s not much of a risk of embarrassment there. It’s the other names where XXL puts its credibility on the line; you want to vouch for Future (2012), not Charles Hamilton (2009).

This year, outside of Chance, the likes of Ty Dolla $ign, Rich Homie Quan, and Kevin Gates are vying to be the next Big K.R.I.T. and ScHoolboy Q, not, well, [see above Charles Hamilton diss]. Here’s the full list.

1. Chance the Rapper

2. Rich Homie Quan

3. Isaiah Rashad

4. Ty Dolla $ign

5. Lil Durk