In Defense of the XXL Freshmen List Posted by Lucas G. on 05/07/14 | Filed under Opinion, Debates, XXL Freshmen

Part of the reason RefinedHype and the mothership run so well is the people behind them. For RefinedHype, it is me and Nathan. We discuss every possible idea and we usually end up agreeing...and don't get me started on the Will Farrell references. I think it works because at heart Nathan is as young as me and at heart I am really a 15-year-old who likes Anchorman and poop jokes. Sometimes however, we don't always see eye to eye, and when it comes to hot button issues like a Skrillex/Chance collab or the best Doritos flavor, it can get pretty heated. We all know how Nate feels about the XXL Freshmen List because he has been boycotting it since I was a Freshman; well, I don't agree. At the risk of pissing off the man who makes sure I can still afford Chipotle, here's why I'm not boycotting the list.

Before I start, I want to make one thing clear, I completely agree with everything Nathan said. Yes it's relatively arbitrary and not a real barometer of how successful someone is, or will be, but if taken with a grain of salt it can actually be kind of fun. As you know the hip-hop community loves to debate things until the end of time and this is just another tradition. It's like the Grammys. Every year you know you will be disappointed, but every year you won't not talk about how disappointed you are. It becomes a love to hate thing, that when not taking as the ultimate hip-hop doctrine can be a blast. I  think of the XXL Freshmen list the same way I do the NFL Pro Bowl or the NBA All-Star Game. Does it mean much, or anything really? I'd say the fact that Kobe can get the most votes after not playing is a clear hell no, but does this mean you won't watch the All-Star Game or check out the highlights? Didn't think so.

If you are the kind of person, like Nathan, who takes these kinds of things hat have meaning through having no real meaning, then yes, you will boycott the list, by it just seems excessive. He's right, who the fuck cares, but that's exactly why a boycott is too extreme. It's just a stupid list, by an outdated magazine that is still fun to talk about for no real reason whatsoever. As an emcee, it must be cool to say you were an XXL Freshman, and doesn't hurt, but it's not the end-all-be-all. If these guys were getting deals or something out of it then yeah, I'd agree it needs to be more clearly defined, but there is nothing to be gained from the list. It's a glorified title; if you get the nod, then it goes on the resume, but if not, nobody thinks of it as a knock on your skills (anybody thinks Durk is better than Rapsody?), so why all the hubbub? Anyone who knows anything about hip-hop knows that it isn't a real accomplishment, so why go through all the trouble to ignore it?

For all the rap nerds, it seems stupid. I mean, how can you call Jon Connor or Benton a freshman? Those dudes have been killing it for a while now. For the non rap nerds who don't spend their time on rap blogs, however it can be a great way to meet some new emcees. Jarren may not be a freshman to us but to that metal-loving kid from Iowa who just happened to see the XXL cover at the local grocery store, he is probably brand new. I remember one time, I think it was '09, I was stuck on a massive delay in the airport. I went to check some magazines and sure enough came across the XXL Freshmen issue. At the time, I was a hip-hop fan, but nowhere near the level I am today. Well they profiled some guy named B.o.B and after checking out some of his shit, he quickly became one of my new favorites. Some of my best memories of sophomore year are playing "Call Of Duty" while digging through the collection of his mixtapes. I would have heard him eventually, but XXL turned me on to him first and for that I will be forever grateful. Just the thought that some casual music fan stuck in an airport could stumble across Vic Mensa and eventually Kids These Days sure brings a smile to my face. Sure they picked guys like Plies and Papoose too, but they get 'em right occasionally and in the process, turn a lot of people on to emcees who may not be easily accessible to the uneducated hip-hop fan. Where is the harm in that?

I get everything Nathan says, and I can agree, but I can also see the value in the XXL Freshmen List and, I can't lie, get excited when it comes out. I want to see if some of my favorites were picked and hate on where they fucked up and there isn't anything wrong with that.

So while Nathan is over there sitting in a dark room alone with enough wet blankets to cover Rick Ross, come join my XXL party where we drink, laugh, and debate; doesn't that sound like more fun?

P.S.-  I guarantee you Nathan knows the whole class (it's called Twitter) so what does his boycott even mean?

[Lucas Garrison is a writer for DJBooth.net and RefinedHype. He does not have a beard. You can tweet him your favorite Migos songs at @Lgarrison88.]

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