XXL Reveals Its 2026 Freshman Class [Video]

XXL reveals its 2026 Freshman Class, featuring YKNiece, Skrilla, Trim, Miles Minnick, Hurricane Wisdom, Chris Patrick, Babyfxce E, Belly Gang Kushington, La Reezy, Slayr, Sosocamo, and Trap Dickey.

XXL has revealed its 2026 Freshman Class, bringing YKNiece, Skrilla, Trim, Miles Minnick, Hurricane Wisdom, Chris Patrick, Babyfxce E, Belly Gang Kushington, La Reezy, Slayr, Sosocamo, and Trap Dickey into this year’s spotlight. The reveal arrives under the “Born Ready” banner, but the lineup itself says more than the slogan: this is a class pulled from different corners of rap’s current ecosystem, where regional scenes, viral traction, underground momentum, and internet-native fan bases keep overlapping.

As usual, the cover is going to spark arguments. That is part of the ritual. Some names arrive with obvious breakout momentum, some feel like bets on scenes still sharpening their national profile, and others will probably become clearer once the freestyles, interviews, and cyphers start rolling out. XXL has always worked best when the Freshman list feels less like a final verdict and more like a temperature check, and the 2026 group leans into that tension.

DJ Drama is also part of the cycle as the cypher DJ, tying this year’s rollout to the 10-year anniversary of the 2016 XXL Freshman Class. That connection gives the campaign a little extra weight, especially with the 2016 cover still standing as one of the magazine’s most discussed lineups. For the new class, the reveal video is only the opening shot. The real test comes next, when each artist has to turn the placement into something bigger than a cover moment.