XXL magazine revealed their Freshman Class list for this year with 12 rappers to watch: "NLE Choppa calls home to Memphis while Polo G and Calboy represent Chicago. Lil Tjay and Fivio Foreign hold it down for New York. Baby Keem rests his head in Las Vegas. Jack Harlow is a proud Louisville, Ky. native. Rod Wave hails from the bottom of the map in St. Petersburg, Fla. Down South gets love from Chika in Montgomery, Ala., and both Mulatto and Lil Keed are hot in the streets of Atlanta. San Francisco rapper 24kGoldn earned the most fan votes to land the title of the Freshman 10th spot winner".

“This was the first time in about 20 years that there’s been, like, a whole movement” says Funkmaster Flex about Brooklyn Drill, the first new sound of New York in two decades. The DJ and radio personality acknowledged to Complex that A-listers like Cardi B and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie have come from the city in recent years, but none of them emerged with a whole scene at their backs. “This ain’t happen since the times of Dipset and G-Unit” says journalist Jamel Robinson, Brooklyn rap’s on-the-ground documentarian. Two stand-out tracks - Pop Smoke’s 'Welcome to the Party' and Fivio Foreign’s 'Big Drip'.