The newest starting lineup of XXL-approved rising artists is here, as the 2022 XXL Freshman Class has finally been unveiled. This year, there are 12 promising prospects, including Nardo Wick, Doechii, Cochise, Saucy Santana, KenTheMan, Babyface Ray, Big30, Kali, 10th spot winner BabyTron, SoFaygo, Big Scarr and KayCyy to represent as the future faces of hip-hop.
It takes tough skin to be a hip-hop artist, especially in today’s social media age, where people send vitriolic shots while hiding comfortably behind anonymous pages. All artists have to deal with it and the 2022 XXL Freshman Class is ready for all the smoke. As part of the Freshman process, the Class was challenged with facing their biggest haters for XXL’s Mean Comments.
Cochise takes one for the team first. The Palm Bay, Fla. native is insulted by a Twitter user who compared Cochise's head to a pineapple.
"Your name is Albert,” Cochise snaps. “Your parents looked at you and while you were a baby and was like, ‘Yo, this nigga look like Albert. Like, yo, this nigga could be a Albert.’ And tarnished your life forever. Go change your name, lame-ass nigga.”
Then Nardo Wick’s detractors paint the platinum rapper as talentless. “Fuck you,” he simply reacts to someone pondering how he even got on.
Kali has to shoot down the notion people are brainwashed by artists like her who rap about their sexuality. “Y’all like every female rapper that come out rapping about they Mmm y’all so brainwashed,” the hatingntweet reads.
“But, whole time, you know the song word for word, and you listen,” the “MMM MMM” rhymer responds. “So, thanks for your stream. You pay attention to every female rapper. That’s how you know that everybody likes every female rapper. But, OK, ma’am.”
Up next, Babyface Ray, who receives jokes that he looks pregnant due to his alleged lean usage.
“Aye, you, shut your mouth, boy,” Ray replies to the diss. “You don’t know what you talking about.”
For Saucy Santana, he delivers the ultimate clapback to someone trying to serve the “Material Girl” rhymer.
“No shade I see why Saucy Santana wear sweatpants a lot because he look fat [as fuck] in other close[.] Sir that doctor stole your money ’cause [what the fuck] how just how?” the Twitter insult reads.
“The hair store stole your money,” Saucy mocks. “And stop using the black pencil for your eyebrows. It’s not flattering.”
See every artist in the 2022 XXL Freshman Class address the mean comments from some of the internet's most heartless trolls below.