Nearly five years ago, XXL debuted the 10 rappers who were selected for the 2016 XXL Freshman cover. Kodak Black, Dave East, Lil Dicky, Desiigner, Lil Uzi Vert, Anderson .Paak, Denzel Curry, G Herbo, Lil Yachty and 21 Savage were the rising rhymers inducted into the class at that time. That particular year, people on the internet voiced mixed opinions after the 2016 XXL Freshman cypher featuring Kodak Black, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty and Denzel Curry went public on YouTube. And now, Lil Boat is weighing in on which rapper he thinks had the best verse in the cypher.
Prior to the launch of this year's 10th spot voting for the 2021 XXL Freshman class yesterday, Lil Yachty reminisced on his time as a member of the 2016 XXL Freshman class and crowned 21 Savage the king of their cypher. In a tweet shared on Saturday (March 27), Yachty wrote, "I think it’s pretty undeniable 21 had the best verse out of our XXL cypher lol."
In case a reminder is needed on what 21 rapped when it was his turn to touch the mic, the Slaughter Gang leader rhymed, "I'm in NYC, I think I got a fucking show there (Yeah)/Hold up, Rollie on my wrist/Rollie on my bitch (What?), 30 on my waist (What?)/30 to your face (Yeah)/Sixty to your face (Yeah)/Ninety to your face (Yeah), that's a closed case (Yeah)/You an old nigga, man, you washed up/Young Savage, man, I got my car washed up/Pulled up on a muthafuckin' nigga, wrapped up (Yeah)/Then I pulled up in a muthafuckin' Brink's truck/21, 21, 21, 21, 21, 21."
Yachty received a lot of feedback from fans for his opinion about 21 having the best verse in the cypher. Some disagreed with him while others claimed he was correct. "The tittle of best verse in that cypher belongs too @denzelcurry sir try again," a Denzul Curry fan posted in a retweet to Lil Boat.
"No capppp lol," a Twitter user wrote, showing love to Yachty's praise for 21.
More support for Denzel followed. "1. denzel 2. 21 3. uzi 4. boat 5.who the fuck picked this lil sorry ass beat," another fan tweeted.
"Actually Kodak took that hoe," a Twitter user posted.
The "Oprah's Bank Account" rapper and 21's cyphers were originally subject to a lot of scrutiny back in 2016, when many of the 181,483,406 viewers deemed the rhymers' verses weak and the beat unsavory. Looking back, many people are probably eating those words because every rapper in this group has gone on to secure RIAA certifications, Billboard–charting singles and albums, and have solidified overall successful careers.
Take a look at the 2016 XXL Freshman Class cypher featuring Kodak Black, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty and Denzel Curry and see some more reactions from fans below.
See 50 Facts About the 2016 XXL Freshman Class