XXL’s editor-in-chief Vanessa Satten and writer Jayson Rodriguez stops by Hot97 to chop it up with Cipha Sounds & Rosenberg about this year’s Freshman Class. Going into detail about the criteria involved in selecting the artists. Vanessa also explain why A$AP wasn’t included, reveals Chip Tha Ripper was lying about declining, states Izzy Azalea making it because of fan-votes and more.
PREVIOUS: Your (2)Dope Opinion: Who Would Be Your 2012 Freshmen?
lol @ chip lying about that, what a tool
i rem cudi had a tweet saying that if XXL didnt have him they were seriously slippin or some shit like that, clearly him and his team really wanted to be in that issue.. he seems so jealous
Anyone catch Action Bronson’s rant about this interview?
there’s no way Iggy’s 30k some followers on twitter out voted Los, XV ect fans no fucking way. I’m calling XXL’s bullshit there’s no way the fans voted her in. She simply took A$AP’s spot when he backed out.
damn chip smh. i always figured chip was a lame but this shit here is just proof. you aint gotta lie to kick it homie.
taking the word of the artist vs taking the word of the people who catch heat for these bullshit line ups…eh
I’ve never really paid all that much attention to XXL, but I didn’t realize exactly how little I respect their staff. I couldn’t care less about the freshmen class this year, either, I just don’t appreciate pseudo-experts playing industry politics and then coming to a radio station to cop out over and over again.
Iggy Azelea wasn’t even in the original list? And her mixtape wasn’t even out when voting happened Soooo…. I call bullshit.
But who really cares about an XXL list anyway? It really does nothing to propel an artists career. Wiz, Curren$y, Kendrick, J.Cole, Danny Brown, etc. all had considerable buzzes before they got the cover. And they have missed the mark many times (Fred Da Godson, Charles Hamilton, Blu, Lil Twist, OJ Da Juiceman, etc.) Then the fact that you have artists who would rather not be added in the list speaks volumes.
Another thing, they seem to contradict themselves by saying Iggy got on by votes but then saying they have a “selection process” of who makes the cover.
Action Bronson > the entire cover except Hopsin. I can’t compare the two.
@SmokinAces: You idiot. ONE freshman is fan-voted this year and the other nine are chosen by XXL. The fan-voted freshman was the point of that poll they had back in January. Iggy was the fan-voted one.
Agree with smh. Checked her Facebook page and she never even posted a call to action for fans to nominate/vote her in. Her social media presence is kinda weak compared to others to begin with and there’s absolutely no way that’s true if she didn’t even campaign for the spot.
^Just write my shit, yo.
I honestly think she was voted by both thirsty niggas who wanna fuck AND Grand Hustle paying people to vote.
@T First off, chill the fuck out with the “idiot” shit. Second, out of all the artists with WAAAYYYY bigger buzzes than Iggy Azelea at the time of voting, she was the on that got the “fan vote”? Right in time for her deal with Interscope/Grand Hustle and her soon to be released album? You can’t be that gullible.
@SmokinAces: Refer to my comment above.
@T Got it. Disregard.
@SmokinAces: Sorry about the idiot comment.
I gained a lot more respect for Peter Rosenberg after that. He straight up told them they fucked up
^ Agreed.
Loved the interview.
Roscoe Dash released his debut album in 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!! They made themselves look mad stupid!
i clicked “nope 2 mins in…then again 4:30 in forgetting i already did it. thats how much i dislike xxl now. and if chip is lying then they’re lying about ivy eating the “fan vote”. like really?? who’s gonna believe that?
I fuck with some of Chip’s music, but I think he’s in the wrong here. He may have confused XXL’s “Show and Prove” feature with the “Freshman list”. He even tweeted a picture of the email XXL sent him to be in the S&P section, which doesn’t help his argument of them allegedly being asked to do the Freshman cover.
Ok so lemme get this straight? At the beginning they say they count touring, discography, not being old, social media presence, and the quality of music? Then please explain how the fuck is XV not on this list. XV is one best up-and-coming of a lyrical rappers, goes on tours like 5-7 times a year, be it himself headlining one or being a part of one, releases some of the dopest tracks, and mixtapes, and he has a big social media presence, as well as a huge connection with his fans.
Another thing is that there is no way in HELL Iggy got as many fans as many fans as XV or Hopsin. I like her as a rapper but i’m pretty sure she did not have that many fans. If XV made the list, i would believe that he got the most votes. Since Hopsin made it, i would believe that he got the most votes.
i have never seen iggy azelea or watever her name is on 2dopeboyz, hotnewhiphop, facebook, twitter, tv, radio…never even heard of this bitch until this cover and your telling me she got more votes than xv, los, jon connor and about 20 others? theres no way. but either way, these ppl r all lames, worst list ive ever seen, and theres def been way more backlash on this list than any other in history. thats just straight up b.s.
I ain’t listened to XV for a a year or something, but dude was pissed at XXL for not including him and I can’t recall the lines, but it was suggested he wouldn’t accept it anyway now and they missed their chance and was bitter about it. Dunno if he’s said stuff that contradictory recently but he seemed pretty firm on that stance from previous lyrics..
Also, CH has done more than anybody who’s ever been on the Freshmen list, if you refuse to believe so you’re straight ignorant..
^CH has put out alot of subpar (at best) music, got dropped from his label, put out an album noone cared about, became a social pariah and a punchline, ended up back homeless and punched a cop and got sent to jail and a psych ward. I guess he has done alot. But not what you would call living up to the hype he had when he got the cover.
And if you think he’s more sucessful than Wiz, Lupe, Wale, Cudi, J. Cole, Kendrick, etc, you’re straight delusional.
GAY
SmokinAces ur right..all that happened but Charles Hamilton still made AMAZING SONGS..i still listen to a ton of his work… as lo-fi and sloppy the sound quality was ..the message in his songs was beyond dope.. remember at one point he was suppose to be in the super group ALL CITY CHESS CLUB ..him, lupe, b.o.b. , pharrell, wale, J cole, Asher, Diggy..
I have so much more respect for Rosenberg! Dude saying the truth.
Also, SmokinAces, Charles Hamilton is probably still one of my favourites. He may not be as successful as those guys but he has released a shit load of incredibly dope music. I’m still playing The Pink Lavalamp regularly, classic album.
Im from Australia, and even i think Iggy Azelea shouldn’t be there. I gotta love that an Aussie is on the cover, but she is not that good. There is no way i can believe that she got voted in over XV. Vizzy has been killing it for years now and he’s still getting overlooked. XXL is bull shit!
Can I get an explanation why Q wan’t on this? And if Kendrick is going on the radio then the world should end.
Hey, I still play my CH like the rest of y’all. Loved the Pink LavaLamp, Staff Development, and a few others. But dude hasn’t lived up to the hype at all. Dude is the definition of wasted potential and talent. Plus, while dude has some dope ass shit, he has even more subpar to garbage material that overshadows his wins. Not to mention the personal shit.
Rosenberg and Cipha Sounds are the only people I listen to on Hot 97… I don’t believe Iggy Azelea got the fan vote, even though she aint that bad but still there’s no way! Action Bronson and XV should have been on regardless and at least I’m glad they had an explanation for ASAP!
@SmokinAces, dont say Blu didn’t pan out… he’s the only one who had a classic, other than Lupe, before being on the cover, although Lupe had a major label deal and wasn’t really a freshmen but Below the Heavens was that good.
^what has Blu done that’s lived up to his hype since Below The Heavens?
^^ NOTHING
Freshmen I ain’t one of them, ten of them ain’t one of me -XV
They can go on radio and explain themselves.. you guys can drop a couple hundred comments again.. hate on previous freshmen you didn’t like..
BOTTOM LINE IS THIS YEAR’S COVER SUCKS
basically……… the list ordeal has become shit now. ever since the 2010 cover, things sucks!
bronson said sumthing?
just bc blue doesn’t make bullshit club music, isn’t confused about not being from houston, and didn’t start imitating pimp c’s flow in 2011, don’t say he underachieved. the nigga’s an artist. he makes music bc he wants to create. better than anybody else that ever graced the cover. period. nigga would rap cirlces around wiz, ch, xv, action et al…. he just stay drugged out all the goddam time..
why the fuck all the chiefs of xxl white? :|
@SmokingAces
umm.. did you listen to HerFavoriteColo(u)r. ?
because that is the most personal album I have ever heard. & the whole woven story is so well put together and thought out.
I’m not going to say it’s over your head or too complex, because that’s douchey as fuck.
however, I do implore you to listen to it in it’s entirety a few times (again?) and really give it your attention, because I think I catch something new about it every time that helps me understand it better. (my itunes count of listens is at 147 for Untitled(LovedU)2… if that adds any validity to my sentiments. or possibly just mars me as a stan. fucks it.)
it’s subtle, but fucking brilliant.
peace&blessings.