Music
5 Boston Artists up for 2016 XXL Freshman Class
Five artists hailing from their respective parts of Boston, Massachusetts may find themselves on this years’ XXL Freshman class cover. For those who’ve been oblivious these past eight years, the XXL Freshman cover recognizes seven rookies in the game who the staff feels are now rising to stardom. Cousin Stizz has certainly been ringing bells (no pun intended) with his summer mixtape, Suffolk County, and i am OTHER artist, Bia, who locked in a spot, serving as one of the headliners for Pusha T‘s Darkest Before Dawn tour.
Within the past year, Boston has been coming together to show they have just as much talent as the next city. Whether you sing, rap, dance, or act, these five are a living testament that you can make something out of yourself if you work hard and have the right people in your circle.
As the XXL staff starts deliberating on who will be inaugurated into the Freshman class, you can make your voice heard by voting on who gets the 10th spot on the list. Voting will take place over the next seven days – freshmen.xxlmag.com/10th-spot. Choose wisely.
Check out each artists profile on the next page.
[tps_title]Micheal Christmas, Boston[/tps_title]
Coming on the scene as early as 2013, Micheal Christmas caught people’s eyes with his single, “Michael Cera” which lived on his Is This Art? mixtape. Though some may see him as weird, Christmas has certainly secured his spot in the game. Be sure to catch him, Friday 27 May 2016 – Sunday 29 May 2016 at Boston Calling Music Festival over at City Hall Plaza.
[tps_title]Cousin Stizz, Dorchester[/tps_title]
I remember being a freshman in college trying to look for a Boston artist to listen to. One day, my friend introduced me to his record, “Shoutout” and remember bumping it for a month straight. However, I wanted more and didn’t know where to look. So when I saw the Complex premiere of Cousin Stizz‘s Suffolk Country, I figured that’s why I couldn’t find any more material from the Dorchester native – he’d been working. However, that wasn’t enough for me. I knew Stizz had really made it when I was watching Charlamagne Tha God‘s Uncommon Sense on MTV 2 and heard RellyOnSmash playing, “No Bells.” Stizz is certainly not the one to sleep on.
[tps_title]Joyner Lucas, Worcester[/tps_title]
If I told you how many time this guys’ music was in my submissions inbox and I didn’t click it, you’d smack me.My own best friend told me this guys was about to be on. This was in 2014 and I honestly didn’t cater to unsigned artists on my site back then. Man, did I wish I listen (Yes, Katiana, you were right. Shut up.) After appearing on the BET’s Hip Hop Awards Cypher, the cosigns for Joyner Lucas were almost inevitable and I wanted to shoot myself in the foot. I caught the premiere of his video, “Happy Birthday” on BET Jams one day and couldn’t help but shed a tear. His pen game is impeccable.
[tps_title]Dutch Rebelle, Boston[/tps_title]
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
Dutch Rebelle is probably one of the biggest OGs in the game. I remember when she dropped Rebelle Diaries and I literally annoyed everyone about it cause I thought she was dope (still is, of course). She’s done numerous tours, has appeared on MTV’s RapFix Live with Sway, amongst other things, but has always returned to the city that molded her into the femcee she is today.
[tps_title]Bia, Boston[/tps_title]
BIA came on the scene around 2012/2013 with her record, “High.” I instantly followed her on Twitter and bumped the record constantly. Next thing I knew, she was signed to Pharell‘s iamOther, dropped a whirl wind of freestyles, and here we are, a mixtape, two seasons of a reality show, and a tour later. Bia’s lyricism goes unnoticed and the world is definitely starting to pay attention.
