Gelo, Ray Vaughn, And Samara Cyn Enter The 2025 ‘XXL’ Freshman Class

The 2025 XXL Freshman class has been revealed. This year’s class includes breakout stars such as Gelo, Ray Vaughn, and Samara Cyn, as well as viral stars 1900Rugrat, BabyChiefDoit, EemTriplin, Ian, Lazer Dim 700, Loe Shimmy, Nino Paid, and YTBFatt. See below for more info about each of these rising stars.

1900Rugrat

Hailing from West Palm Beach, Florida, Rugrat is signed to 300 Entertainment and first gained popularity thanks to his freestyles — specifically his song “One Take Freestyle.”

BabyChiefDoit

At 17 years old, BabyChiefDoit is the youngest member of this year’s class. A Chicago native, he’s best known for tracks like “Snooze You Lose” and “The Viper.”

Eem Triplin

After getting his start as a producer for other artists, Eem Triplin switched to rapping and singing his own tunes, leading to the release of his album Melody of a Memory early this year.

Gelo

If you haven’t heard Gelo’s song “Tweaker” by now, you don’t know ball. Triple entendre, don’t even ask me how. The former hooper turned rapper is preparing the release of his debut album, which drops this week.

Ian

He’s not Tyler The Creator’s favorite, but with the support of Lil Yachty (himself a former Freshman), the Dallas suburbanite has generated a passionate fanbase among the Lyrical Lemonade/Rolling Loud set.

Lazer Dim 700

I first heard Lazer Dim as a guest on Denzel Curry’s “Still In The Paint” and the Florida native’s support has been instrumental in helping the Georgian Lazer Dim find an audience for his unique, hyperactive sound.

Loe Shimmy

Another Florida artist, Loe Shimmy’s distinctive voice (a wobbly nasal croak) has led to standout performances on tracks such as “Let It Out” and his verse on Hurricane Wisdom’s “Salute.”

Nino Paid

Columbia Records picked up the PG County, Maryland artist in 2023 after the viral success of his song “Pain & Possibilities,” leading to the release of two full-length projects to date, last year’s Can’t Go Bacc and this February’s Love Me As I Am.

Ray Vaughn

The TDE-signed Long Beach rapper has made lots of noise this year as one of the primary participants in Joey Badass’ one-sided proxy war with Kendrick Lamar, standing in for his former labelmate with fiery diss tracks defending not just his Compton neighbor, but the wider Los Angeles regional scene.

Samara Cyn

Samara Cyn, currently on tour with Smino, just dropped her EP, Backroads, as a follow-up to her critically hailed debut, The Drive Home.

YTB Fatt

Usually, Memphis artists are from Tennessee, but Fatt is putting West Memphis, Arkansas on the map. Ironically, he’s doing so with the help of Memphis native Moneybagg Yo, as a member of the “Said Sum” rapper’s Loaf Boyz Ventures label.