The cyphers are about presence, attitude and that undeniable spark that makes the audience pay attention. For many of these artists, this is their first national spotlight moment, where they can grab ...

Over the last 17 years, XXL has proudly and confidently worked to predict the next rap stars to take over hip-hop. New artists burst onto the scene daily with the makings of the next J. Cole, Kendrick ...

With the individual freestyles from this year’s XXL Freshman class in the books, the crew unveils the first of the cyphers today. The leadoff group features Kevin Gates, Vic Mensa, August Alsina, ...