And where was Gunna?
This year’s XXL Freshmen have been put to the lyrical test as the publication has continued to shed light on the rising artists. After releasing their individual freestyle videos, the outlet featured the young artists in a cypher. DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Rico Nasty and YBN Cordae received much praise on social media, while others left fans divided. One person who was criticized more than his fellow rappers was 17-year-old Lil Mosey who seemed to struggle through his freestyle.
“I feel like the man / freshman the year / I woke up like the man,” he began. “Never poppin’ Xans ’cause they killin’ me damn / when you got it money they be tryin’ to be your friend / Okay, this a lame ass beat.”
The rapper’s video was quickly circulated through social media and the memes and jokes ran amok. Recognizing he didn’t do as well as his fellow rappers, Mosey explained why he wasn’t able to keep up with his cohorts and took the teasing in stride. “Not gone lie my freestyle was trash ?,” he wrote. “I don’t freestyle as y’all can see. I like to write songs n sing melodies but I tried n had fun. Y’all memes are hella funny tho.”
Meanwhile, Gunna was noticeably absent from the Cypher, but he enigmatically posted on his Instagram “Fuc* a Freestyle…This Style ain’t Free !????✌?”