XXL Magazine is a top-flight hip-hop publication that has done so much for the culture. Since 2007, it has been releasing its annual special issue of 10 up-and-coming artists to watch, titled XXL Freshman. The list, which sometimes varies from 10, 12, or even 9 rappers, showcases unknown and on-the-rise rappers and gives them their first-ever taste of fame.
For some, it's a significant cornerstone of their career. Many great rappers we know today, from Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, to Mac Miller, were alumni of the XXL Freshman list. The following ten are some of the most successful alumni of the annual list to the worst solely based on their net worth.
Updated on May 12, 2021, by Michael Chaar: When it comes to the XXL Freshman list, there are some names who have gone on to become the biggest in the rap game. While Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper, and J. Cole have cemented their status in the music industry, it is the up-and-comers that are paving a new way. Dave East continued to find success after the release of his 2019 album, Survival. Tierra Whack is expanding her philanthropic work after the release of her newest track, "Link", which is a collab with Lego for their "rebuild the world campaign". Kodak Black has also seen more coin after his success with his Lil Yachty collab on "Hit Bout It", and of course, Rico Nasty saw the most success after her work recording the soundtrack for a number of films, including Scoob!
10 Tierra Whack - $400,000
Next, we have Tierra Whack. She was featured on XXL's Freshman list in 2019, the same year she received a nomination for Grammy's Best Music Video for her 2017 single Mumbo Jumbo.
She made her Interscope debut in 2018 with Whack World, and it's safe to say that it's a promising kickstart of her career. Her net worth is estimated at $400 thousand, and she's only getting started!
9 Dave East - $500,000
Although it's pretty unfair to call Dave East a "flop," he hasn't capitalized on Nas's co-sign to the full extent and turned it into a multi-million success. The Big Apple rapper was signed to Nas' Mass Appeal Records imprint in 2014 following a massive success around his Black Rose mixtape.
A year later, he expanded his buzz by releasing another mixtape, titled Hate Me Now, which gained recognition from some of the A-list emcees in the game from Nas, Jadakiss, and Pusha-T. He was featured on the XXL Freshman list in 2016, and now, he's worth $500,000.
8 Angel Haze - $500,000
Detroit-born Angel Haze was on a mixtape creative spree in 2012 before signing to Republic a year later. Her debut album with Republic, Dirty Gold, gained some mixed reviews from the critics, and it definitely boosted her popularity and secured her a spot on XXL's Freshman list in the same year.
Although the Motor City rapper has been quiet from making albums in the last couple of years, she still actively makes music and tours. In 2018, she released an indie-influenced single, titled Brooklyn, and embarked on a journey to the UK a year later. She's worth $500 thousand.
7 Kodak Black - $600,000
Putting Kodak Black on this list as one of the poorest XXL Freshman alumni is quite surprising at best. He made his first-ever top-10 Billboard 100 song in 2017, a year after being featured on XXL. Since then, he just couldn't keep his hands off controversies. He was in trouble with the law numerous times since 2016. Today, he's serving time at United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy, for firearms possession.
However, the controversial figure is also a philanthropic soul. Kodak Black has donated to numerous good causes, including the Jack and Jill Children's Center, Paradise Childcare in Florida, and even helped build a school in Haiti in 2018. His net worth is $600,000.
6 Rico Nasty - $1 Million
For years, Rico Nasty was making a buzz in the street for herself. In 2014-2018, the young rapper flooded the market with mixtape after mixtape, notably Tales of Tacobella and the duology of Sugar Trap. She gained a reputation as the first woman from Washington to be included on XXL annual Freshman list in 2019.
Although she's "only" worth $1 million at the moment, she's still at the very early stage of her career, and there will definitely be a lot coming from her in the next years.
5 Chance the Rapper - $25 Million
XXL was right when they named Chance the Rapper as one of their ones-to-watch rappers in 2014 because two years later, the father of Kensli became the first Grammy Best Rap Album winner to snatch the title with an indie mixtape. Even though he's worth more than $25 million, Chance's albums don't really see a physical release. He built his net worth solely on extensive touring and deals with brands like Apple and Kit Kat.
"I never wanted to sell my music," he told Vanity Fair. "Because I thought putting a price on it put a limit on it and inhibited me from making a connection."
4 Travis Scott - $50 Million
Travis Scott was a part of the 2013 class of XXL Freshman. The Texan rapper was discovered by legendary emcee and the honcho of Grand Hustle Records, T.I, back in 2013. He released his debut mixtape under Grand Hustle, Owl Pharaoh, in the same year.
Years later, Travis Scott became one of the most recognizable rappers on the planet. He now owns his own label, Cactus Jack Records, and quadruples up his money from Nike's product endorsement deal. His net worth is currently $50 million.
3 Wiz Khalifa - $60 Million
Nobody could escape from Wiz Khalifa in the early 2010s. His 2009 sophomore album, Deal or No Deal, was his first-ever project that charted. Even though he was around for quite some time, it took him four years to appear on the XXL Freshman list, along with Nipsey Hussle, J. Cole, Freddie Gibbs, and many others.
Now, the North Dakota rapper is worth $60 million, mostly from his Khalifa Kush Enterprises marijuana strain, which he founded back in 2015, and Weed Farm mobile app. I guess a hobby generates money if you make the most of it.
2 J. Cole - $60 Million
Jay-Z was right when he featured J. Cole on A Star Is Born from his 2009 album, The Blueprint 3. Impressed, Jigga signed the Fayetteville native to his Roc Nation imprint and became the first artist to be signed to the newly born label. He was featured on XXL Freshman list in 2010
J. Cole is now worth $60 million. Most of the revenues come from constant touring, album sales, online streams, and product endorsement. He also never forgets the streets he came from and poured some of his energy into a nonprofit charity organization he built in 2018, the Dreamville Foundation.
1 Kendrick Lamar - $75 Million
Kendrick Lamar is undoubtedly, to this day, the most successful XXL Freshman alumni. Signing to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment and his childhood idol Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Kungfu Kenny is now a household name and one of the best wordsmiths in the rap game.
Kendrick made his debut with Section.80 in 2011, and years later, he became the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize and one of the most achieving rappers of all time. He's won over 13 Grammys and a place on Time's annual list of 100 most influential people in the world. His net worth is estimated at $75 million.