Fridayy Insists He’ll Fry the Competition in Basketball, Praises 50 Cent’s Power in His ABCs

Ball is life for Fridayy, who's been an avid hooper since he was a kid. The 26-year-old Philadelphia native even has an aptly titled song called "Shoot" featuring Ty Dolla $ign on the deluxe version of his Lost in Melody EP, released earlier this year. While the Grammy-nominated artist has become hip-hop's lauded vocalist as of late, there's many other sides to Fridayy, which he shares in his version of XXL's ABCs.

Knowing that basketball is his sport of choice, it's only right the Def Jam Recordings signee kicks things off with athlete for the letter A. "I was a athlete my whole life," he reveals. "I played ball my whole life. I was nice as s**t, too, as some will say. It slowed down, later high school, but I still hoop. I'll fry some people." Shooting guard is his prime position, and he's a Kobe Bryant fan.

Supporters of the guy with the godly sound know that he passed on a college education at Penn State University to pursue his gift of music. But that doesn't mean this 2023 XXL Freshman doesn't know the importance of a solid education—the word he choose for the letter E. "I ain't gonna say college for everybody, but definitely finish high school," Fridayy insists. "You need to know how to read and count your numbers. College not for everybody, I will say that. It's a waste of time if you don't know what you want to do with your life." Wise words.

When it comes to the letter P, Fridayy praises 50 Cent's acclaimed TV show Power: "Shout-out 50 Cent, my favorite show, Power, nah mean. Been watching that s**t since it came out."

And though he has a booming presence on the mic, the "God Did" hook master is actually a really quiet person. "I'm a very quiet guy until you get to know me," Fridayy admits for the letter Q. "If you see me from afar, you like, 'Damn, bro not sayin' nothin. He a introvert?' No, I'm not a introvert. I just don't know you. That's it."

Get to know Fridayy a little better, what his favorite cartoon is and why he stresses the importance of playing your cards right in his ABCs below.

Watch Fridayy's 2023 XXL Freshman ABCs

The Freshman issue of XXL magazine hits stands everywhere on July 18. See Finesse2tymes, Lola Brooke, Rob49, Fridayy, GloRilla, 2Rare, SleazyWorld Go, Central Cee, Real Boston Richey, Luh Tyler, TiaCorine and DC The Don's official Freshman pages. In addition to interviews with all 12 artists in the 2023 Class and Freshman cyphers producer Pi'erre Bourne, it includes interviews with Lil Baby, NLE Choppa, Boosie BadAzz, Toosii, DDG, Saba, producer Go Grizzly, engineer Jaycen Joshua, singer Coco Jones, SinceThe80s' President Barry "Hefner" Johnson and AEW wrestler Swerve Strickland, plus a look back at what the 2022 XXL Freshman Class is doing, hip-hop's love for golfing featuring Scarface, OMB Peezy and pro golfer Harold Varner III, conversations with 10 new artists making noise and a deep dive into A.I. hip-hop songs. You can also buy the 2023 XXL Freshman Class issue here.