Lil Xan’s Pitch for 2018 XXL Freshman

Before the 2018 XXL Freshman class will be revealed this summer, the Freshman hopefuls are here to show and prove why they deserve a spot in this year’s class. The 10th Spot voting has officially launched, which means hip-hop's rising newcomers are vying for a spot on the 2018 XXL Freshman cover.

Just a few years ago, Lil Xan had his sights set on being a photographer, but a stolen camera changed focus. Now he's a rising rapper with a loyal fan base, a hit song and his fair share of critics. The Redlands, Calif. native, whose goal is to continue evolving as an artist, hit SoundCloud gold last year when he uploaded the Bobby Johnson Beats-produced "Betrayed," an intoxicating, cautionary ode to Xanax. Now the 21-year-old rapper, who no longer uses the drug, has found himself with a song that's racked up 151 million streams on Spotify, 49 million plays on SoundCloud and 149 million views on YouTube. To say the track is a success is an understatement.

With "Betrayed" kickstarting his career and a recent collab with Diplo, "Color Blind," out now, the Columbia Records signee is now preparing his debut album, Total Xanarchy, which serves as a follow-up to his 2017 offering, Xanarchy. 2 Chainz and YG are set to appear on the effort while Yo Gotti and Rich The Kid hopped on his "Betrayed (Remix)." Before the album arrives on April 6, Xan has been making noise in other ways, namely with his controversial comments on Tupac Shakur, whose music he referred to as "boring" in a recent interview. However, the rapper recently paid homage to the late ’Pac by performing his lauded hit "California Love" at a recent show. Look out for Lil Xan's Total Xanarchy to drop next month.

Now that you've watched his 2018 XXL Freshman pitch below, it's time to vote. The 2018 XXL Freshman 10th Spot will run for one week. This is where the public gets the chance to vote an artist into the XXL Freshman Class. Go here to make your vote count for your favorite artist.

Once you've voted, head over to XXL’s YouTube page to take a look back at the 2017 XXL Freshman Class, which featured A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Aminé, Kap G, Kamaiyah, Kyle, Madeintyo, Playboi Carti, PnB Rock, Ugly God and 10th spot winner XXXTentacion.

And watch all the 2018 XXL Freshman pitch videos that have been released on XXL's YouTube page here.

See Every XXL Freshman Cover Over the Years