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.

Smokepurpp had a huge 2017. The Miami artist is an integral part of the SoundCloud rap scene that's been bubbling in South Florida over the past couple of years (along with Lil Pump and XXXTentacion). Purpp's gold-certified single "Audi" went viral after its release last May, and has since topped 100 million streams across platforms. In September, the Alamo Records signee dropped his mixtape, Deadstar, which only grew his following further (even Drake is a fan). His collaborative Bless Yo Trap mixtape with Murda Beatz is next up, slated for a March release; it's likely to be just one of several projects dropping this year from Smokepurpp.

Now that you've watched his pitch, 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

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