Lil Mosey

TRUTH ON BEING AN XXL FRESHMAN: “I mean, this is it. You have to be on a certain level to be a Freshman. If you are a Freshman you’re part of the best artists in rap. Being here—a part of this—either means you already made it or you’re about to take off and be the next one up. And if you’re an artist, [this is] where you want to be, and you gotta take these steps to get there. To be at [this] level right now feels good.

I been watchin’ Freshman since like, 2011, 2012. I remember checkin’ out YG on the cover [in 2011]. The best class to me was 2016, with [Lil] Uzi [Vert], Kodak [Black], [Lil] Yachty and those guys. That cypher helped inspire me to really want to be part of a Freshman Class because all those artists were the best at that time and exceeded the cap of where others have stopped. I’m trying to do the same thing. I was taggin’ XXL and pushing hard before I got picked. It’s just crazy. The first people I told about me being a part of this year’s class was my bros, Bandkids. Those are my homies. We was all stoked. I told my mom, too. She didn’t really know what it was at first, but once I told her about it she was stoked and happy for me.

If you’re a Freshman it means you already made it or you’re about to take off. This is where you want to be. I been looking forward to the cypher and freestyle the most. I hit the studio every day, so I’m ready to kill that shit regardless. I’ve worked with BlocBoy JB, who was a Freshman last year in 2018, so I’ve already been near the area of the class. Now I’m bringing new flows and new melodies that nobody has heard before to the table. You can compare it to some stuff, but as far as how good it is, it’s different. In Seattle where I’m from, like, the Bay Area—you can hear that type of stuff in my music. Bouncy, jumpin’, fun—that’s Lil Mosey’s sound. I don’t really sound like a lot of other people. The only project that I got out, Northsbest, got two songs on there that hit the Billboard charts. My song “Noticed” has over 200 million streams just on Spotify. Legendary shit. After that song, everything started goin’ crazy. It’s a whole new style to the industry—new everything.

I deserve to be a Freshman, and now that I’m here I’m just gonna keep workin’, keep gettin’ to the top. Be a sophomore, junior and graduate—all that. Ten years from now, I see myself doing arenas, still dropping hits and getting more No. 1s. Just striving for greatness.”

LIL MOSEY'S 2019 XXL FRESHMAN PROFILE INTERVIEW

Don't let Lil Mosey's age fool you—there's a reason he's a 2019 XXL Freshman. From already having two Billboard Hot 100 singles to playing shows with Juice Wrld, Smokepurpp and others, the young spitter insists he's destined to continue his rise. "Just thinkin' ’bout what I was doing last year and what I'm doing now, it's a big difference," the 17-year-old Seattle native recalls. "Every time it starts gettin' hard, just gotta remember this is better than what I was doin'. I wouldn't want anything else."

Mosey, born Lathan Echols, got his start in music a few years ago when he had his single, "Pull Up," go viral. The 2017 song is a synth-laden, melody-driven take on the latest wave of SoundCloud rap, while the video features an even younger Mosey appearing to smoke weed and sip lean. Quickly amassing millions of views, the clip became a launching pad for his rapid rise. "Pull Up" currently has over 27 million views on YouTube and 57 million streams on Spotify.

But that moment wasn't even close to what soon followed for the rising rapper. In 2018, he dropped his first true hit, "Noticed," which is featured on Lil Mosey's project, Northsbest. The track charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 80. Since being released, it has garnered hundreds of millions of streams across major platforms: nearly 250 million on Spotify, over 120 million on YouTube and even more elsewhere. "Noticed" would be a significant moment for any artist, let alone a 17-year-old putting out one of his first releases.

Among both "Pull Up" and "Noticed," Northsbest also features bubbling fan-favorites such as "Kamikaze," "Burberry Headband" and "Greet Her." Altogether, the release has received over 585 million streams on Spotify alone.

Speaking on what he brings to the table as an artist, Mosey isn't indirect. "New melodies, new flows, all that," he explains. "Just a whole new style to the rap game nobody has ever really heard." Mosey isn't slowing down in 2019 either. Just in the year's first half, he has dropped two standalone singles: "Bust Down Cardier" and "G-Walk," the latter of which features Chris Brown. Additionally, he's currently working on his official debut album.

"If you're a Freshman, it means you're ’boutta take off or you're at the point where you're already there," Mosey explains. "Now that I'm a Freshman, I'm gonna keep workin', keep gettin' to the top, keep striving for greatness."

Watch Lil Mosey talk about what becoming a Freshman means to him above.

See Photos of Lil Mosey Behind the Scenes at the 2019 XXL Freshman Cover Shoot

LIL MOSEY'S 2019 XXL FRESHMAN FREESTYLE

Seattle’s Lil Mosey is not one to be looked over when it comes to the 2019 XXL Freshman class. After having two tracks debut on the Billboard 200 and nearly 250 million streams on Spotify alone, the “Noticed” rapper has built momentum significant enough to place him in the mainstream conversation. Now comes the time for his Freshman freestyle.

Mosey hits the ground running with his bars, finding a groove and staying in that lane. His delivery is raspy but controlled; throaty but confident, allowing him to intertwine words together with ease. The 17-year-old rapper spits on his come up, talking about keeping his inner circle tight, what it was like growing up in Seattle and living the life of luxury as a teenager.

“Just need new money, don’t need no new friends/2016, took five to a 10,” he raps. The last few years have changed Lil Mosey’s life. From having a small, grassroots following in 2016, to nationwide success and beyond in 2019, the incline to stardom has been steep for the rising star.

Near the end of his verse he addresses the struggle of where he came from before the rap game. “You a lil smoka, you ain’t got no match/Came from the hood, we started from scratch,” he rhymes. There’s no denying Mosey’s belief in himself that he is exactly where he’s supposed to be.

Check out Lil Mosey’s freestyle in full above.

LIL MOSEY'S ABCs

Lil Mosey's rise has been largely unparalleled in terms of momentum and his age. The 17-year-old rapper has achieved more success in his brief career than many artists twice his age have. One thing about the young spitter's personality is that he doesn't hold back. That no-filter, no-second-thought attitude makes for some entertaining responses when it comes to doing interviews. Case in point: his 2019 XXL Freshman ABCs.

This series forces rappers to think on their feet, and Mosey doesn't disappoint. From showing respect to XXXTentacion to explaining what he smokes instead of joints, the young rapper has an answer for every letter of the alphabet.

He comes out of the gates holding nothing back with his first letter. "A is for ass. All that big ass, you know." D, E and G are all what Mosey is about: "Do that," "Everything" and being a G, respectively,

When he gets to J, he opts for "joints," but that isn't what he smokes. "J is for joints, but we don't smoke joints we smoke big backwoods," the Seattle rhymer reveals. Additionally, when he arrives at the letter V, he pays homage to a late 2017 XXL Freshman, "Very rare. R.I.P. X." Very Rare is the group Ski Mask The Slump God formed before teaming up with XXXTentacion when the two were locked up together as juveniles.

Aside from his 2019 XXL Freshman honor, Mosey has a new song with Chris Brown that he recently dropped called "G Walk," and another stand-alone single from earlier this year called "Bust Down Cartier." He is currently working on his as-yet-untitled debut album, which is due out this fall.

Check out Lil Mosey’s ABCs in full up top.

DABABY, MEGAN THEE STALLION, LIL MOSEY AND YK OSIRIS' 2019 XXL FRESHMAN CYPHER

With each new XXL Freshman class comes a new set of rappers on a mission to prove they are ready for the hip-hop world. The 2019 inductees are no different. A divergent new crew of 11 artists were crowned XXL Freshmen this year, but despite their contrasts, they have one consistent goal to help raise the bar; a common theme in the roundtable interview with DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, YK Osiris and Lil Mosey.

“When you a Freshman and, shit, you either made it or you the next to go crazy,” says Seattle’s Lil Mosey of the cover’s stamp of approval. “That’s like the biggest platform. If you there, everybody’s watching, like, ‘These the niggas that’s next up and shit.’”

YK Osiris agrees there is a certain amount of responsibility that comes with being one of the select few chosen. “A lot of people didn’t make it, you know? So, for you to make it, a lot of people gon’ be watching and your career is going to go up and up,” the Florida native says. “They expect more outta, you know? You can’t just do no dumb junk. You gotta go crazy after that.”

With over a decade of Freshman magazines in the books, most of the class is young enough to have literally grown up checking for the covers before they were rapping.

“It’s definitely something all of us used to look at. You look at that shit, it make you put your eyes on somebody. So, it’s big, big. It’s extra-large,” says DaBaby, who has already collaborated with fellow Freshmen YK and Megan on tracks.

Houston hot girl Megan Thee Stallion believes the 2019 XXL Freshman class has set a new standard. “I’ma just say, I feel like this class is one of the best in a minute,” she opines. “We got some rappers on here. Some people that actually take their craft pretty seriously. After this, I feeling like you gotta raise the bar for the next people y’all pick because we did the damn thing this time.”

Peep DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, YK Osiris and Lil Mosey’s XXL Freshman roundtable discussion above.

DABABY, MEGAN THEE STALLION, LIL MOSEY AND YK OSIRIS' 2019 XXL FRESHMAN ROUNDTABLE INTERVIEW

With each new XXL Freshman class comes a new set of rappers on a mission to prove they are ready for the hip-hop world. The 2019 inductees are no different. A divergent new crew of 11 artists were crowned XXL Freshmen this year, but despite their contrasts, they have one consistent goal to help raise the bar; a common theme in the roundtable interview with DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, YK Osiris and Lil Mosey.

“When you a Freshman and, shit, you either made it or you the next to go crazy,” says Seattle’s Lil Mosey of the cover’s stamp of approval. “That’s like the biggest platform. If you there, everybody’s watching, like, ‘These the niggas that’s next up and shit.’”

YK Osiris agrees there is a certain amount of responsibility that comes with being one of the select few chosen. “A lot of people didn’t make it, you know? So, for you to make it, a lot of people gon’ be watching and your career is going to go up and up,” the Florida native says. “They expect more outta, you know? You can’t just do no dumb junk. You gotta go crazy after that.”

With over a decade of Freshman magazines in the books, most of the class is young enough to have literally grown up checking for the covers before they were rapping.

“It’s definitely something all of us used to look at. You look at that shit, it make you put your eyes on somebody. So, it’s big, big. It’s extra-large,” says DaBaby, who has already collaborated with fellow Freshmen YK and Megan on tracks.

Houston hot girl Megan Thee Stallion believes the 2019 XXL Freshman class has set a new standard. “I’ma just say, I feel like this class is one of the best in a minute,” she opines. “We got some rappers on here. Some people that actually take their craft pretty seriously. After this, I feeling like you gotta raise the bar for the next people y’all pick because we did the damn thing this time.”

Watch DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, YK Osiris and Lil Mosey’s XXL Freshman roundtable discussion above.