Managers play a pivotal role in an artist’s career. As a manager, you are responsible for the business side of things, but it also means finding talent in unlikely places and believing in an artist's success through the tough times when things aren't quite working out and believing in their talent and work ethic. There’s a certain level of staying on top of things that comes with the job description, which often leads to bigger opportunities and notoriety in the future. In the case of the managers of our XXL Freshmen 2014 Class, each of these individuals has overseen the careers of their artists and watched them grow into promising hip-hop stars. We caught up with 10 of the 12 managers who have been by their side since the beginning, to get an idea of what it is like to fight for a spot on the cover. Salute the hustlers behind the scenes, too. —Eric Diep, Miranda Johnson, Emmanuel C.M. and Dan Rys
