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.

According to J.I.D, he's the best fit for the job when it comes to a place on the 2018 XXL Freshman cover. The Atlanta MC has been honing his lyrical skills ever since he got kicked out of Virginia's Hampton University, where he met fellow rappers Doctur Dot and Johnny Venus of EarthGang and eventually formed the Spillage Village collective in 2012. The former college football player's burgeoning rap career is exemplified across his first two mixtapes, 2012's Route of Evil and 2013's Para Tu, in addition to Spillage Village's three compilation albums: Bears Like This (2014), Bears Like This Too (2015) and Bears Like This Too Much (2016). Each one of these projects finds J.I.D delivering hard-hitting lyrics of substance.

This kid can spit, which is no surprise J. Cole decided to sign J.I.D to his Dreamville Records imprint in 2017. His signing was also an introductory to his official debut album, The Never Story, a 12-track project featuring production from J. Cole, Childish Major and Christo, among others. "Never," the LP's standout track, finds the 27-year-old venting his frustrations on hard times with lyrical precision, all over a brooding beat until the track morphs into some boom-bap magic. "Hereditary" features J.I.D getting his melody on by flexing more of his singing skills as he touches on miscommunication in romance. And "EdEddnEddy," for which he just dropped one of the best videos of the year so far, delves into a day in the life of J.I.D and his boys.

In 2018, J.I.D is preparing to hit the road alongside Earth Gang for their Never Had Sh!t Euro Tour, which spans across 19 cities. With additional festival dates lined up too, J.I.D is headed in a promising direction this year.

Now that you've heard 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 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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