It’s that time of year again! XXL will soon be releasing their annual Freshman list. Each year, 10 of the hottest upcoming acts make the cut – 9 of which are hand-picked by the XXL staff, the tenth being voted in by fans. XXL releases all of their options on a voting site, allowing fans to vote every four hours for their favorite(s). Be smart about your votes, though! The artists on this list include the ones XXL has already chosen, but of course they don’t want to let you know which ones they are and ruin the surprise! My advice is to vote for your favorite acts that are lesser known on the list, as the more popular ones are likely to have already made the cut.