This Year's XXL Freshman Class Features the Most Female Rappers Ever — Four

Flo Milli, Coi Leray, Lakeyah, and Rubi Rose headline the 2021 XXL Freshman Class.

On Wednesday, XXL released the official lineup for its 2021 XXL Freshman Class. The name included buzzing standouts like Pooh Shiesty, 42 Dugg, Blxst, and more. This year's issue marked a milestone--the four female members were the most featured in the issue's 14-year history. This year's class is headlined by Alabama MC Flo Milli, Coi Leray, Rubi Rose, and Lakeyah.

"It's up only up!" Lakeyah wrote in a tweet. "This [is] a real big deal for me...now it's time to turn the whole world into believers. [Shout out] all the other amazing talent on the list." The Milwaukee native became a Quality Control signee in July 2020 after Lil Baby co-signed her remix of his hit single "We Paid." Months later, she dropped her mixtape Times Up.

Back in 2016, Lakeyah got her first taste of viral fame after competing in the "So Gone" challenge, where aspiring artists (as well as established ones like Chance the Rapper and NBA star Damian Lillard) recorded their takes on Monica's 2003 single.

Flo Milli's been on a hot streak since 2018, when "Beef FloMix," her take on Playboi Carti and Ethereal's underground hit "Beef" went viral. The official track has amassed over 46 million streams on Spotify.

Fellow inductee Toosii shouted the ladies out in a tweet. "I just wanna say congratulations to Lakeyah, Flo Milli, Coi Leray & Rubi," he wrote, "This is the most female [rappers] XXL has ever had it's definitely a monumental moment."