BTH 2012 Freshman List

No matter what artists XXL chose for their always scrutinized Freshman cover, nobody's going to be completely happy. I'm sure even those who were choosing artists for the cover weren't even completely sold on some of the finally choices. To each his own right? Rather than complain about their 2012 Freshman cover, we went ahead and made our own list of hip hop artists on the rise this year. Ready...and...debate! Hit the jump for our list.

XXL Freshman Class of 2012 Announced

Let the debating begin. You'll have our answer to the cover as soon as we can get it to you. In the meantime, hit the jump to give us your opinion on how XXL did this year with their picks. We're expecting a lot of disappointment from most...

Tony Williams - Blazin' High ft. Wale, Emilio Rojas, & Macklemore

Tony Williams links up with Wale Folarin and two of my personal favorites of the XXL 2012 Freshman Class candidates for this new joint off his upcoming mixtape, Some Of My Favorite Rappers Are Friends, dropping next Friday.

Previous: Rick Ross - Bag Of Money ft. Wale & Meek Mill

Macklemore - And We Danced [Video]

As he had promised on his Facebook page, the Seattle artist has let go of his newest video for a track called "And We Danced" from The Unplanned Mixtape.

Previous: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Make The Money

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Make The Money

"Make the money, don't let the money make you."

You already know this Seattle duo doesn't disappoint. This track is now available for purchase on iTunes. They're also getting ready to start their tour in October.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Interview At Rock The Bells

The folks at Karmaloop chop it up with some of Seattle's finest backstage at this years Rock The Bells show.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Otherside (remix) ft. Fences [Video]

It doesn't seem to pack a the strong punch quite the same as the original, but nonetheless it's great to hear some meaningful music in a genre that's flooded with 2nd grade lyrics.

"Nearly a year ago, Otherside, a fan favorite off of the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ VS EP, was remixed and released as part of their VS Redux project. During that span, and spurred on by a powerful fan-base who have long embraced Otherside (the song has over one-million plays one YouTube), Macklemore and Lewis felt compelled to deliver a worthy visual to accompany the already stirring narrative. Along with Macklemore and Lewis, the visual was shot in multiple locations by director and long time collaborator Jason Koenig (My Oh My). The song, remixed and now featuring Christopher Mansfield (Fences) on the chorus, chronicles Macklemore’s personal struggles with drug abuse and its glorification within the hip hop music he loves."

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Can't Hold Us ft. Ray Dalton

Check out this new jazzy, upbeat track from the Seattle rapper. Available for download on iTunes.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Wings [Video]

For those of you out there who are unfamiliar with Macklemore: get familiar. His heart-felt lyrics turn his raps into stories that make your favorite rapper's finest rhymes seem childish. While you'll notice right away that the topic here is kicks, the lesson is much deeper. Check the video out under the jump...

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - My Oh My [Live at Safeco Field]

Macklemore performs his Dave Niehaus tribute to Safeco Field before the Mariners home opener yesterday. I'm not at all a Mariners fan, but as a huge fan of baseball that first verse gives me chills every time I hear it.