Chris Patrick, Slayr, Miles Minnick and More Front the 2026 XXL Freshman Cypher

The 2026 XXL Freshman Class is finally in cypher mode, and after the noise around the mean comments and the earlier a cappella performances, the latest round puts the spotlight on bars, performance, and a beat supplied by Jay Trench. Powered by Puma, the cypher brings DJ Drama back into the mix for the first time in 10 years since he appeared with the 2016 Class, and this edition pulls six freshmen into the circle: Chris Patrick, La Reezy, Sosocamo, Slayr, Miles Minnick and Hurricane Wisdom.

Chris Patrick, the New Jersey native, opens with the sort of self-assured name-checking that has long been the currency of XXL cyphers. He wastes little time tying himself to his home state while staking a claim of his own.

"When it comes to Jersey, if it ain’t Solána or Fetty, they most likely talking about Chris," he raps. "Underground bitcoin, you put your money on me, and I promise it’s cash well spent/I need a plaque attached to my name like I came out of West Orange with Maxwell Dent."

La Reezy follows with a quick bit of movement before settling into a bar-heavy turn. The New Orleans MC, all charisma and punchlines, keeps his verse loose even as he stacks references across religion, culture, and streetwise swagger.

"Selling dope s**t like I’m Frank Lucas/I’m keeping it goofy feelin’ like the Three Stooges/As-salamu alaykum, where your kufi?/Whoo-whoo, stay up on that Deen/My name is La Reezy from New Orleans/Uptown, I’m keeping it G," he spits.

Sosocamo brings a more melodic approach into the rotation. The North Carolina rapper turns his verse into a sideways reply to the people watching him from the outside, tossing off lines aimed squarely at the haters.

"Ni**a be mad/All in my business/Aye, aye, aye/Really gon’ hate when a young ni**a winnin’/Aye, aye, aye/Ni**as be yappin’, yeah, I know he a bi**h/Aye, aye, aye/Back of the sprinter, yeah, I’m Black and I’m bendin’, I got racks in my denim," he rhymes.

Philadelphia rapper Slayr comes in with a faster tempo and a sharper edge, pushing through his verse with the kind of rapid-fire wordplay that makes room for punchlines to land in quick succession.

"S**t not 50/50, ’cause I’m always gon’ win, get up with me/I be getting chicken, hella crispy/If you look at my lens, hella crispy/Yet ni**as be rattin’ like they Mickey."

Elsewhere, Bay Area artist Miles Minnick takes his turn by leaning into faith, framing the cypher as a chance to give praise as much as to rap. His verse is among the most overtly spiritual moments in the set.

"I never thought I would reach these heights/All glory to Jesus Christ," he preaches. "You gotta make sure your people right/He gonna come like a thief in the night, alright?"

Hurricane Wisdom closes things out in a different register altogether, dropping the beat and going a cappella. The South Florida rapper uses the final slot to sketch a warning as much as a victory lap, folding money, pressure and loyalty into the same breath.

"I was just broke and lonely, now I’m rich, I got all these kinfolk/You ain’t tryin’ to make no bread then what the f**k you hear fo?’/These ni**as broke, they goin’ fed, they outchea givin’ info/See my ni**as goin’ fed so let me change the tempo," he raps, adding, "I know that money make s**t skraight, but it don’t make you real, it don’t make you real tho."

Check out the first 2026 XXL Freshman Cypher, powered by Puma, below and stay tuned for the second one later this week.

See 2026 XXL Freshman Class