Avi Cantor

2018 XXL Freshman Cover Predictions

April 10, 2018 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Avi Cantor

Staff Writer

Since 2007, XXL Magazine makes one issue each year highlighting the year’s most prominent emerging artists in Rap and Hip Hop. This edition helps young artists expose and provide their art to a larger audience using the cover as a milestone to prove that their accomplishments exceed those of their peers. “The Freshman Cover” has been widely regarded as a platform that artists can aspire to be a part of, and has launched the careers of Meek Mill, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and Lil Uzi Vert, among many others.

So who will end up on the cover this year? I have some predictions — and readers should know that this list has less to do with my opinion, and more to do with numbers.

As I did last year, the article is divided into two sections. The first section reveals my picks for the ten freshman spots, including three artists who will have an asterisk next to their name. The asterisk signifies an artist who I think has the potential for greater longevity in the industry than their peers.

In the second section, I have included a list of people I think barely didn’t make the cut for the cover, but could make the cover in years to come.

6ix9ine (pronounced SIHX-NIYN)

Notable Collaborators: Young Thug, Tory Lanez, Fetty Wap, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Record “GUMMO” has over 167 million views on Youtube, was certified RIAA platinum and peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (as of 4/3)
Record “Kooda” has over 110 million views on Youtube and was certified RIAA platinum
Records “KEKE” and “BILLY” have a combined for more than 120 million views on Youtube, and “BILLY” peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (as of 4/3)

Bhad Bhabie (pronounced BAHD BAY-BEE)

Notable Collaborators: RONNY J (Producer), Lil Yachty, Rich the Kid, MadeinTYO, and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Record “Hi Bich/Whatchu Know” has 86 million views on Youtube and “Hi Bich” peaked at No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
Record “These Heaux” has 63 million views on Youtube and peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
Records “I Got It” and “Mama Don’t Worry (I’m Still Dirty)” both have over 20 million views on Youtube

Lil Skies

Notable Collaborators: Cole Bennett (owner of Lyrical Lemonade), Cufboys (Youtuber), Rich the Kid, and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Record “Nowadays” has 71 million views on Youtube and peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
Record “Red Roses” has 61 million views on Youtube and peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
Has connections to rap moguls such as No Jumper, Lyrical Lemonade, Elevator and more

Lil Baby*

Notable Collaborators: Migos, Lil Yachty, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Kodak Black and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Mixtape “Harder Than Hard” peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard 200 chart
Record “My Dawg” has 31 million views on Youtube and peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
Record “Freestyle” has over 52 million views on Youtube

*Atlanta native Lil Baby may sport a name that would imply that he is soft, but his music paints a completely different picture. Baby’s music depicts drug dealing and violence with a smooth auto-tuned lased flow that gives his gritty past a melodic format to thrive. Since starting his career just over a year ago, Baby has shot up from the Atlanta underground scene into the mainstream stratosphere. He is signed to arguably the most prominent independent label, Quality Control Music, and has used this partnership to his advantage.

Rich Brian

Notable Collaborators: RONNY J (producer), Offset, XXXTentacion, Young Thug, Diplo, Justin Bieber and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Record “Dat $tick” has over 90 million views on Youtube and 20 million plays on SoundCloud
Record “Glow Like Dat” has over 50 million views on Youtube and over nine million plays on SoundCloud
Signed to 88Rising and Empire Distribution

Ski Mask The Slump God

Notable Collaborations: Cole Bennett (owner of Lyrical Lemonade), RONNY J, A$AP Ferg, Offset, XXXTentacion and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Record “BabyWipe” has over 41 million views on Youtube and over 25 million plays on SoundCloud
Record “Catch Me Outside” has over 35 million views on Youtube and over 46 million plays on SoundCloud
Mixtape “You Will Regret” peaked at No. 195 on the Billboard 200

Tee Grizzley

Notable Collaborations: Meek Mill, Lil Yachty, Takeoff, Mike Epps (actor), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Record “First Day Out” has over 60 million views on Youtube and peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
Records “From the D to the A” and “No Effort” combine for over 83 million views on Youtube
Appeared on season 10 of Nick Cannon’s “Wild ‘N Out” TV show

Trippie Redd

Notable Collaborations: Swae Lee, Alison Wonderland (Producer), Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, Diplo (Producer/ DJ), XXXTentacion, and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Record “Love Scars” has nearly 40 million views on Youtube and was certified RIAA gold
Record “POLES 1369” has nearly 80 million views on Youtube, was certified RIAA gold, and peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard US Hip/Hop and R&B charts
Record “Dark Knight Dummo” has nearly 25 million views on Youtube and peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard US Hip/Hop and R&B chart

YBN Nahmir*

Notable Collaborations: SOB x RBE, Cole Bennett, Rich the Kid, Izak (producer), No Jumper and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Record “Rubbin off the Paint” has nearly 110 million views on Youtube and peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Rap chart
Record “Bounce Out With That” has more than 65 million views on Youtube and peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard US Hip/Hop and R&B chart
Has appeared on several credible rap segments including Genius’ “Verified” series, Nardwuar’s “vs.” series, No Jumper’s “EXPOSED” series, and on Hot 97 with On-Air Personality, Hip Hop Mike.

*Birmingham, Alabama native YBN Nahmir is an 18-year-old rapper that has taken over teens across the country with his rapid-fire flow, charisma, and energy. His content is surprisingly mature despite his age and the very violent and sometimes misogynistic lyrics that find their way into his songs. He doesn’t enjoy flaunting sexual conquest or saying that he’s the “best rapper alive” as opposed to many rappers. However, the most integral aspect of his success is his the moniker that constitutes his first name. YBN, his group, has cultivated the talents of video producer Water Whippin Evan, YBN Almighty Jay–who is in consideration as well for the XXL Freshman cover–, YBN Cordae and YBN Walker.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again*

Notable Collaborations: Future, Lil Yachty, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Plies, Yo Gotti, PnB Rock, and more.

Noteworthy Accomplishments:

Record “Untouchable” has nearly 115 views on Youtube and peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard US R&B chart
YoungBoy Never Broke Again has five songs that have between 45 and 95 million views on Youtube and have three Billboard chart appearances and one RIAA Gold certification between them
The artist also has seven songs that have over 20 million views on Youtube and several more with over ten million views on Youtube and climbing

*Despite more than his fair share of run-ins with the law, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, formerly known as NBA Youngboy, has been an undeniable hitmaker for the past two years. The Baton Rouge native has been churning out both underground and mainstream hits with an uncanny ease that isn’t seen often in Hip/Hop. Armed with street cred, a plethora of deliveries so that none of his songs sound the same, and scores of connections laid out for him to collaborate with, the teenage rapper has quite the career ahead of him.

Might Make the Cut:

Famous Dex: Chicago native Famous Dex was a no-brainer for the XXL cover due to his strong fan base and his chart-topping hit “Pick It Up” that featured A$AP Rocky. However, Dex has two huge roadblocks that won’t allow him to be on this list. First, Dex was snubbed from the XXL cover last year due to a video being released of the rapper assaulting his girlfriend. Then, after the news broke that Dex wouldn’t be on the cover and why he wasn’t on the cover, the Rich Forever signee went ballistic and savagely attacked Editor in Chief of XXL, Vanessa Satten.

Time estimated for cover appearance: Unclear

Smokepurpp: Florida native Smokepurpp has garnered an underground cult following with the help of close friend and collaborator, Lil Pump. The rapper has had a ton of success lately with several records including “Fingers Blue” that featured Travis Scott, who would go on to sign him to his Cactus Jack label.

Time estimated for cover appearance: This year is a possibility, but if he doesn’t make it this year, then 2019 is a given if he mimics the success he had this year.

BlocBoy JB: Memphis native BlocBoy JB’s track “Look Alive” featuring Drake has blown up recently and thrown his name into the conversation for one of the biggest rappers of 2018. However, Drake’s verse on this song overshadowed JB’s verse by a longshot and the song didn’t really showcase anything special about the up and coming artist.

Time estimated for cover appearance: 1-2 years

Lil Xan: California native Lil Xan blew up on Youtube with his song “Betrayed”. The song would go on to chart high on Billboard and get remixed by Yo Gotti and Rich the Kid. However, other than this song, his catalog is very sparse, he has also made some questionable comments about Tupac Shakur, and his high profile collaborations are limited as well. Lil Xan’s buzz seems to be dying down a bit and I’m not sure how he’s going to revive the positive hype around his name.

Time estimated for cover appearance: Unclear, I don’t think he’ll be able to one-up the success of “Betrayed”.

Yung Bans: Atlanta native Yung Bans isn’t as successful as some of the other members of this list, but as a huge Yung Bans fan, and a firm believer that he can do great things, I think that he has the potential to make his mark on Rap in the next couple years. The 18-year-old has connections to Lyrical Lemonade, No Jumper, Pigeons and Planes, Elevator, XXL and more. His hit song “Lonely” has nearly 10 million views on Youtube and several other songs have racked up millions of plays, views, and streams on several other platforms.

Time estimated for cover appearance: 1-2 years.

2018 Phillies Prediction

April 8, 2018 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Avi Cantor

Staff Writer

The most powerful word to describe the Philadelphia Phillies this season is “if.”

The Phillies have added power-hitting first baseman Carlos Santana and 2015 Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Jake Arrieta to their lineup of young players, giving Phillies fans two guaranteed areas of production. However, the rest of their lineup embodies the word “if” perfectly.

One of 2017 most effective power hitters was first baseman/outfielder Rhys Hoskins, who hit 18 home runs and drove in 48 RBIs despite only playing in 50 games. That means that he averaged one home run for less than every three games he played.

Unfortunately, as many players do, Hoskins has an “Achilles heel” that could run his season into the dirt quickly: the California native has trouble hitting against left-handed pitching.

In 41 at-bats last year against righties, Hoskins batted a mere .171, a slugging percentage that was ten points under his percentage against lefties, and an OPS that was less than his OPS against lefties. Because of this, he has the potential to either flourish like he did in 2017 or flop like several of his teammates have after their rookie seasons. One of these players is third baseman, Maikel Franco.

The Dominican Republic native started seeing regular playing time in the season of 2015 and flourished into a bonafide fan favorite by the end of the season. Franco finished off 2015 with 14 home runs, 50 RBIs, and a batting average at .280.

Franco was rewarded with much more playing time in 2016 and did a fine job. Despite having a lower average, Franco hit 25 home runs and 88 RBIs. Franco is also an excellent fielder, making only 13 errors in 148 games. That’s just three more errors than fellow Third Baseman Adrian Beltre, who won the Golden Glove award for outstanding fielding.

However, in 2017, Franco struggled to put up the same numbers as his past two seasons.

The Dominican Third Baseman did worse than his last season in more than ten categories including batting average, fielding percentage, RBIs, home runs and double plays grounded into. If Franco continues this downward trajectory in statistics, the Phillies will have to scramble to find someone else to put at third.

Moving on to the player to Franco’s left, Shortstop J.P. Crawford shows an immense amount of potential. The Phillies traded away their previous shortstop Freddy Galvis for Crawford, and for good reason. The former first-round draft pick has a great feel for the position, has a strong throwing arm and is excellent at making tough plays. However, he’s a very streaky player at the plate.

In his 23 games, the California native batted just under .215, compiled 15 hits while striking out 22 times. Crawford also hits fly balls frequently at the plate racking up nearly 35 fly ball outs. Given the fact that Crawford is a contact hitter, he needs to be able to hit the ball on the ground to get on base more often. Fly balls are not only easier outs but given his lack of power, fly balls don’t benefit him. However, two players who do benefit from hitting fly balls is outfielders Aaron Altherr and Odubel Herrera.

Altherr and Herrera combined last year for 33 home runs, nearly 250 hits, 107 extra base hits and both had averages hovering around .275. Both players are also very effective forces in the outfield. Altherr leads the National League in double plays from the outfield while Herrera led the League in outfield putouts. However, neither player is flawless.

Fans constantly wonder how high Herrera’s baseball IQ is due to his ability to make boneheaded decisions in the outfield and swinging at pitches that are nowhere near the strike zone. In fact, one anonymous fan went on Philly’s 94WIP sports radio station and said that Herrera had a “tapioca brain.”

Altherr, on the other hand, has only started seeing real playing time since last year. The Phillies are notorious for having “one hit wonder” players who have great first years, but manage to string together several seasons of mediocrity or worse.

Even if all of these players play good baseball, Phillies fans still have one thing to worry about. Despite being the club’s skipper for a mere eight games, Rookie manager Gabe Kapler has already begun to stir up controversy.

In a game against the Braves on March 31st, Kapler put in reliever Hoby Milner to replace starting pitcher Vince Velasquez. This move made sense to fans due to the fact that Velasquez struggled mightily, giving up 7 runs in less than three innings. However, the problem with Kapler’s move was that he didn’t tell bullpen coach Jim Gott that he was putting in a reliever. Because of this, Milner came into the game cold which could’ve resulted terribly for the Phils.

To make matters worse, the Phillies would go on to get smoked by the Braves 15-2 on 19 hits while making a season-high of four errors. Since then, Kapler has been blasted by fans, local media outlets, and even his own players.

Outfielder Nick Williams criticized his choice to consistently leave him out of the lineup saying “I guess the computers are making [the lineup]”. This jab at Kapler’s strategic moves based on analytics created turmoil in the clubhouse that has likely resulted in the Phillies starting off under .500. However, Kapler has bounced back from bad situations in the past.

In his 12 year career in the Major Leagues, Kapler played for seven American teams and one Japanese team. In that time he’s been forced to bounce back from trades and low expectations. The Phillies manager was drafted in the 57th round and became the first Tigers player since the inception of the draft to be picked as late as he was.

So, back to the beginning of this column: If the Phillies are able to milk the talent out of the plethora of young talent that they have and if Gabe Kapler handles being the ringleader of this team, the Phils will be a force to be reckoned with in the National League East.

How SLA Learns to Drive… Or Not

March 28, 2018 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Autumn Lor

Staff Writer

In Pennsylvania, turning 16 means a person can get their driver’s permit. Some students consider driving as a milestone in their life because it leads to “freedom”. But there are a few steps that need to be taken before getting that freedom. There are two major steps: taking the written test and the driver’s road test.

Science Leadership Academy doesn’t have a program that teaches students to drive, so students would have to learn from family members or guardians. SLA doesn’t have a lot of students with their license. A quick poll of the Journalism elective showed that in a class of 20 students, only 1 has their driver’s license and 4 have their permit.

For those who do have their license, they don’t drive to school because of the limited free parking spaces nearby.

On your 16th birthday, you are eligible to take the written permit test at any PennDot’s location. Before the test is taken, students should know what is on the test. There is an online book that is available to anyone or a physical copy at any PennDot’s location. A couple of things that should be done is 1) read the Study Guide fully through at least one, 2) take a practice test online, and 3) make sure to take a different practice test.

The online practice test doesn’t give a random set of questions. There is a selection area that will only give you questions that relate to that topic. Be sure to take as many different practice test as possible. The questions that are in the practice are very similar to the real test.

Step one: The Written Test

On the written test, there are 18 questions. The first 15 questions that are answered correctly, will automatically shut down and say that you’ve passed. There is a skip button that will allow you to skip through each question only once. Only skip if you a really unsure. The system does not care what 15 questions are correct, as long as you get 15.

The system will also shut down if 4 questions are answered wrong. But if you have 4 answers wrong, you will not past the test. So be careful and know how many you got wrong.

If you fail the test, don’t fret! The test can be taken as many times as needed but only once a day.

Junior Cynthia To says, “When I was taking the test, my hand kept shaking that I hit the wrong button twice and got the answers wrong.”

Step Two: The Waiting Process

After the permit test, there is a log that says there needs to be 60 hours of driving time. That means a person that is over 21 with a license, is in the passenger seat watching how you drive and guide you. Most people don’t log their 60 hours, so they wait at least 6 months before taking the road test.

Unlike the written test, the road test cannot be taken once a day until you passed. It’s also not a walk-in test. You must schedule the test ahead of time by going on the PennDOT’s website. When scheduling the test, it’s best to do it on a Tuesday morning. The system restarts and shows the closest dates available. If you were to do it on Monday night, there’s a four-month wait but the next morning, it’s six-week wait.

Junior Mindy Saw signed up for her driver’s permit as soon as possible even before she knew everything.

“My brother taught me how to drive. I guess you can call it tough love because he pushed me to learn so quickly.”

Step 3: The Driving Test

The test will including the following: turning on the lights, signals, windshields, and brake lights, being able to parallel park, and driving on the road. Some instructors will let you drive in the parking lot but most will make you go on the road.

When parallel parking, there will be two cones to park between. The instructor will allow you to back up to a max imum of three times.

Senior Eli Block says that he failed twice before getting his license but the road test was easy.

“When I took my final test, they let me go on the streets for 5 seconds,” he exaggerated.

Senior Tamir Harper said that there were times where the driving instructor was intimidating. Harper tried to stay calm even though he was very nervous.

¨I was relieved that I passed to first time because I don’t have to take it again.”

Although, everyone experiences are different. Saw stated that her instructor was very easy going and made her comfortable to drive as she would with her brother.

“I made a few mistakes but luckily, my instructor was given that day.”

Don’t be scared to take the test and don’t be nervous while taking the test. A way to calm down is to pretend that the test examiner isn’t there. It’s just the driver and the road. Good luck!

SLA’s Response to the Winter Olympics

March 28, 2018 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Jayla Wright

Staff Writer

An exotic locale. Political Intrigue. North Korean Cheerleaders. The world may have been excited for this year’s Olympics, but are students at SLA interested?

According to Junior Cynthia To, kids at SLA aren’t that into the Olympics.

“We don’t really talk as much about it. Cause in school no one really talks about it unless you actually bring it up. I think it’s not really brought up. I feel like if you’re into sports you’re most likely to watch it or if you’re competitive then you’ll like to watch it. Other than that, they’re not going to be as much as a watcher.”

However, To did watch the Olympics herself. Family is a big part of her enjoying the Olympics. It’s a chance for her to spend time with both her Dad and Grandpa as well as a time to observe their antics.

“Olympics always pop up around Chinese New Year so it’s really cool getting to watch with my family. We’re really loud!”

Junior Matthew Milligan is more of a casual viewer of the Olympics.

“I don’t actively go to watch it like I’m not like ‘Oh it’s time for my favorite event.’ I usually just turn it on and if I’m just flipping through the channels and I see the Olympics and I’m just like ‘Oh this looks interesting.’ I’ll watch it for a little bit. Or a lot of times my mom will be watching it and then I’ll sit down and join her.”

“It’s kinda funny so we kinda want to continue watching it cause it’s actually pretty interesting. My parents like watching it cause they’re supporting their home country cause they always support Vietnam for Summer Olympics. My grandpa always goes for his country China, so it’s really cool when you go home. They’re like ‘Go USA!’ ‘No!’ ‘Go China!’ it’s really cool.

Junior Meymey Seng also connected her experience to her family, “The Winter Olympics is something I always look forward to because I just remember enjoying it with my family.”

There was one sport both Seng and To found odd enough to comment on.

It’s like a shuffleboard thing but they’re mopping the floors,” To said laughing.

“So my parents and my sister are like making little memes and making little jokes saying like, ‘They must be really really good housemaids.’”

To was talking about curling, a sport where players on ice slide stones onto a target. Seng found this sport funny as well but she also saw it as an accomplishment for the US.

“I just saw a lot of memes about it and I heard that the US actually won gold for that. So I was impressed because even though many people saw it as a silly thing we actually did really well in it.”

Milligan found that the Olympics being held in the winter caused the low viewing among SLA students.

“I don’t feel super strongly about the Olympics and I also think it’s the Winter Olympics and people don’t always care about that as much cause it’s not as exciting, for some reason.”

To found that the Summer Olympics grabbed her attention more.

“I’m interested in the summer sports. Summer sports are more interesting to connect to and it’s more fun to watch. There’s more variety of sports there’s swimming, there are water sports, dry sports. But for winter it’s all ice so there’s not as fun with less diversity.

“And I feel like the summer sports have more countries than the winter sports everyone can connect to that one more.”

Youtube Culture at SLA

March 28, 2018 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Jeremiah Butler

Staff Writer

To many, Youtube has shared both hilarious and shocking moments in its 13-year tenure. At SLA, Youtube is relevant throughout personal use and projects in SLA. While Youtube has beneficially impacted the type of media that students watch, it has also been detrimental to many students’ lives. Youtube has made several attempts to keep its content safe for everyone, but the questions many ask is: Is Youtube doing enough to keep the content viewed safe or is it too much?

Sophomore Grace Conley voiced her dismay at how loose Youtube’s content rules are.

“I feel like Youtube is just a place where people are just kinda talking crap about each other and I wanna know when is it justifiable to report someone for harassment,” Conley explained.

Many incidents have occurred on Youtube that has altered the decision making of channels that viewers watch. One of these incidents involved Youtuber Logan Paul. Paul posted a video of himself and a group of friends in Japan’s Aokigahara forest or Suicide Forest. In this video, Paul was shown with the body of a suicide victim in the forest. This video infuriated millions including politicians, celebrities and many others, including Grace Conley.

“I don’t understand how you could go to a place where a lot of people go. It’s just a very sad environment there arere’s dead bodies and then make jokes about it. Then have a petty apology? I feel like he doesn’t see the consequences of what he does,” Conley explained passionately.

Conley went on to summarize the conversation between her friends about the Logan Paul video.

“We talk about, if we have a common video that we all watch the Logan Paul incident, about do you think this is wrong or not. But then it’s that thing again with harassment. Is that a joke, is it not a joke, where’s the line? Then we have that conversation of what’s taken seriously and what’s not,” said Conley.

However, in response to the Logan Paul video, among others, Youtube decided to strengthen their rules on inappropriate content. Sophomore Zeyah Gomez recognized Youtube’s effort and applauded it.

“ I see what [Youtube] is saying about not all Youtube videos that people put out are really age appropriate, so I think they just want to have clean videos up on their site,” Gomez said.

These rules and regulations have allowed Youtube to become a more safe and effective learning tool. SLA utilizes the platform in a fashion that isn’t as common in other schools.

“Some people in SLA post videos on youtube and there is a lot of people who are fans of them. Most science classes, instead of having a real curriculum, put on youtube videos to teach to kids,” Conley stated.

For projects concerning the production of a video, students are required to post their finished videos on Youtube and relinquish their finished products to anyone accessible to Youtube.

This is a way for the SLA community to be proud of their work and to post videos that make them look good on the world wide web.

Despite a murky past with inappropriate content, Youtube is doing a much better job making their platform a better place for people of all ages.