How a Group of XXL Freshman Changed Hip-Hop in 2009-10

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At the tail-end of the 2000s, hip-hop’s blog era was in full swing and a group of young MCs were changing the sound completely. Between 2009-10, so many classic projects hit the streets, all of which had their own unique sound and mood. About What Matters co-hosts Casey Pazzalia and Connor Noetzel came of age during this era and looked back on it during a recent podcast.

2009 delivered breakout mixtapes from Drake (So Far Gone) & J. Cole (The Come Up), and debut albums from Wale (Attention Deficit), Asher Roth (Asleep in the Bread Aisle), & Kid Cudi (Man on the Moon). Cudi’s, it must be noted, is an all-time classic and played one of the biggest roles in the genre’s shift. The project cut deep with tons of twentysomethings and is said to have saved a generation. The following year saw classic tapes from Wiz Khalifa (Kush and Orange Juice), Mac Miller (K.I.D.S), and Big Sean (Finally Famous vol.3), plus another tape from Asher (Seared Foie Gras W/ Quince & Cranberry) and Cole (Friday Night Lights). All eight artists above were XXL Freshman by 2011, and the amount of collabing they did with one another — even just between 2009-10 — is too vast to list.

You can listen to full episodes of the show below:

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