2021 XXL Freshmen Toosii and Blxst similarly operate as R&B guys at heart who are good in the streets. The content of their music will zigzag between topics of broken hearts in one bar and focus on spraying heat that pulls back the faces of their enemies in the next. Whether it’s singing or rapping, they can finesse both. The two talented artists hold it down in a cypher together that was initially set to include other switch-hitting acts like The Kid Laroi, who couldn’t participate last minute, and Iann Dior, who opted not to rap on the day of the Freshman shoot. Toosii, reppin' Syracuse, N.Y. and Raleigh, N.C., and Blxst, from South Central, L.A., deliver straight bars to uppercut their haters and flex during their come up.
Blxst goes first with a verse about getting his foot in the door and then putting it on the necks of his competitors. Over a serene, flute-dominant arrangement created by Nick Mira and ThankYouWill, Blxst uses just over 40 seconds to let the out-of-touch folk know that he’s already been deemed as the chosen one to put the West Coast on his back.
“Westside, I gave the heart to my coast/Jump off the porch and they gave me the torch/Two places I won’t go back, of course/That’s broke and that’s forth,” he rhymes, bouncing to the beat. Before the curtains close on his verse, the blossoming artist publicizes that he will in fact be keeping this same big-dog energy in the future. “Foot on yo' neck if you not giving yours/Yeah, I came for seconds and more/Ran up a check, baby, I gotta charge/So, double my exes I’m doing it large, forever.”
Toosii plays the role of a closer, clearing the beat for almost two full minutes. The first half of his section features lyrics from his unreleased track "Ms. Parker," a dedication to the applauded Friday character. “How you doing, Ms. Parker?/This the wrong tree you wanna bark up/I turn a grown woman to a stalker/Want a young nigga? That’s gonna cost you,” he spits.
The Down South talent continues to let his thoughts spill out, detailing his ability to take her pain away like a prescription narcotic. He acknowledges what he brings to the table, but shows more admiration than anything else, as he salutes everything from the jiggle in her sundress to the boss-like words of encouragement she offers. Toosii’s confessional closes with a quick mention of being sprung, which real ones never hesitate to admit. “You get me devilish, but you heaven-sent, way you put it on me, catch the holy ghost/We got somethin' special what we got going on, don’t nobody know,” he delivers.
Peep Toosii and Blxst’s 2021 XXL Freshman cypher, powered by FX’s Dave, below.