Singer August Alsina defends XXL Freshman cover: 'R&B was here before Hip-Hop'

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Earlier this week, hip hop magazine XXL released its highly anticipated annual “Freshman Class” list where the XXL staff shed light on who they believe will be the next biggest stars in the rap game.

Alumni from the XXL freshmen list have used it as a lauching pad for their careers, including Kid Cudi, Wale and J.Cole.

New York was represented by Troy Ave, while the Chicago rap scene had a whopping four that included Chance The Rapper and Lil Bibby; however, the inclusion of R&B newcomer August Alsina has left hip hop purists scratching their heads .

It’s hard to deny Alsina as a hitmaker. The New Orleans native’s “I Luv This Sh*t,” “Kissing On My Tattoos” and “Make It Home” have been some of the more popular songs of the past year, but at the end of the day, Alsina still isn’t an emcee.

Alsina sat down with theGrio.com’s Kyle Harvey to discuss why he deserved to be on the XXL cover and the evolution of hip hop music culture.

You can check out Kyle’s musical coverage on theGrio music page, and follow Kyle on Twitter @HarveyWins