TRUTH ON BEING AN XXL FRESHMAN: “Ni**as used to have the XXL magazines in juvenile hall. When I was a kid, that’s the only magazine you could get when you was in jail. So, I been watching that sh*t for a minute.

[When I made the class], my lawyer called me. He’s like, ‘I’m looking at an XXL Freshman.’ I’m like, ‘Who?’ I didn’t even know who bro was talking about, calling me, talking about he’s looking at one. He’s like, ‘You, my guy. You won.’ It make me feel good because I know it ain’t a lot of ni**as from my jurisdiction or where I’m from in this sh*t like that. I don’t even think nobody from Stockton ever did no sh*t like that.

[On the way to the XXL cover shoot], we was driving for like 20 hours… [Editor’s note: Before he was arrested in Arkansas on two counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of criminal use of a prohibited weapon and one count of theft by receiving]. A ni**a was disappointed, but it could have been worse. I done been in worse situations, and in my heart, I know I was on my way to go do something productive. So, it’s like, can’t nothing break my spirit, for real.

God always find a way to get a ni**a through the door. I’m still doing it. I feel like I finished that drive. My heart genuine, so I just know nothing going to stop this part of my life.

[I was excited for] the freestyle and just being able to leave Stockton because I ain’t never been nowhere, for real. So, it was really just to leave. Like, once a ni**a left out of Cali, just stress off a ni**a’s shoulder, muthaf**kas not asking you for sh*t. I was really leaving more for the experience because it’s a lot of muthaf**kas that ain’t here to see it or here to experience it with a ni**a. So, I feel like it’d be selfish of me to not take advantage of the opportunity.

Even though a ni**a got all these barriers in his life—going to jail, losing people and sh*t—still, it’s like a ni**a not getting the short end of the stick. I’m still accomplishing sh*t. [Being a Freshman is important for me] to show ni**as it’s possible because a ni**a came from nothing. A ni**a really came from nothing. So, for people to pick me out of all them people, that’s what make a ni**a cherish it.

I love my fans [for voting me into the XXL Freshman 10th Spot]. I rock with my fans like they rock for me. So, that’s why they support a ni**a like that. I don’t act bougie. I ain’t never switched it up. It’s like they watching my story. They seeing the elevation. I feel like they just wanna stick with me to see where my story go and I’ll f**k with them for that, on my dead brother. That’s tight.

[When my fans see me on the cover], they gon’ go crazy because they’re going to be like, ‘Ni**a still made that muthaf**ka from jail.’ I was supposed to do the YoungBoy Never Broke Again tour, and since a ni**a in jail, a ni**a can’t do that. You know, automatically, when a ni**a go down, they thinking it’s over. So, once they see a ni**a still on here, it’s like, Yeah, don’t count a ni**a out. A ni**a making history, dead homies.”—Joey Echevarria