Port Salerno, Fla. is a minute dot on the map on the East Coast of Florida that is most well-known for its world-class angling tournaments, but the town’s current big fish is rapper BossMan Dlow. Growing up fast in a small town gave the 25-year-old rapper a grassroots grind. He’s been reeling in new fans with a simple yet effective lure of uncanny swagger and conversational baritone braggadocio. He hooks onto the same energy for his 2024 XXL Freshman freestyle,
As the only member of the 2024 XXL Freshman Class from Florida, it’s only right that he shines for the trenches. “The trap n***as winning, baby, you know we got big pockets,” he raps in the video below. “Made millions off a chicken talking, I done skipped college/Ten-pointers moon walking, baby, I got big diamonds,” Dlow spits a cappella while palming a large wad of freshly minted cash.
Though his name is now ringing bells, Dlow still has an underdog mentality and a Kobe Bryant-like confidence. “35 hunnid just to put these on your feet, n***a/I’ma wake them up for acting like they sleep, n***a,” he confidently spits later on in his freestyle. “They ain’t wanna see me make it, b****es had they nuts crawling/Pull up, i7, interior duck sauce.”
2024 may have been BossMan Dlow‘s breakout year, but he’s been bubbling just under the radar since 2020, when he began putting out music following a brief stint in jail for drug charges. After releasing several singles, things ramped up for him in 2023, with the releases of the mixtapes Too Slippery and 2 Slippery. In between projects, he inked a deal with indie powerhouse Alamo Records. This past January, Big Za started things off with a bang. He dropped the now-certified gold single “Get In With It,” which peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and received cosigns from Lil Baby, Quavo, Ciara and others. He followed that up with a second hit, “Mr. Pot Scraper,” which has gained over 26 million streams on YouTube and been a TikTok mainstay.
“I rap like I’m in somebody’s face just talking to ’em,” he tells XXL about his catchy rapping style and heavily influenced Florida trap sound that separates him from the pack. “It ain’t all the shooting and killing and all of that, you know what I’m saying? The vibe and sh*t. Just bringing positive energy.”
This past March, he delivered his third mixtape, Mr Beat the Road. The offering debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, further solidifying Dlow’s status as an artist on the rise.
“I just [feel] like everything happened for a reason,” he tells XXL about his 2024 come up. “Everything happened at the time it happened. This is a good year. I don’t sound like nobody the whole class of this year. Even outside of XXL, I sound different than everybody. So it’s a good time right now.”
Check out BossMan Dlow spit game in his 2024 XXL Freshman freestyle below.
The Freshman issue is on newsstands everywhere. In addition to interviews with the 2024 Freshman Class and producer Southside, there are also conversations with Sexyy Red, Ski Mask The Slump God, Mustard, Rubi Rose, Ken Carson, Ghostface Killah, Lola Brooke and more, plus, a look back at what the 2023 XXL Freshman Class has been doing. Also, there are stories on the ongoing scamming and fraud plaguing hip-hop, and how podcasters and streamers are playing a major role in rap beef. The issue is on sale here, along with some exclusive Freshmen merch.
