G.O.O.D. Music rookie Benny Cassette TDE’s youngest in charge, Isaiah Rashad, from the upcoming fall EP, Apocalypse.

Produced by The Antydote

From Cilvia Demo, available now. Directed by Eric Swiz of Scheme Engine.

XXL: “Ever since we unveiled the cover of the XXL 2014 Freshmen issue last month, we’ve been rolling out a ton of freestyles, behind the scenes photos, interviews, videos, and plenty more with our class of 12 guys. But now that we’ve got a slew of stories and links for you to check out, it’s time to get down to the Freshmen Cyphers, one of the most anticipated aspects of the cover shoot.

This year, we’ve got an additional three cyphers for everyone to enjoy, and we’ll be rolling them out all week. The first features Chance The Rapper, Isaiah Rashad, Vic Mensa, August Alsina, and Kevin Gates, and is as entertaining visually as it is lyrically. Check out the video above, compare it with some of last year’s Cyphers right here, and let us know what you think in the comments.”

From XXL: “Isaiah Rashad is one of the 12 Freshmen on XXL’s 2014 Freshmen list revealed last Mon., May 5, on BET’s 106 & Park. All last week we’ve been providing you with a behind-the-scenes look at the selection process, the photo shoot, and the work it takes to pull it all together. But this week kicks off the reveal of the freestyles, cyphers, videos and interviews that we captured that day. After kicking things off with Chance The Rapper, we give you TDE’s newest signee Isaiah Rashad. The Chattanooga native started off the year with the release of his impressive Cilvia Demo EP, and is set to release a full-length album in 2014. Check out his freestyle in the video above, and head over to his Freshman Profile page right here to see more with Isaiah Rashad.”

XXL Magazine has released their official 2014 Freshmen cover. The list of artists included are as follows: Chance the Rapper, Isaiah Rashad, Ty Dolla $ign, Rich Homie Quan, Vic Mensa, August Alsina, Troy Ave, Kevin Gates, Lil Bibby, Jon Connor, Lil Durk, and fan pick, Jarren Benton. That actually makes 12, rather than the usual 10, complete with an asterix that reads “Yeah we’ve got R&B this year.” Something tells us this will be the first and last year that happens.

How did we fare on our initial predictions for the list back in March? Not bad. We got 6 of the artists correct, with Chance The Rapper, Isaiah Rashad, Ty Dolla $ign, Rich Homie Quan, Troy Ave, and Jon Connor.

We were a bit surprised to see Sage and IamSu omitted given their heavy buzz, and we’re sure the Bay is none to thrilled about that.

Our pick of Gunplay was a gamble, but not surprisingly, the political MMG slot was instead filled in with their R&B artist, August Alsina, strangely.

We also knew Riff Raff was a bit of a stretch, considering that he isn’t taken that seriously, but we thought there might have been a ODB / wildcard type angle on that one.

Much love was given to the bubbling Chicago scene; we didn’t think there was any way that both Vic Mensa and Chance The Rapper could make the list, let alone two rappers from the same city with “Lil” in their name, but hey. Afterthought, we would have picked Vic Mensa as well.

TDE’s newest members collaborate on this cut from SZA’s debut, Z, in-stores now. Directed by SZA and APlus Films.

Vibe Music Editor Mikey Fresh takes Isaiah Rashad through the Big Apple.

Nardwuar speaks with TDE’s Isaiah Rashad, while in Austin, TX for SXSW.

Directed by Eric Swiz of Scheme Engine. From Cilvia Demo, which rated well over here.

No, we don’t have inside information, and no, these aren’t OUR picks, we just think we have a pretty good ear for what’s happening in the industry. So place your bets, here are our predictions for XXL’s Freshman Class issue for 2014.

1. Jon Connor – This Flint, MI emcee has been slaying tracks on the mixtape scene, and received great critical acclaim with the release of his album, Unconscious State. What the album lacked in polish will surely be made up for on his major label debut, as he is now signed to Aftermath. Shoe-in.

2. Troy Ave – We think its pretty likely that we’ll be hearing an announcement of Troy Ave’s major label signing any day now, if not right around the time the XXL Freshman 2014 cover is released. Troy has a huge buzz in New York City, with the intent to bring back the sound curated by G-Unit and the Ruff Ryders, after southern styles of French Montana and A$AP Rocky have taken over the region.

3. Chance the Rapper – As we detailed in our review of Acid Rap, we don’t really see what the hype on Chance The Rapper is, but that’s probably because we are old and we don’t know shit about anything. The numbers on Chance don’t lie, and if anything, he is a healthy alternative to the detrimental-to-society rap that’s currently coming out of Chicago from any number of rappers with “Lil” attached to their name.

4. Isaiah Rashad – TDE’s buzz couldn’t be stronger at the moment, and their youngest-in-charge, Isaiah Rashad, proved to be worth the label’s endorsement with the release of Cilvia Demo. A timely release, which is likely to cement his place on this list, and secure him a deal with Interscope for his next project.

5. Problem – LA’s Problem has been putting it down for a minute now, with a brief breakthrough back in 2008 with “I’m Fucked Up”. His buzz resurfaced in the last year or so, thanks to his verse on E-40′s “Function”, and his comeback hit, “Like Whaaat?”, which was one of the biggest west-coast hits of the summer.

6. IamSu & Sage The Gemini – It’s likely that these two Bay Area HBK Gang reperesentatives will be treated as one entry on the list, much like Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul were last year, as they share an almost equal buzz, and Su was just as responsible for “Gas Pedal” crossing over as Sage. If it is narrowed down to one, Sage has the upper hand with “Red Nose” being an equally hot club cut of the moment.

7. Ty Dolla $ign – Ty broke through briefly in 2011 on “All Star”, which borrowed its melody from Swedish House Mafia’s “One”, as well as on YG’s “Toot It Or Boot It”, another artist who is currently receiving a second childhood. The success of both is owed to the DJ Mustard-led West Coast resurgence and creation of the “ratchet” sound, which is currently helping propel “Paranoid”-led Beach House EP to heavy buzz for a full-length debut.

8. Riff Raff - There’s always at least one melanin-deficient MC on the list, whether they have a legitimate buzz or not (ahem: Logic). We won’t be surprised to see walking trainwreck, Riff Raff, on this list, as he not only is making noise in the club with his current single, “How To Be The Man”, but also carries the backing of perhaps the most buzzworthy industry-wide producer of the moment, Diplo.

9. Rich Homie Quan – This list wouldn’t be complete without an Atlanta, GA representative, and aside from Migos, whom are likely to be excluded due to being a group, Rich Homie Quan held the biggest buzz this past year with “Type Of Way”. Mr. CEO is what his title say.

10. Gunplay - Although Gunplay’s legal troubles have gotten him more mainstream press than his music, MMG’s resident wild card is next to join the ranks of Meek Mill and Wale, thanks to his astute pen and underground buzz. The only thing we see holding him back is his name, which might not “sit well” on Wal-Mart shelves or Clear Channel radio playlists. 5-to-1 he’s called G-Play or GP when his album drops….

There you have it. We may be off slightly, but we’re guessing we’ll end up with at least a 70% by the time the list drops. Usually the list includes one female emcee as well, however perhaps not this year with such heavy male competition, not to mention the lackluster success of Angel Haze and Iggy Azalea in past years.

On this episode of Mass Appeal’s Video Print, it’s TDE newcomer Isaiah Rashad. During his first extended stay in NYC, they caught up with the man behind the recently released Cilvia Demo and one of 2013′s best cuts “I Shot You Down”.

In this episode of DECODED T.D.E.’s Isaiah Rashad breaks down the meaning behind “Tranquility,” from his album Cilvia Demo.

Isaiah Rashad sits in with The Breakfast Club, in promotion of his new Cilvia Demo EP LP out now on Top Dawg Entertainment.

Celebrating their new releases, TDE’s Isaiah Rashad and N.O.R.E.’s Good Belt Gang spits up at RapFix Live with Sway and company.