After eight rounds of voting, including thousands of ballots cast, YoungBoy Never Broke Again has come out victorious in XXL‘s 2025 Most Valuable Rapper bracket, powered by VAZA.
For nearly two months, fans have voted in XXL‘s MVP bracket to decide which rapper had the biggest impact on the year. The 16-person lot included some of 2025’s most stand-out hip-hop artists, including YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Drake, Travis Scott, Joey Bada$$, J.I.D, Tyler, The Creator, Cardi B, Pusha T, Malice, Nicki Minaj, Gunna, BigXthaPlug, Yeat and G Herbo.
In the final cycle, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Travis Scott were the last men standing. YB enjoyed a comeback year after he was released from prison in the spring. He released the MASA album in July, which featured the hit single “Shot Callin.” He also embarked on the MASA Tour, his first tour in four years. The sold-out jaunt raked in around $70 million and closed out as one of the 10 highest-grossing tours in hip-hop history.
Despite not dropping a solo album in 2025, Travis Scott also made big waves. He started off the year performing at the halftime show of the College Football Playoff National Championship game. He released the label compilation Jackboys 2 in July, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. He also continued his Circus Maximus Tour, which is now the highest-grossing solo rap tour of all time.
In the end, YB walked away with the victory after earning 75.7 percent on the final round votes, compared to 24.4 percent for La Flame.
This editorial is presented by VAZA.
