Miles Minnick is one of the 2026 XXL Freshman selections, so I had to check him out. Arguably the least known name from the list, but not the least talented. Miles Minnick brings qualities I’m not sure we’ve ever seen in an XXL Freshman, and I’ll get into that. Coming from the Bay, he brings the sound and is one of the west coast members this year.  
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Somersville is Miles Minnick 2026 album that dropped back in April. PRESS is the first track and brings skills that impressed. Bringing good flows and fluid rhymes, Miles brings bounce and Bay Area swag. Something I don’t remember ever seeing was XXL select even a semi-religious rapper. Miles brings a decent amount of lyrical content that gets into his faith. It’s blended in well with good raps and beats, but once you notice it, it’s hard to unnotice. Mind you I don’t have any issues with this niche, it’s just fully my lane. But I do think out of the few religious artists I’ve heard, this hooked me in the most.  
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The bigger issues for me come when Miles Minnick reaches outside of his Bay Area sound and the Hip-Hop style. The songs that have Miles singing and getting melodic. It’s decent don’t get me wrong and I’ll take it over a lot of modern music. But does bring a very mainstream sound that I don’t always love. Like I said, I’ll take those songs over plenty of other music, but compared to songs like PRESS, THAT’S A BET, WHERE HE AT? and song with more of that vibe. And when the project is 9 songs across 23 minutes and 2/3 are melodic radio type tracks, I just can’t stay hooked in.  
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When I pressed play on this I really thought Miles Minnick was he hidden gem of this class. By the time I was done reviewing this project I see that that is true, yet not a perfect gem for me. Even with the religious stuff I was into the raps but the melodic stuff just wasn’t reeling me in the same. Not enough meat on the bones here for me.

Album Review: Miles Minnick - Somersville