xL

Our original song "Fishin'" ranked #9 on Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes, Indie Top 50. - Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes

Up and coming Bay Area rap music trio, xL, has put the whole Bay Area and the state of California on the map. These three young and hungry lyricists put together a track titled ’59FIFTY’ that has caught the ears and drawn attention from New Era, the creators of the true 59Fifty fitted hat. xL isn’t your typical Bay Area E-40 style of music, though the group looks up to Bay Area artist such as E-40, they wanted to create their own unique sound which is great and why they earned this special feature. To be reckless is to be original in what you do, the people who play it safe are the ones you never hear about. In todays’ new generation society, life is about being proactive and taking risks, something that xL can teach you about. Their video for ’59FIFTY’ has drawn in over 42K views! Along with fitted hat producer, New Era, sending them an email asking if xL would like to have their music video possibly publicized on a larger scale. - Greg Reynoso (Creative Recklessness)

Consisting of M.C.’s, D-Roc, Daze, and Qweezy, these Bay Area boys have been puttin’ it down, writing rhymes and rockin’ mics since 2002.
As life long fans of hip hop music, xL’s entrance into the game was inevitable. Seeing that the voice of the average, “9 to 5 working”, “guy-next door” wasn’t fully represented in hip hop, xL decided to accept the responsibility to fill that void. Through their music, they try to document and glamorize the lifestyle of middle America, where most artists tend to glamorize living wealthy or struggling to get wealthy.
Though their journey to the top is not complete, along the way xL has been able to take steps towards achieving their dream.
After being an opening act for Thizz Nation, xL went on to perform at the annual Pistahan Filipino Festival in San Francisco, CA as well as becoming a returning act at Rock The School Bells, an annual hip hop conference at Skyline College in San Bruno, CA. One of their most recent notable performances was at the Hollywood, CA Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes Industry Mixer where they finished 3rd place out of 30 contestants.
In addition to performing, xL has also had the privilege to be featured in a few online publications, such as Creative Recklessness Magazine, WWS Magazine, and MYX TV. This exposure led to an opportunity to compete as a Home Turf Finalist on the Bay Area radio station, 106 KMEL. 99.7 NOW, another Bay Area radio station, also featured them as finalists in their “Bay Area Soundcheck” competition.
The achievements of these accolades are due to all their time and effort spent in their studio, The Danger Room. In the past year alone they have independently released two projects, a self-titled EP “xL” and a mixtape titled “Waiting 2 xL”. This summer the group will be releasing another project called “Summer BAYcation”.
So if you want to witness a unique outlook on life x-pressed through hip hop music, come x-perience Life to the fullest through the x-plicit Lyrics of xL. - Sari Sari Underground

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
We are all from the San Francisco Bay Area, stretching from Vallejo to Antioch, CA. What got us to this position today, is a combination of hard work and using the networks and tools we have at our disposal. However, we look to strive further and gain more listeners and build a larger fan base.

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
The song we’re currently promoting is “Fishin’” with Kev’Oh (www.youtube.com/user/DrphiiiL). In most hip hop songs, male rappers tend to brag about how much game they have and how easy it is for them to pick up women. As an all male group, we are no different. However, we wanted to be a bit more creative and came up with a fun, new twist on the whole “I am the man” type of song. We decided to compare the game of picking up women to the sport of fishing, hence the title of the track “Fishin.” Some people fish and fail and don’t catch any fish. While others fish and succeed and catch a few or many fish. With our lyrics we try to inform the audience that our group relates to the latter, rather than the former. Going as far as stating, for us it’s just a matter of casting the pole and catching fish as soon as our bait touches the water. It’s just that easy for us. Our game is just that good. So watch your fish closely because she might find a new home in xL’s fish tank.

What are you currently working on and what can we expect to see?
We are currently working on a 5-track EP titled “Summer BAYcation,” which we’re hoping to release in the next month or so. You can also expect a lot more music videos and new music. We’re just trying to flood the internet and get our name out there.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
One of the hardest challenges we had to face was a lack of exposure and a team to back us. We are a group of 3 Emcees who not only write our own raps, but produce our own beats, record our own music, edit our own music videos, you name it. Nothing in music or life is handed to you, so we basically had to make a lot of things happen on our own. But eventually people took notice of our potential and opportunities were given allowing us to evolve and increase our exposure as artists.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
After we all graduated from college and went our separate ways to pursue “legitimate” careers, our music was put on hiatus. Eventually, we realized that we couldn’t live without music and the typical 9-to-5 careers we had didn’t define us. Sometimes money isn’t everything and happiness should be your main concern. Are you happy with your job? If not, then make a change! We love hip hop, so we figured why not try to make a living off of something we love doing.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Some things artists need to be careful of is being too much like other artists out there. It’s alright to be influenced by other artists and it’ll obviously show in your music. But you have to be able to stand out and create your own lane. You could make a typical club banger like the next man, but do it in a way no one has ever done before. Think outside of the box and don’t ever be afraid to be yourself!

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Connect with your audience on a personal level. Share your life experiences, struggles with school/career, relationships, etc., things they can relate to. Make sure you give a piece of yourself through your music. On the other hand, you also shouldn’t take yourself too seriously. Your audience will also appreciate, a carefree, feel-good party song. Don’t limit yourself.

What are the best ways to sell your products as an artist?
In the music industry today, it’s all about advertising, marketing, and promoting your music on the world wide web. It’s vital to build a connection with your target audience and the moment they latch on, any product you offer, be it music, clothing, etc, will sell itself because that connection has been made. The internet has given artists like ourselves, the opportunity to gain fans across the nation as well as internationally.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
One of our favorite ways to promote ourselves and our music is through YouTube. People will form a connection just by listening to your music, but adding a visual connection whether via music video or vlog, allows you to strengthen that bond with your fan base. - WWS Magazine