XV was in New York last week to perform at the Highline Ballroom alongside Clipse, Chiddy Bang, Charles Hamilton, and Ninja Sonik. The packed house gave the young Kansas emcee a warm welcome, rapping along with his mixtape tracks!
Last time we met up with XV, he was celebrating the release of his well received Everybody’s Nobody project. He’s since kept fans happy with 30 Minute Layover, a half an hour mixtape meant to prepare listeners for the takeoff to Vizzy Zone.
After his Highline Ballroom performance, XV met up with HipHopAtLunch.com to explain the recently leaked “Remember The Rain” track, touch on the inspiration behind remaking Eminem and Lil Wayne’s “Drop The World,” and let us know what to expect on Vizzy Zone.
It’s pretty ambitious for XV to be taking on industry standards by refusing to move into a better market than Kansas. Here’s the track off of his latest project that covers trying to bring more hip hop attention to the Midwest.
XV – “Lift The Game”
The emotionally charged instrumental presented in “Drop The World,” is a perfect backdrop to XV’s venting.
“The city say, remember when radio ain’t give Vizzy play?
Now they read the shit I say like I was Ernest Hemingway,
Funny how the square that could never really fit in,
got so many people riding, I don’t know what they’ll all fit in,
They tell me move to New York like it’s so fatal,
Keep your plane ticket, I brought tote cables,
I’m so able to prove ‘em wrong motherfucker,
Cause the kid from Smallville gon show ‘em all,
How I’m gonna go and
(Insert Chorus)
Lift this game up and bring it back to where I fucking live…”
As mentioned in the interview, “Remember the Rain” was released early last week but recorded in 2003. Having said that, I’ve included the track in this post for those interested in hearing a “more hood” XV than we’re used to.
XV – “Remember the Rain”
Check out the songs highlighted in this post, to get a better representation of XV’s current sound.
XV plans on exploring the interesting concept of bringing listeners through every part of his song-writing process with the upcoming Vizzy Zone project. With DJ Ill Will, DJ Rock Star, LRG, and Karma Loop on board, Vizzy Zone should be the Kansas emcee’s break out release of 2010.
Artists Tagged
XV
Donavan Johnson
Label: Warner Bros.
Hometown: Wichita, KS
XV’s stage name represents the age at which he first started to pursue a career in hip hop, fifteen. Despite coming up in the small city of Wichita, Kansas, this video game and comic book fanatic was able to grow a nationwide fan base through a string of successful mixtapes and online promotions. On July 31, 2009, XV released his biggest project to date in the Everybody’s Nobody mixtape hosted by DJ Enuff and DJ Benzi.
Almost a year later, on July 26, 2010, XV announced that he had signed a record deal with Warner Bros. and would finally have a chance to release his long awaited album, The Boy With The Green Backpack. The debut album’s title comes from the high school nickname given to XV by kids who didn’t know his real name.
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younglean28
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Anonymous
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http://hiphopatlunch.com/2010/07/xv-gettin-bizzy/ XV – “Gettin Bizzy” | Hip Hop At Lunch – The Latest Hip Hop News And Emerging Artists
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http://hiphopatlunch.com/2010/07/xv-signs-to-warner-bros/ XV signs to Warner Bros. | Hip Hop At Lunch – The Latest Hip Hop News And Emerging Artists
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http://hiphopatlunch.com/2010/08/xv-squares/ XV – “Squares” | Hip Hop At Lunch – The Latest Hip Hop News And Emerging Artists
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http://hiphopatlunch.com/2010/09/xv-we-zonin/ XV – “We Zonin’” | Hip Hop At Lunch – The Latest Hip Hop News And Emerging Artists