XV (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Donavan Johnson better known by his stage name
XV is an American
rapper, singer and songwriter from Wichita
, Kansas
. He first gained major attention after the release of his twelfth mixtape
Everybody's Nobody. In which he received two awards from DJBooth.net.
His name, XV, refers to the age (15) at which he began to create music. On Monday July 26, 2010, XV announced that he had signed a recording contract
with Warner Bros. Records
via his Twitter
page.
. Much of XV's work has been done alongside producer Michael "Seven" Summers and Tech N9ne (Tech N9ne
, Mac Lethal
). On Monday July 26, 2010, XV
, announced that he finalized and signed a Recording contract
with Warner Bros. Records
via his Twitter
. His album is set to drop in 2012.
On July 8, 2008, XV released the mixtape Planet Squaria: The Square in the Circle as a free download. Most of the mixtape was produced by Summers, accompanied by samples of electronica
bands Chromeo
and Freezepop, and rock
band Smashing Pumpkins. The mixtape also featured Lil Wayne.
40 Days & 40 Nights
XV released a new song every morning and night for 40 days (80 tracks total) as a project for his blog. Afterwards he compiled the series into a mixtape available as a free download which featured both the morning and night songs in chronological order of their release dates. The mixtape included artists such as Usher
, The Killers, Mickey Factz
, Cory Gunz
, Tyga
, Wiz Khalifa
, Kanye West
, 88 Keys, and Flobots
amongst others. There were 15 original tracks mixed in with the remixes and freestyles recorded over already-made beats.
Everybody's Nobody
XV's released Everybody's Nobody on July 31, 2009. The mixtape was hosted by DJ Enuff
, mixed by DJ Benzi, and presented by Subconcious Threads and received 2500 downloads within the first 12 hours. Features include Wiz Khalifa
, Big Sean
, Colin Munroe
, Harlem's Cash, and Ne-Yo
. Most of the mixtape is produced by Seven. The song "Mirror's Edge" was premiered by DJ Enuff
on New York City
's top Rap
/Hip-Hop radio station Hot 97 (WQHT) on July 3, 2009. The mixtape was also reviewed by DJBooth.net.
Everybody's Nobody was the first mixtape that helped XV gain fame outside of Kansas. Although the mix tape did not receive immediate acclaim, it has now been downloaded over 30,000 times. XV said of it, "I think that “Everybody’s Nobody” was it. I felt it was before I made it, I felt it was before it was released, when I sat there and watched the comments, and I saw the posts – and I still see, to this day, people sayin’, “I just heard of this dude XV. Download Everybody’s Nobody – this sh*t is crazy!” Like, seeing that on different days, and that came out July 31, and it’s 2010, and people are still finding it – I feel like, that’s what skyrocketed me to become XV. That was the project."
It has been stated that DJ Benzi will be remixing the mixtape under the new title 'Everybody's Nobody: We Got the Remix!'.
Vizzy Zone
XV teamed up with DJ ill Will & DJ Rockstar to produce Vizzy Zone. The project included all original production as well as features from the likes of Mike Posner, Talib Kweli
, Bun B
, Chiddy Bang
, GLC
, Colin Munroe
, Killer Mike
, and Mac Miller
. Vizzy Zone, like Everybody's Nobody, received over 30,000 downloads. XV explained that he made Vizzy Zone for his fans to DJBooth. He said, "This one I’m really doin’ for my fans. I’m not doin’ it for my fans as far as, them just wanting music from me... And with me bein’ in the position I’m in right now, I need to hit them with something they can bump, since Everybody’s Nobody came out seven, eight months ago. So that’s my ultimate plan: give them some good music that follows up Everybody’s Nobody and that’s as good as Everybody’s Nobody, while I prepare The Kid With the Green Backpack which, right now, is amazing." Vizzy Zone still received strong reviews, but many believe that it wasn't good enough to follow up Everybody's Nobody.
Zero Heroes
On April 15th, 2011 XV released Zero Heroes. Critics have said it is the best XV release to date, and one of the top 2011 mixtapes so far. The mixtape Features Patrick Stump
of Fall Out Boy
, Donnis
, Kendrick Lamar
, Cyhi Da Prynce
, Vado
, and more, along with Production from J. Cole, Just Blaze
, Omen
, The Awesome Sound, Swiff D, The Lieutenant, and of course long time production partner Seven.Days later after the release, a bonus song came out titled ,"Famous" featering Jazmine Sullivan & Sez Batters. The Mixtape has received over 120,000 downloads and 2 records in the Top 20 on The Hype Machine
.
XV and Seven entered the studio in 2008 to begin working on a new album The Kid With The Green Backpack, a concept album inspired by Johnson's inability to comply with everyday style and ideas in school. Throughout middle school, XV was commonly known amongst his peers as "the kid with the green backpack", as they were unaware of his actual name. XV documented assorted studio visits with YouTube
videos "Making TKWTGB", complete with live brass and string instruments. The studio album has not yet been released but could have been released on October 9th, 2011. As of September 14th XV stated on twitter "XtotheV: Oh...and FYI. I'm not sure who does my Wikipedia page, but my debut album is NOT dropping October 9th. Or in 2011 for that matter. Patience." On twitter XV said that the album will be released sometime in the Summer of 2012. One confirmed tracked is "Pictures On My Wall".
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
XV is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper, singer and songwriter from Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He first gained major attention after the release of his twelfth mixtape
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
Everybody's Nobody. In which he received two awards from DJBooth.net.
His name, XV, refers to the age (15) at which he began to create music. On Monday July 26, 2010, XV announced that he had signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
via his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page.
Career
Since 2003, XV, a graduate of the International Baccalaureate program, has obtained his following through hip-hop blogs and his use of TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. Much of XV's work has been done alongside producer Michael "Seven" Summers and Tech N9ne (Tech N9ne
Tech N9ne
Aaron Dontez Yates , better known by his stage name Tech N9ne , is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri. In 1999, Yates and Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. Throughout his career, Yates has sold over one million albums and has had his music featured in film,...
, Mac Lethal
Mac Lethal
Mac Lethal is a rapper from Kansas City, MO of Irish descent.-Biography:Mac Lethal was born David McCleary Sheldon on July 25, 1981....
). On Monday July 26, 2010, XV
XV
XV or Xv may refer to:* 15 in Roman numerals* XV , rapper from Wichita, Kansas, United States* XV , an album by King's X* Xv, a shareware image display and manipulation program for Unix...
, announced that he finalized and signed a Recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
via his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. His album is set to drop in 2012.
Influences
In an interview with Spinner, XV stated that his major rap influences were Andre 3000, who is his favorite rapper of all time, Rivers Cuomo from Weezer, Jay-Z, John Mayer, Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco. He also has a fascination with video games, more specifically the Xbox 360. In fact, one of his more popular songs, Mirror's Edge, was inspired by an Xbox 360 game. He said, "The song isn't talking about the video game, I just felt it fit the same mood as that video game and I liked the fact that the game was about running free and defying laws of gravity in real life." Other inspirations XV had while growing up include comic books, TV shows, and movies. These influences have left XV's music with a particular style, new to rap.Mixtapes
The Square in the CircleOn July 8, 2008, XV released the mixtape Planet Squaria: The Square in the Circle as a free download. Most of the mixtape was produced by Summers, accompanied by samples of electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
bands Chromeo
Chromeo
Chromeo is an electrofunk duo formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 2004.-History:Chromeo is composed of P-Thugg on keyboards, synthesizers, and talk box, and Dave 1 on guitar and lead vocals...
and Freezepop, and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Smashing Pumpkins. The mixtape also featured Lil Wayne.
40 Days & 40 Nights
XV released a new song every morning and night for 40 days (80 tracks total) as a project for his blog. Afterwards he compiled the series into a mixtape available as a free download which featured both the morning and night songs in chronological order of their release dates. The mixtape included artists such as Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, The Killers, Mickey Factz
Mickey Factz
Mickey Williams , also known by his stage name Mickey Factz, is an American hip hop artist from The Bronx, NY.-Early life:Mickey Factz attended Adlai E...
, Cory Gunz
Cory Gunz
Peter Cory Pankey, Jr. is an American rapper, better known by his stage name Cory Gunz. He is the son of rapper Peter Gunz, member of the rap duo Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, and cousin of fellow rapper Junior. Gunz is currently signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, After Platinum...
, Tyga
Tyga
Michael Stevenson , better known by his stage name Tyga , is an American rapper signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent...
, Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, 88 Keys, and Flobots
Flobots
The Flobots are a political rock and hip hop musical group from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2000 by Jamie Laurie. Flobots found mainstream success with their major label debut Fight with Tools , featuring the single "Handlebars", which became a popular hit on Modern Rock radio in April 2008.-Early...
amongst others. There were 15 original tracks mixed in with the remixes and freestyles recorded over already-made beats.
Everybody's Nobody
XV's released Everybody's Nobody on July 31, 2009. The mixtape was hosted by DJ Enuff
DJ Enuff
DJ Enuff is a DJ and radio personality from the United States. He mixes on-air during "The Angie Martinez Show" from 4:30 to 6pm. He also was The Notorious B.I.G's official road DJ and also helped break acts like 50 Cent and Kanye West.-Early career:DJ Enuff was raised in the Lower East Side of...
, mixed by DJ Benzi, and presented by Subconcious Threads and received 2500 downloads within the first 12 hours. Features include Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
, Big Sean
Big Sean
Sean Michael Anderson , better known by his stage name Big Sean, is an American rapper. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's G.O.O.D...
, Colin Munroe
Colin Munroe
Colin Munroe is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer originally from North Gower, Ontario, who now resides in Toronto.-Biography:...
, Harlem's Cash, and Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
. Most of the mixtape is produced by Seven. The song "Mirror's Edge" was premiered by DJ Enuff
DJ Enuff
DJ Enuff is a DJ and radio personality from the United States. He mixes on-air during "The Angie Martinez Show" from 4:30 to 6pm. He also was The Notorious B.I.G's official road DJ and also helped break acts like 50 Cent and Kanye West.-Early career:DJ Enuff was raised in the Lower East Side of...
on New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's top Rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
/Hip-Hop radio station Hot 97 (WQHT) on July 3, 2009. The mixtape was also reviewed by DJBooth.net.
Everybody's Nobody was the first mixtape that helped XV gain fame outside of Kansas. Although the mix tape did not receive immediate acclaim, it has now been downloaded over 30,000 times. XV said of it, "I think that “Everybody’s Nobody” was it. I felt it was before I made it, I felt it was before it was released, when I sat there and watched the comments, and I saw the posts – and I still see, to this day, people sayin’, “I just heard of this dude XV. Download Everybody’s Nobody – this sh*t is crazy!” Like, seeing that on different days, and that came out July 31, and it’s 2010, and people are still finding it – I feel like, that’s what skyrocketed me to become XV. That was the project."
It has been stated that DJ Benzi will be remixing the mixtape under the new title 'Everybody's Nobody: We Got the Remix!'.
Vizzy Zone
XV teamed up with DJ ill Will & DJ Rockstar to produce Vizzy Zone. The project included all original production as well as features from the likes of Mike Posner, Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
, Bun B
Bun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...
, Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang is an American alternative hip hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group consists of Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin. The duo was introduced through former band member Zachary Sewall in late 2008 during their freshman year at Drexel University, in...
, GLC
GLC (rapper)
Leonard D. Harris is an American rapper from Chicago.-Early life:Leonard D. Harris found poetry and hip-hop at an early age and used both to cope with the passing of his parents. “As long as you’re talking about the negativity, you’re only attracting more negativity into your life. Stay positive. I...
, Colin Munroe
Colin Munroe
Colin Munroe is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer originally from North Gower, Ontario, who now resides in Toronto.-Biography:...
, Killer Mike
Killer Mike
Michael Render , better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, signed to Grind Time Official through the SMC/Fontana Distribution...
, and Mac Miller
Mac Miller
Malcolm McCormick , known by his stage name Mac Miller , is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. Vizzy Zone, like Everybody's Nobody, received over 30,000 downloads. XV explained that he made Vizzy Zone for his fans to DJBooth. He said, "This one I’m really doin’ for my fans. I’m not doin’ it for my fans as far as, them just wanting music from me... And with me bein’ in the position I’m in right now, I need to hit them with something they can bump, since Everybody’s Nobody came out seven, eight months ago. So that’s my ultimate plan: give them some good music that follows up Everybody’s Nobody and that’s as good as Everybody’s Nobody, while I prepare The Kid With the Green Backpack which, right now, is amazing." Vizzy Zone still received strong reviews, but many believe that it wasn't good enough to follow up Everybody's Nobody.
Zero Heroes
On April 15th, 2011 XV released Zero Heroes. Critics have said it is the best XV release to date, and one of the top 2011 mixtapes so far. The mixtape Features Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump
Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
of Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
, Donnis
Donnis
Ladonnis Decurtis Crump , better known by the stage name Donnis, is an American rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia. He released his debut mixtape, Diary of an ATL Brave, in 2009, and signed to Atlantic Records in 2010.XXL Staff . “”.-Early life:Donnis was born on June 2, 1984 in Montclair, California...
, Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar , formerly known by his stage name K. Dot, is an American rapper, and songwriter. He first gained major attention after the release of his 2010 mixtape O D. In 2011, his album Section.80, released exclusively through iTunes, instantly ranked as one of the top digital hip-hop releases...
, Cyhi Da Prynce
Cyhi Da Prynce
Cydel Young also known as CyHi The Prynce , born September 15, 1984 is an American rap artist from Stone Mountain, Atlanta. He is signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music Label and Def Jam Recordings...
, Vado
Vado
Teeyon Winfree, or best known as Vado, born on March 13, 1985, is an American rapper from Harlem, New York City. Vado is of Jamaican, St.Vincent and African American descent.-Career:...
, and more, along with Production from J. Cole, Just Blaze
Just Blaze
Justin Smith, better known as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop music producer from Paterson, New Jersey. Blaze is also the CEO of Fort Knocks Entertainment. He is most well known for producing Jay-Z songs on the albums The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, and The Black Album. He is also known for...
, Omen
Omen
An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change...
, The Awesome Sound, Swiff D, The Lieutenant, and of course long time production partner Seven.Days later after the release, a bonus song came out titled ,"Famous" featering Jazmine Sullivan & Sez Batters. The Mixtape has received over 120,000 downloads and 2 records in the Top 20 on The Hype Machine
The Hype Machine
-History:The Hype Machine was created in 2005 by Anthony Volodkin, a sophomore computer science major at Hunter College. The site was born out of Volodkin's frustration with music magazines and radio stations. He said, "I discovered MP3 blogs like Stereogum and Music for Robots...
.
Albums
The Kid With The Green BackpackXV and Seven entered the studio in 2008 to begin working on a new album The Kid With The Green Backpack, a concept album inspired by Johnson's inability to comply with everyday style and ideas in school. Throughout middle school, XV was commonly known amongst his peers as "the kid with the green backpack", as they were unaware of his actual name. XV documented assorted studio visits with YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
videos "Making TKWTGB", complete with live brass and string instruments. The studio album has not yet been released but could have been released on October 9th, 2011. As of September 14th XV stated on twitter "XtotheV: Oh...and FYI. I'm not sure who does my Wikipedia page, but my debut album is NOT dropping October 9th. Or in 2011 for that matter. Patience." On twitter XV said that the album will be released sometime in the Summer of 2012. One confirmed tracked is "Pictures On My Wall".
Mixtapes
- 2006: The Definition
- 2006: The Definition II
- 2006: The Complex Experiment, Vol. 1
- 2007: The Definition III
- 2007: The Complex Experiment, Vol. 2
- 2007: The Complex Experiment, Vol. 3
- 2007: The Definition IV
- 2008: Recycle Bin
- 2008: Planet Squaria: The Square in the Circle
- 2008: 40 Days/ 40 Nights
- 2009: Please, Hold
- 2009: Everybody's Nobody
- 2010: 30 Minute Layover
- 2010: Vizzy Zone
- 2011: Thanks For The Donuts
- 2011: Zero Heroes
Albums
- 2006: Complex
- 2012: The Kid With The Green Backpack