ThatDopeInterviews: XiT

Yeah! We're back with another TDI segment. This time around, I sent over some questions to emcee/producer XiT and he got to talk about various subjects, such as his influences, his latest project, his music group and much more!



What City/Region are you repping? 
Im from the Bronx, NY but for the past three years been going to school upstate at Binghamton University. This my senior year tho so I'm excited to come back to the city this year.

Can we get some background on how your name came about?
XiT came around in middle school amongst friends when we first started rapping and such. At first I just liked it cause it sounded dope but slowly it kinda grew a meaning after I started considering music my outlet, escape and ... e"XiT"

Who do you call your influences and why?
Growing up I was mostly inspired by Eminem when it came to rap. From his wordplay to his delivery to his overall style...its something I've admired. From the way he puts together words to the way he paints his emotions on tracks, a lot of rappers lack that substance. As of lately tho - my favorite rapper is Blu though since back when I heard his Below The Heavens album. Im also a big fan of Hov, Kanye, Fab and of course Big Pun among others.

Obviously your latest 'tape "College" was inspired by your current status as a student over at Binghamton University, how was the process of recording the project?
Well the reason College was so dope to me because of how not formal the recording process was. It really was just fun.. whenever I felt like making a beat... I made a beat and whenever I felt like writing .. I wrote. The beats and all the rhymes were all influenced by college. It seriously was as simple as waking up Saturday at noon and thinking back to whatever happened Friday night and writing about it. At my new crib in Binghamton I set up a nice studio in one of the empty rooms so it was great to just lay some shit down whenever I felt inspired by anything.

Who produced the joints for the 'tape?

Three songs off the project were produced by myself which are Do It All, Interlude and First Round. The first and last song are instrumentals. Seasons was produced by my homie BlaZe. Nobody Knows by Franko Rossi. College Shit was produced by Andromeda. City Slicker by Lemy. All these guys are producers/artists I've been working with for a long time and have been involved with most of my previous work as well. Each with a unique style but nonetheless dope. 

Any favorite tracks on it? Which were the most personal?

The best part of being an artist is being able to write songs you can completely personally relate to so honestly I really do love every joint on there. But my favorite song on College has to be Never Find You, I think I did some of my best story telling ever on that song and the concept is very real and honest to my life at the moment I wrote it. My favorite verse on the tape has to be the second verse to Nobody Knows, I really kind of beat myself up in the verse by second guessing myself and thinking about all that I've risked and opportunities I've dropped because of music. 

How has the reception been since you released it?  

The reception for College has been real dope. Everyone who has given it an ear has definitely enjoyed it. We just dropped the video to Nobody Knows and its really just been love coming from every direction. The only real complaint I've heard is that the project is short but I promise I'll make up for that on my next tape. I already started working on the next tape and I'm about 9 tracks in so Im just excited for people to hear what I got coming. I expect the next mixtape out by March-April. 

Would you mind giving me some info about OneXit Music Group and who is part of it? 

The OneXiT Music Group is a group I started a couple years back of just dope rhymers and producers from NYC. Its just a family of creative folks who look out for each other as far as production and making sure we're all dropping quality work. My homie BlaZe one of the most active rappers in the group he just dropped his new project 'TheBlue Light' and received a lot of love for it from the online.

What are your goals for 2012, who would you like to work with?

For 2012 I just hope to grind harder, create better music, and get the name out further. Its really just about getting myself out there more and making better music. With College I definitely feel I started the year off on the right foot. I appreciate the love I been receiving from blogs such as That Dope Music and just hope to see much more that in 2012. As far as working with people I just hope to keep making dope music with my team... Im surrounded by a lot of talented guys and we really only get better.

Thanks to XiT for taking the time and answering the questions I sent him. If haven't done so already, go download College, follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook.