Alternative, Dancehall, Reggae, Grime, Hip Hop, Indie Rock

14 MP3 Songs
POP: with Electronic Production, HIP HOP/RAP: Alternative Hip Hop



Details:
KXL has spent the last several years honing his skills as an artist and producer in the New York City area. After attending Columbia Law School, KXL could have gone on to follow a prestigious path of advocating - instead he derailed himself to advocate for his own unique perspective on the world.

KXL was born in the U.S. to immigrant parents of diverse West Indian origins. His mother is Afro-Caribbean from Jamaican and his father is from Guyana having Indian roots. A self-taught musician, KXL's obsession with music started from an early age. At age ten, he began playing his older brothers guitar when no one was looking and spent his teenage years developing his craft and playing in bands throughout the area at such legendary spots as CBGBs, The Bitter End, and the Palladium. In the late 1990s, he became immersed in writing and producing; under a different moniker, he found commercial success in the last several years in the licensing of his original spin on Asian Underground music to various international record companies and even scored original music for several television programs.

Having grown weary of the humdrum of pop radio, KXL infuses mainstream music with the music of his cultures - - the music that was played in his home when he was growing up like reggae, ska, calypso and Indian classical. His lyrics also reflect the issues surrounding him at present, such as the struggles of being bi-racial, as well as matters arising from his childhood. His father having been a top cult deprogrammer and the lead therapist in treating the survivors of the Jonestown massacre in Guyana introduced him to a world of horrific imagery and survivors on the brink, as well as the bombastic press wanting a closer peak into the twisted mind of cult leader Jim Jones. One unexpected impact of the Jonestown massacre is that people in the US finally had a point of reference to Guyana, and had a better idea of where his people were from, as he proclaims in the song S.P.I.T.

The result - - a new breed of soundclash. KXL brings you to the meeting place of dancehall ragga, electro beat and rock. Pulsing beats, punchy guitars, lo-fi sitars, dhol, tablas, and dub vibrations mash it up and swirl in and out at you.