HXV is a young legend. The ATL DJ and producer was one of the early artists working to merge electro and rap and a key contributor and leader in the new trap movement. Over the past fews years he’s explored a variety of sounds, from producing rap records to expanding into techno with his Chapel EP. Most recently he connected with friend and vocalist Naz to produce the powerful record ‘Novocaine’. The track blends elements of pop with trap, all while giving listeners an inside look at his battles with addiction. ‘Novocaine’ is just the beginning of the next chapter for HXV. We had the honour of catching up with HXV to discuss his influence on what would become the new wave of (electronic) trap, how he continues stay innovative, the celebratory nature of drug use in music and his own battle with addiction. He also gives us a few of his must read books and his plans for the future.
You were one of the artists at the forefront of blending rap and electronic music. Can you take us back to the time that “electronic trap” was forged?
The first inception of ‘EDM trap’ really came from me and Mayhem DJing at this place in East Atlanta called The Graveyard. I had started a night called, HEAVY that was blending and mixing early pre-Skrillex dubstep songs with Atlanta rap music and rap instrumentals. We would play only rap music until about 1am and then when everyone was amped up, we would go harder with dubstep and instrumentals weaved in and out. I also used to DJ at a few bottle service clubs and I would be playing electro house records but always wanted them to drop into 808’s and trap drums. So I started making edits and throwing trap drums on top of the drops so I could mix smoother between the electro tracks and the rap songs I was playing. We starting playing out our We Off That mixtape, in which we produced, for a good year before the mixtape was released in 2010. That was kind of the beginning of re-imagining these rap songs with electro/EDM elements but not taking it to Vegas, LA, or Paris EDM Banger style and making it straight beat.
How much has the genre changed over the years? Has it been for better or for worse?
It has changed so much. It’s fragmented into so many different directions. You have the super minimal stuff from Stooki, Hucci, Gravez, Misogi, etc., to the hybrid trap sound that Mayhem really pioneered in my opinion. He was making the heaviest trap records that were borderline dubstep, and I remember being like “man this is so heavy and hard it’s like dubstep all over again” and then the whole scene started shifting in that direction. Now without question I think the hybrid Trap sound is the most prevalent trap sound with Snailz, Bro Safari, Mayhem, NGHTMRE, HeroBust, etc.
I guess that’s how I stay innovative, by trying different things and failing a lot.
One of the things you stand for is innovation and taking risks. How do you continue to innovate year after year?
Just following my intuition really. As an artist, I want to constantly learn and expand my field of knowledge, and as a craftsmen, I want to hone my skills better. So along that path of searching, the art comes from it. I guess that’s how I stay innovative, by trying different things and failing a lot. With the intuition, I meditate and tap into something larger than myself, it’s like a stream of consciousness and the deeper I dive the richer the ideas. I connect enough of these ideas together or learn about one thing and then dig into it, archaeologically searching out its roots then taking that and applying it to whatever I’m working on.
You’ve explored a number of genres over the years from dubstep to rap, trap and techno. Has this exploration helped to shape yourself as an artist?
I learn and take things from each discipline, it’s like learning different martial arts and then using the tools at your disposal when best appropriate. With ‘Novocaine’ it’s written like a pop song; it’s streamlined and taken down to its bare essentials, the way you would a techno record, but it’s obviously so not a techno record. Another record I have with 21 Savage and Madeaux sounds like a funeral but also very stripped down and minimal to its essential parts, with a good balance of authentic Atlanta Rap sound but for 2028.
For the first time, maybe ever, you can control your own destiny as an artist. There’s no gate keepers holding the doors anymore.
In a previous interview you said, “hopefully when all is said and done, and I have this body of work I’ve amassed over a lifetime, I’ll just be known as a creative person who made art for a living and encouraged and supported other creative.” What do you think of the current climate for artists? Is it a good time to be in the arts?
Personally, I think this is a great time to be an artist. For the first time, maybe ever, you can control your own destiny as an artist. There’s no gate keepers holding the doors anymore. You don’t need a big label with a huge PR budget behind you to make good music and get it out to people. Yeah, there’s a lot of noise out there now and a lot of competition, but you don’t even really need to compete if you think about the whole picture. All you need is to carve out your niche and feed your fan base content consistently. Do this over time and this is how you develop a brand. Not by having a logo or a gimmick, it’s about maintaining a relationship with your fans via good quality content over a period of time. It’s exceeding their expectations, that’s how you build a brand that will last with whatever wave or trend comes and goes and you will stand the test of time.
Atlanta has always been a hotbed for music and influence on the scene. Are there any sounds or artists that we should be looking out for?
On the EDM/trap tip; Mayhem is about to drop his album which is huge and a milestone for him in his career. The album has a ton of collabs and really forward thinking tracks on it, pushing the bar again for one of the originators of EDM trap. FVCKDIVMONDS is also killing it after relocating to Atlanta. On the rap front; I mean, we have so many people constantly recording and releasing music in Atlanta, the creativity can be overwhelming sometimes. Swag Hollywood is def one to watch for. As well as Yakki, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, and Lotto Savage is def the next from the Savage crew to blow.
I don’t have a problem with songs celebrating drug use, but it raises concern for me when every song by an artist becomes centered around it.
Drugs have been a central part of rap music for years. More recently the focus has shifted from selling drugs to their use, with substances like Xanax, Lean and MDMA taking the spotlight. How do you feel about the celebratory nature of drug use in music?
I have also noticed that the narrative of Rap music has shifted from selling drugs as a means to now glorifying drug use. I don’t have a problem with songs celebrating drug use, but it raises concern for me when every song by an artist becomes centered around it. And from my standpoint as an artist, I want to hear diverse music from everyone. Drug addiction really does stifle creativity because your world becomes so small and insular.
Your latest single ‘Novocaine’ centres around your battle with addiction. Was it difficult to put something so deeply personal into a record?
Yes and no. The process of making the song was easy but getting there was fucking hard. I have hit a number of bottoms in my life, some in addiction and some while in sobriety, ‘Novocaine’ came from hitting bottom again, and the awareness and respect I developed for the disease from that. With that newfound understanding, I tried to communicate it as best as we could through the song. By personifying it and giving it a voice (literally) with Naz.
Has your approach to music changed since you’ve been clean?
Absolutely. My approach is way more focused and organized. Just my entire life is exponentially better being sober so my creative process is better as well. My understanding of creativity has evolved throughout. I used to think it was something fleeting and temperamental (probably because I was for so long) but now I see creativity as a muscle that can be trained by constantly showing up. Even when it’s not “flowing,” you condition yourself to sit there and make incremental steps of progress every day. This builds momentum, and that momentum leads to breakthroughs and more songs being finished. Being sober allows me that capacity. Also, practicing self care and doing what I need to do to be the best version of myself I can be creates that discipline that then carries into all other facets of my life.
I don’t start out each day thinking “I’m never going to pick up again,” I start out each day being grateful for being sober and alive today…
Do you have any advice for those battling with addiction?
You aren’t alone, others have come before you and others will come after you. The most important thing is to be ready to quit and really do it. And when you are ready, surround yourself with people who have been through what you have and who have what you want. Learn from them and lean into them for support and take it one day at a time. I don’t start out each day thinking “I’m never going to pick up again,” I start out each day being grateful for being sober and alive today and to please get me through until tomorrow, and I do my part and do what I can to make sure that happens.
I read that you’ve become really interested in reading. What’s the most important book you’ve read and why?
I can’t narrow that down to one title but I’ve read some really incredible things over the last few years. One of the most important books in my life is The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. I’ve probably read that book front to back a few times as I’ve gone through the 12 steps. Each time, pulling more and more knowledge from it. It was really eye opening to learn the drugs and alcohol wasn’t the problem, but that it was me that’s the problem, and the program and the steps give you the tools to navigate that and the relationships in your life. There isn’t a day that passes that I don’t use at least one of the 12 steps. I really think everyone should read it and do the steps if you are an addict or not. Doing things like, taking an inventory of yourself, really forces you to be honest with yourself and look at your patterns of behavior. It’s putting all the shit you want to hide about yourself under a microscope.
Another one is, Awareness by Anthony DeMelo. If The Power of Now and Eckhart Tolle books are a “wake up call” then Awareness is a shotgun blast of reality to the face. Never have I heard such raw truth delivered so honestly. I read it while on tour in Europe a few years ago and it was such an extreme jolt to my system. You have to be ready to read this but it’s life changing when you are ready for it.
The third is, The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharpe. I have recommended this book to a few of my headlining world touring DJ/Producer peers and they have all come back to me blown away. This book just nails the creative process and offers insights on digging deeper into your own process and pulling out the best work out of you. No matter what field or medium you are in, this is def worth the read.
And lastly, Trust Me I’m Lying Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday. I loved this book because it breaks down how our media is manipulated and fed to us. Understanding that this is how our world works now and you can never look at blogs or anything we read the same way again.
Over the next few months, I will be releasing more music than I ever have before. I spent this last year writing music and really digging into my creative process searching for my balance.
Where is the HXV project going?
That’s a good question (lol). Honestly, much more focused. More focused than ever before. In the past, I think HXV has been this vague concept that has had output along different genres and different sounds, but now moving forward everything is going to be much more focused and more intentional. Over the next few months, I will be releasing more music than I ever have before. I spent this last year writing music and really digging into my creative process searching for my balance.
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