Young X O

Born in SouthEast-Washington, D.C Young XO at a young age immediately took a strong interest in music. Due to his musical curiosity, X.O often found himself in trouble for sneaking out of his room trying to get closer to the sounds of musical Legends of Soul from the 70’s. As XO grew older beginning to take to the Hip-Hop culture from the late 80’s, he began to realize that this was going to be a major goal in his life. Before High School he was already determined to make some serious ‘moves...

Born in SouthEast-Washington, D.C Young XO at a young age immediately took a strong interest in music. Due to his musical curiosity, X.O often found himself in trouble for sneaking out of his room trying to get closer to the sounds of musical Legends of Soul from the 70’s. As XO grew older beginning to take to the Hip-Hop culture from the late 80’s, he began to realize that this was going to be a major goal in his life. Before High School he was already determined to make some serious ‘moves’ as he would say. In the seventh grade, he and two of his friends, Big Man and Doc, recorded their first single, “The Way We Flow.” They performed at numerous libraries, parks, and clubs; that would allow them entry in the area. Sidetracked from his career by the pressured life of a High School student; ‘Open Mics’ became a weekly part of his routine. He would often be outside promoting his music only to ‘rip the spot’ as he stepped through the door. He emphasized ‘talking the talk and walking the walk’. A few years after High School a severe tragedy occurred which cost the life of his mother. With cancer as the cause, XO had no one physically to blame and many nights he sat back and meditated on the good times they had. One night while meditating, it came to him that she would want him to continue pursuing his dreams. Featuring on the “Show Me the Money” album with Malan, of 2G Media, and the “Big Guns, Training Day” mixtape with Real Life, his defining alias and reinforced self confidence had people embracing him as a prominent DC rapper. Upon meeting Dee, from Squares Entertainment Group, he was able to invest in the “Man of the Year” project and branch off independently. Teaming up together they targeted all the Open Mics near and far. Using multiple venues for rehearsal, XO developed his show and made his stage presence known. With Squares Entertainment pulling all the strings; booking shows, setting up interviews, scheduling photo shoots, there was nothing to stop XO from gaining a loyal fan base in Washington, DC and on the Internet. Nominated for DMV’s Best Artist in 2008, and featured as the number one artist on the MySpace Music Charts for a couple of months, XO has maintained his relevancy by releasing music that is ‘hot and appealing’ to both the men from the streets and the women partying in the club. Without being signed to a major label or having major distribution, XO stays determined to never give up on his dreams and continue recording, “out there grinding making it happen”.