Despite my irrational fear of permanence, one thing I will firmly commit to is urging myself and others to listen to music outside our bubbles of taste. This applies especially to my friends at King’s. Shoutout to the Fiona Apple cult followers and my friends on the Black Country New Road to Geese pipeline. This is for you.
If you don’t know his name or are only familiar with him as a recent Magnetic World headliner, allow me to introduce you to BigXthaplug (Xavier Landum). I intend to explore the story and music of this Texan rapper, who strays far from the comfort zone of most Kingsians. Decide for yourself if he lives up to the hype he has seemed to amass lately.
In mid-August, a New York Times podcast, Popcast, released an episode in which hosts John Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli interview BigX himself, introducing him as one of the biggest rap breakout stories of the last few years.
Dressed comfortably in a cream jumpsuit and accessorized in a shiny watch, BigX‘s beaming smile and relaxed demeanor set the tone for the episode: an intimate insight into his four-year music journey.
Before he started making music, Landum played football at Crown College in Minnesota, but he was kicked off the team and expelled from school after police discovered he was selling weed to students. He attributes his weight, now a trademark in the BigX persona, most notably in his hit song “The Largest”, to this turn in his life.
“I was depressed,” he tells Caramanica and Coscarelli. “I just didn’t even know what depression was.”
After his expulsion, Landum ended up in jail more than once and spent his son’s first birthday behind bars. He cites that moment as the reason for his eventual success. A real wake-up call.
To cope with life in solitary confinement, Landum began to write music on the back of medical forms. BigX was born.
Okay, now that we’ve established the compelling comeback story, let’s get on to the music.
I am not a rap connoisseur by any means. My qualifications for assessing where he fits into the genre are rooted in the haze of Trippie Redd and A Boogie wit da Hoodie I indulged in during middle school.
However, I feel my lack of expertise in the genre, and my knowledge of music and genre blurring as a cultural phenomenon, gives me the unique ability to comment on his music as objectively as possible. Plus, maybe this lack of bias towards rap will help sell my opinion to this particular audience.
So here I go.
What BigX does well is rooting his rap in — dare I say — some artful country and R&B instrumentals.
I’m aware he’s not even close to being the first person to gain popularity with this style over the past few years. We’ve got Shaboozey, Lil Nas X, Jelly Roll and a whole Beyoncé album.
But when you listen to his biggest hits, his throughline is his commitment to rich southern vocals and instrumentation. His sample choices aren’t bad either. “Badu Flow” might just rock your world.
The guy’s got range. And after listening to him share the genesis of his sound on Popcast, it’s not entirely surprising.
BigX describes the music his parents played growing up as incredibly influential. His mom, a lover of the likes of Lil Wayne and UGK, and his dad, sharing the secrets of a good R&B serenade, definitely play a role in his sound.
BigXthaplug or Xavier Landum, whatever we want to call him, is an artist like any other: riddled with complexity and occasional controversy.
But is he worth the hype? Is he worth hijacking the wired headphones of a cigarette-smoking, Kant reading, Doc Martens wearing King’s student?
I would say he might just have what it takes. He might just be the biggest.
The largest.
