In this interview, we chat with Xavier about influences, his newest project, and more.

Full Q&A, links, and a stream of Joyride below.

https://soundcloud.com/xaviersharif/sets/joyride-ep

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

I’ve always been a fan of poetry and black music. I fell in love with rap music after listening to Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and started writing rhymes in Junior High School. I really like how transparent I’m allowed to be through music in general and rap was always the channel I used. I’m really a geek for wordplay, metaphors, flow, delivery, beat production and whatever else makes a certain rap artist unique. I like everything about rap music.

What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?

Music is my journal. I have released and unreleased material that talks a lot about me and how I’m doing or feeling about anything. My most common topics deal with that of my religion. I’m a proclaimed Christian but I’m not the most religious or faithful and I’m aware of that. Really I want my music to be a testimony that God is real. I want to draw others closer to Him as I use my music to draw myself closer to Him.

Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?

The biggest influence to my creativity is art that is authentic. Art that has meaning and purpose and is personal to the artist. Something I can relate to. Once I hear, see, or feel that type of artwork, I’m inspired to do the same. I just want to remain true to Xavier throughout all of this. I can’t give you one particular artist I’m influenced by but I’ve gotten Drake comparisons the most.

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

Joyride EP was meant to tell a story of a night out with “the homies” and how that shaped me to think about the type of man I was becoming at the time I was writing the project. It’s my first real attempt at creating an album and I was just trying to get my feet wet and see if I can carry out a theme and story throughout an entire body of work. In that regard, I would say I succeeded and am more confident in creating longer projects. In terms of the sound of the project, I’m still trying to perfect that as well as my flow. There’s a lot of improvements that can be made every time I listen to Joyride but like I said, I’ve succeeded my biggest goal for it and am extremely satisfied with the product.

What was the last song you listened to?

Xscape – Just Kickin It

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

MP3s definitely. I want a Vinyl player in the near future, though.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

Spotify. I’d be the poster boy for Spotify with no hesitation.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?

Marketing the product as something someone would want to listen to. I picked up Marketing in school to account for this but it’s still hard and can be degrading to me at times because I invest so much into my craft. The perfect setup for me would be to just focus on the music and have a business team handle the rest but I am my own business team at the moment.

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?

I have a website, xaviersharif.com

Twitter is my most used social media outlet, @xaviersharif

Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?

Thank God for everything He’s done and all of his grace. Thank all of my family and close supporters. I’d quit all of this if I never had you guys.