Xavier Lopez (born October 23, 2003), known professionally as Xaviersobased, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. Known for an eccentric rapping and production style, his songs span a number of genres, including trap, plugg, jerk, and hyperpop.[1][2][3]
Lopez is primarily affiliated with the underground hip hop collectives 1c34[7][8] and Novagang.[citation needed]
Career
Lopez's first song under the moniker Xaviersobased was released June 8, 2016.[9] On January 11, 2024, he released a single titled "40" with Surf Gang producer Evilgiane and fellow rapper Nettspend.[10][11] On January 12, 2024, Lopez was a guest on the popular radio show On The Radar, in which he performed a freestyle over an instrumental courtesy of DJ Ess.[12][13] This freestyle was later published as the track titled "Special" on his project Keep It Goin Xav. On January 16, he released a 15-track SoundCloud exclusive project titled Keep It Goin Xav, hosted by DJ Rennessy, featuring appearances from rappers Nettspend, Yhapojj, Jtxpo & Kuru.[14]Keep It Goin Xav later released on other streaming platforms.
In his review of Keep It Goin Xav, Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork wrote that despite drawing from various influences, Xaviersobased's style retains a strong New York rap identity, distinguishing him in the generally "amorphous" internet rap scene. He described the music as "vibrant, improvisatory, and fun as hell", while being relatively inaccessible with respect to vocals which are heavily layered and sometimes pitch-shifted. He further praised the selection of faster tracks, while remarking that the slower ones are less interesting, but not devoid of subtlety.[15]
Lopez released his second mixtape of 2024, with 2, on June 5th. The album, partially unfinished, was hastily released upon it being completely leaked one week earlier.[16] In a review for Pitchfork, Kieran Press-Reynolds noted that as Lopez's peers tend to dilute their sound to appeal to a broader audience, "it’s sweet to watch someone who doesn’t give a f**k."[16]
