top tier dudes had to go through
the PG system like us, some of
them wouldn’t make it. I had a
top tier n***a tell me himself,
“It’s harder for y’all; we had it
easy. Y’all gotta work, for real.”
At the same time, PG dudes can’t
pop s**t and then lose to these
n***as; it doesn’t look good for
the class as a whole. If we lose,
it’s like “See? Stay where you’re
at. I told you, you weren’t ready.”
Dilly: Branding yourself in battle
rap seems more important now
than before. Do you agree?
Xcel: It is more than important,
it’s something you should do in
any field. Make your mark and
your brand; but this is becoming
an industry on its own. So if
your business is not right, you
won’t be here too long; now
n***as need a certain amount
of views to get certain battles,
which baffles me. Shoutout to
No Mercy and the Trap House.
He gave me my shot with no
footage. I sent him music; he
said, “come battle”. I’m battling
Young Stash from Brooklyn Mic
Club at Black Star. It’s been on
ever since. So shout out to No
Mercy, Payso, and the whole
Trap House for taking a chance
on me.
rapper but he sold records.
Selling records doesn’t make
him great. A lot of these dudes
don’t even understand that views
come from the URL machine,
or the KOTD machine. Those
companies worked up their own
subscribers, so it’s not really
[battle rappers] getting the
views, it’s the platform they’re
on. I’ve seen a few battlers do
500K plus on URL or KOTD,
then go battle elsewhere and get
50K; so if you are that dude, you
should get 500k wherever you
go. I can’t have 500K people see
me lose. I can’t. (Xcel laughs)
Dilly: So who are you looking to
battle this year?
Xcel: I want killers, so I talked to
Danny Myers. We’re locking in
Rum Nitty, Big Kannon, Cortez,
B Magic, KG the Poet and M
Ciddy. All the guys that make
me work hard and push me to be
better.
Dilly: Nice hit list. So let’s talk
your music...
Xcel: Let’s do it. I have an album
dropping with producer Explizit
One called “The Difference”. It
drops May 13, 2014.
Dilly: What’s the first single?
Dilly: A lot of guys are getting
views but not having clears wins
or taking their clear loses. Why
do you feel battlers think views
solidify them?
Xcel: Views don’t equal skill,
but this is a business. It’s just
like Soulja Boy; he is a terrible
48
Xcel: There is a single titled
“The Difference”. I have a video
on YouTube right now, as we
speak.
Dilly: Are you using battle rap as a
platform or is your music is on its
own platform?
Xcel: Battle rap to me is a part
of being an emcee. It’s not to
separate where I’m from. If you
don’t get tested, you can’t say
you’re nice. Business-wise, I
am using it as a platform. If I
randomly walk up to you with a
CD, you’re not going to buy it,
but if you see me battle and cook
rappers, then you will be more
susceptible to cop my record.
Dilly: I feel you. What can we
expect from you this year with
battle rap and music?
Xcel: Expect excellence, no
pun intended. Expect to take a
journey with me and grow with
me; expect to hear some crazy
ass bars. Expect to see and hear
classics anytime my name is
involved.I want it to be classic all
the way; nothing lackluster, no
doing it for a check. I’m putting
my soul into this.
— Dilly