Xodu$ has an aesthetic that traverses the expanses of a more than average rap profiteering caliber. He is no newbie in the art of producing bangers, evident in this year's compact Extended Play titled Top 5, which compresses the magnitude of his talents into fifteen minutes. But here, "Airplane Mode" presents on an entirely different wavelength: exuding effortless sweet-talk wordplay, effortless lyricism suave, and a bouncy topline hook to pack it all up.
His magnetic voice pulls us straight into the record's aesthetic, and with an accompanying video, offers us a glimpse into the luxury life Xodu$ lives. Being the type of producer who favors a more hands-on approach, asserted in an excerpt from his Spotify, "I like to be there with the process," he often applies what he's learned through his time as produce on each new production he creates under the guise of Xodu$—and exceeds with clamoring accuracy. On this production, he paints a psychedelia animated image of the extravagance scenery that he follows on his meandering across the palm-tree landscape and straight running sunset adjacent roadways.
Deduced from his tip-toe and swagger, he establishes a reign over the center of the production—both in imagery and in sonics. As the sixteenth notes carried beat lays a foundation for the measure, a silken electric guitar resounds as if it's being played off a tape deck. Then, subtly humming keys mascaraed amongst the mix's backdrop before actualizing the immensity of the low frequencies resonating from the bass.
The tracks final closing bars are evocative of Xodu$ provocative nature as he bursts, "we tryna get live, get lost, why your ex tryna hate on me?" as we grin from ear to ear watching the final shots of "Airplane Mode": black-rim Porche sailing off into the sunset with Xodu$ driving and his plus-one vibing out next to him.
What was the determining factor behind making this music video play around an easygoing and dripping vibe?
Airplane Mode was centered around receiving text/calls from my significant other while I was out of town for business. It was to the point where I didn’t respond for some time and when I finally landed I saw I had quite a bit of text/missed calls. & it was from multiple people, not just her, it was just nonstop when I landed I was like,” Damn.” It wasn’t any easygoing messages or calls just put it that way. I called and messaged back and said sorry my phone was on airplane mode I just landed let’s go out to dinner and talk. The video to Airplane Mode was centered around those events, when you are trying to ease a situation with a significant other you tend to adopt a fun, easygoing attitude. There also is an ironic scene in the video where it shows a side profile of the car and you can see the girl is arguing with me. That was a real scene we all go through in life in a relationship having to try to explain yourself when you’ve done nothing wrong.
What did you want to communicate or make clear to your audience through the visuals you paired to "Airplane Mode?"
The main message I wanted to communicate with my fans/audience is that it is ok to turn your PHONE on AIRPLANE MODE especially if you are working on something GREAT to further your career. It is beneficial to tune out outside noise and trust the process at times. There is a true story behind this video that happened with my videographer 6sevenkevin. So during the shoot, he left his phone in the Porsche and he was having such a good time throughout shooting the video that he basically forgot about it. So I had no idea his phone was in there, we ended the video-shoot and he left accidentally without it. A day later I discover his phone and was like who’s the phone is this? I thought maybe this is Kevin’s, I’ll just hold it for him until he calls it. So another day passed and still nothing, finally, he reached out to the phone. I ended up getting him his phone maybe 3 days after the shoot. The first thing he says to me was, “It was great having my phone on Airplane Mode.” We both laughed and I literally took that as a sign from the universe
What are you most excited about developing in your artistry as you continue to learn through your experiences as a producer for others?
I’m most excited to help others in all facets, I enjoy theming records out and going purely off vibes. I feel it’s vital to create good vibes and utilize the experience as a therapeutic source and trust fully in what your music is to your soul. When I say produce for others I mean in multiple ways and being a helpful part of the process, whether that be songwriting, song arranging, suggestive tones, composing, or beat production. I am open to all facets of creation and excited to develop lasting relationships in the industry.
Can we expect any collaborations for you in the future? Maybe you've had your eye out on making something happen but just haven't found the most opportune timing?
I have a feature in the works with a well-known artist in the industry. Right now it’s on hold until further notice. My sound has been changing and I wanted to make sure it was the right feature with the artist and not lose any momentum from the release. One track we considered before was actually scrapped and the artist chose another track they liked better. So there has been some work behind the scenes to get everything going and when the timing is right it will happen. I haven’t had many features yet so I’m looking to branch out and work with new artists as well.
What will be your focus for the rest of 2020?
2020 yeah I came to f**k it up yeah. Haha but yeah I’m really trying to drop consistent material and keep getting better and noticed more, continue to work on my craft. I have another 5 track EP titled, “Come Outside” dropping Aug 14 that I feel will show that I’m focused and truly believe in what I’m doing as an artist. 2020 I want to end on a good note considering everything that’s been going wrong. I plan to drop a 5-10 track EP/Album every couple of months with singles and videos.