"I'thousand the fucking king," Xavier Wulf says, discussing his place as an influential figure for a wild new wave of rap that exploded from SoundCloud. "If you dig deep plenty, y'all'll find out who the real legends are."

The Memphis-built-in rapper has always been ahead of his time. A sometime fellow member of the Raider Klan, Xavier hates the term SoundCloud rapper, but he does acknowledge that he was one of the first rappers to have full reward of everything the platform has to offer—amassing a large following and millions of plays. "I retrieve the twenty-four hour period I institute SoundCloud," he says, turning back the clocks half a decade. "I had no thought it would exist what it is today." He adds, "I'm one of the showtime niggas who was on that shit. A lot of these niggas have no thought what SoundCloud was."

Before his punk rap style became the audio of the moment, Wulf was blending influences from bands like Skipknot and Limp Bizkit into his own twist on hip-hop. Now, he has mixed feelings nigh the rappers who came in his wake.

"I ain't gonna prevarication. Back in my day, shit was a little different," he says. "The hole-and-corner shit, it started out a certain way. Like, real niggas simply, simply killing shit hole-and-corner. But now some fuck shit slid through and popped off. In that location are some dudes that got by off of the formula that me and a few of my peers laid down. They connected that formula and it's non real a lot of times."

As he's developed every bit an creative person, Wulf's style has remained raw, but he'southward come to sympathize his responsibilities every bit an influential rapper. "I ain't trying to exist nobody'due south father, simply if a fellow listens to my music, I'm going to tell him something that he tin can use to survive," the 25-year-one-time explains. "I don't want to scream some stupid ass, dumb ass, ignorant hook in his ear the whole fourth dimension about nothing."

Moving from Memphis, Wulf is now stationed in Los Angeles as a permanent home, with his ain store located right on Melrose. There, he befriended Adam22, and became the very first hip-hop guest on the No Jumper podcast—helping spark another thriving fixture in the underground. Settled in LA, he's found new momentum. Riding high from the success of his new "Bank check It Out" single and its Skepta-featuring remix, Wulf draws from ane of his favorite sources—anime—equally he outlines his next steps: "This is the perfect time to pull the sword. This is the end of the anime right here. The concluding battle. I'ma get crazy. I'ma kill 'em all. I'ma end this and be onto the next shit."

Watch the premiere of his new video for "Check It Out" beneath and continue for our full conversation with Xavier Wulf.

Yous were ane of the outset rappers to build a large following on SoundCloud...

I remember the day I plant SoundCloud. I had no idea information technology would exist what information technology is today. I own't gonna lie—back in my solar day, shit was a trivial different. The hole-and-corner shit, it started out a certain manner. Like, real niggas only, but killing shit hole-and-corner. Only now some fuck shit slid through and popped off. There are some dudes that got by off of the formula that me and a few of my peers laid downward. They continued that formula and it's not real a lot of times.

The term "SoundCloud rapper," I hate that shit and then much. Shit make me wanna not even use SoundCloud anymore. But the fact that I'g an OG, I'm one of the first niggas who was on that shit—that'due south why it don't carp me. A lot of these niggas have no idea what SoundCloud was back in my day. And when I say "my day," that was only like five years agone. But SoundCloud wasn't like that.

I recall Chris Travis didn't fifty-fifty have a SoundCloud, but I told him, "This is a good site right here. Look how it displays the vocal and shit in the trivial bubble. It'due south cool and it'due south easy. Yous tin get the link on Twitter and all that." Fast forward similar a year and half, when nosotros got to Cali, Bones didn't accept a SoundCloud either. So we made him make i. Information technology was just the easiest way to share music and get the music out in that location. Shouts out to SoundCloud.

How important is SoundCloud to you and your come-upward?

It was very important. SoundCloud and YouTube were all I had to get my music out. That'due south all I knew. I was using YouTube starting time, just dropping songs on at that place, but I got tired of rendering videos and pictures and shit for similar an 60 minutes. On Soundcloud, you just upload the shit and it's out.

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Photograph by Nicholas Watkin

Would y'all say you're a pioneer for this new moving ridge of rap? Or that you helped pave the way for it?

Me and my boys definitely experience that style, simply we keep it humble. Nosotros could be all over the internet screaming, "Oh we started this shit," and giving niggas history lessons. But we're on some shit where its like, if you dig deep plenty, yous'll detect out who the real legends are. People gonna find out who the OG is.

A lot of these rappers, they don't similar reaching out. They fuck with me, but they don't want to say they do online, because they're scared I won't tweet back or respond. I don't really fuck with everyone, but I'grand glad they feel like that. But in that location are definitely artists that pay homage equally well, and I like that. I love it when an creative person that's doing expert at present sees me in person and they tell me, "Bruh, I fuck with your music, y'all one of the reasons I do this right now." That shit warms my heart. Now you got my blessings. And I could be an asshole and say whatever, still, merely I'grand not like that. Instead of doing that, I'll say, "I appreciate that bro, y'all go along doing what you're doing. Yous keep it real and yous're going to keep going upward." We might smoke a blunt and then we function means.

Just all these fuck niggas scared to pay homage. Yous wouldn't be here if wasn't here for me and my boys. So, pay your homage bro, don't exist a bowwow. I can't stand that. Nosotros struggled for this shit—this underground shit. We changed the way labels exercise streaming considering of us. I'm the fucking king.

I went through centre schoolhouse non listening to rap at all. I was put onto heavy metal and shit. I was put on to Korn, Slipknot, and Blink 182 all in the aforementioned day.

Practise you lot remember when you started upwards, you were alee of your time?

Yeah, but when I started I didn't think that. I didn't think I was ahead of my time until I figured out what I was capable of, and how far I could become beyond that. I exist holding back. If you go listen to Ethelwulf and you become heed to Xavier Wulf, it'southward about like a reverse. Because Xavier Wulf is more chill. Only Ethelwulf, the way I used to flow was crazy. I'g going back to that shit, likewise.

Fuck holding back, man. I was treating that shit equally a underground power. Yous know how in anime, the main character would kill everybody, but he doesn't wanna pull that sword? I didn't wanna pull that sword. I haven't pulled that sword for similar three or iv years, merely I'm pulling information technology now.

I ever knew what I could exercise, but I was similar, "I need to keep it similar this for right now." But, why look? Fourth dimension to pull the blade. I kept information technology curtained as long equally I could, but I tin't hold myself back anymore. But the trouble is, I know what'southward gonna come up with this. If I go dorsum to that wild mode shit and those crazy flow patterns, I will out-rap and out-catamenia yo ass. For anybody reading this interview, shaking their caput and going, "I don't know about that," have yo bitch ass to one of my Ethelwulf songs. And that's 2012. I was a baby doing that shit back then, so imagine at present.

Now does seem like right fourth dimension for Ethelwulf to come back out.

Yeah, I feel like this would exist the perfect time to come similar that again. This is the perfect time to pull the sword. This is the finish of the anime right hither. The final battle. I'ma go crazy. I'ma kill 'em all and I'ma stop this—be onto the adjacent shit.

I've heard you refer to your music as punk rap before. Why do you say that?

Hell, yeah. Man, I'm going to continue it existent with you. I went through middle school not listening to rap at all. I was put on to heavy metallic and shit. I was put on to Korn, Slipknot, and Blink 182 all in the aforementioned day. I was like, wow, I don't know how to deal with how this is making me feel. I would just be like, "Fuck this shit is hard bro." And all I saw was black. Then you lot become watch a video and y'all see them all going fucking crazy and headbanging. I beloved that shit. I become the most emotional feeling from that—guitars, drums, all that goes crazy.

I'd say punk rap is me, because when I do shows and aggressive music, I call up about those bands that made me experience that type of way when I was a kid. Now I've translated that into the Wulf, and then it's like I can't be stopped. My forefathers in this music shit are real OGs.

I like the mumbled tone but I don't like screaming and shit no more, so I just had to mix information technology up. I gave em both. You want the screaming shit? in that location information technology is. You want the smoothen shit? there it is, All in the same vocal.

A few years ago, Fred Durst reached out. Me and Bones were tripping, similar, goddamn Fred Durst just reached out! You don't understand. I had a PSP when I was in seventh course with a memory carte du jour that but had 25 megabytes. I could only have like four or five songs on it at a time and two of the songs I had on there were Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff" and "Faith."

Fast forrad, at a testify in 2015. Fred pulls up to the venue, hops out with usa, and performs a bit of "Intermission Stuff." Man, that shit went crazy. At present, we're merely cool. We'll DM each other from time to time, but shooting the shit and seeing how each other are doing. The fact that Fred Durst is one of my OGs, that was like a ability-up for me. All the more reason to keep doing what I'one thousand doing. Once you become a blessing similar that, nobody tin say nothing to you.

I saw you were Adam22'due south first ever rapper interview from a couple years agone, which helped pop off the whole No Jumper wave.

Yep real shit, Adam is my guy. One time he figures out what he wants to do with something, or if he sees there's a way he can brand something out of something, he does it. Even if you picket the first interview, information technology's a skillful interview. Just nowadays you lot tin tell he's really a professional person. He just knows what he's doing. It's organic.

You knew him through BMX stuff, correct?

Tony Malouf is the i who connected the dots. He hit us upwards back when me, Bones, Chris Travis, Eddy, and Elliot was still living at our house in Burbank. So Adam, Brandon Begin, Tony Malouf, and a few other guys—nosotros linked. We were in the garage talking and Malouf said we could ride bikes if nosotros wanted. And you know me, I'm off the shits. I like that kinda shit. So I got my bike and started riding around with them and I developed a joy for that shit. I got obsessed with learning tricks for a while and I had Brandon and Adam and my guys teach me how to practice shit. Now I can go on the skateboard and do some tricks. I can become on the BMX bicycle and do some tricks. I try to go on the edges sharp.

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Photo past Nicholas Watkin

Y'all reference skating, BMX, cars, anime, and other hobbies in your music a lot. How does that all play into your paradigm as an artist?

I didn't change nothing from when I was a kid. Everything that made me happy every bit a kid still makes me happy right at present. I'k still into the same shit. I still like toys. I yet got Bearbricks from Walmart in the crib. I watch Developed Swim every fucking night. It'south just a mindset man. It keeps me where I want to be in my head, and that'southward of import.

A lot of people don't understand that you gotta do what the fuck you lot gotta do for your shit. People think it'south so hard to get where they want to get, simply it's really not. You've gotta stay down for yourself and figure out what the fuck you want. Figure out what makes you. Figure out who the fuck yous are. That's the real problem: These guys ain't gonna get nowhere until they figure out who they are. Me? I'm the aforementioned kid I was when I was 12.

At what bespeak did the music come up in? When did you start rapping?

I started rapping in 11th class. To keep information technology real, I was listening to Lil B when I was in like ninth or 10th grade because I liked The Pack. I still like The Pack. Then Lil B went out and did his shit. But the style he did his shit back then... It merely showed me, like, okay first of all, this nigga's beats are hard as fuck. Secondly, he's merely doing what he wants to practise.

He fabricated information technology by just getting the point across every bit minimally as possible. He did his videos anywhere he wanted and the songs weren't really mixed. He took some deep shit and he'd put some swag on it. When I saw that energy, I simply transformed it into how I would movement in my ain fashion. That'south what you lot're supposed to practice. You're supposed to have shit that makes you recollect a certain type of way and figure out how to make information technology work for yourself.

I ain't gonna lie, it took some time because I didn't go that good at rapping off rip. I didn't automatically know how to rap and I likewise didn't care about sure things the way I intendance about them now—like how to sound on a track. I know I audio some type of mode on my music, merely that's what the fans want. Some of my supporters don't like when I practice the mumbled tone nighttime shit. They similar the loftier pitched, screaming shit that I be doing. That's why I did both on "Bank check It Out." I like the mumbled tone simply I don't similar screaming and shit no more, so I just had to mix it upwards. I gave them both. I gave everybody what they wanted. You want the screaming shit, at that place it is. You lot want the polish shit, there it is. All in the same vocal. I didn't figure shit out until late 2012, though, when I transformed into Ethelwulf. That's when I started killing shit.

Everything that fabricated me happy as a kid still makes me happy correct at present. I'm still into the same shit [...] I'k the aforementioned child I was when I was 12. Simply on a bigger scale now.

What's your favorite part about existence an artist?

It's the love. The way these kids expect at me and the things these kids say to me—that'southward what it's all most. I don't care near none of that other shit. Simply it didn't start off like this. I didn't know that it would be this way. I didn't know that this would touch people similar this.

I figured out that I had a responsibleness. The shit I say, niggas will go out and alive that. They'll listen to the things I say and exist similar, "Okay, I'k on that." That's why I switched upward from Ethelwulf, considering Ethelwulf talks about a lot of guns and crazy wild shit, just there's a lot of kids listening to my shit.

I own't tryna exist nobody'southward father, just if a young man listens to my music, I'chiliad going to tell him something that he can use to survive. I don't want to scream some stupid ass, dumb donkey, ignorant hook in his ear the whole time most nothing. I could say some names, only I ain't even trying to be petty similar that. There's a lot of niggas out here that I don't fuck with because I see the kids.

If you look at my supporters, a lot of these kids are artists. They're astonishing, smart kids. I pull a different type of state of affairs out of people. Now, look at these other niggas' fans. One of these bubblegum ass rappers: You look at their fans and they're just as dumb as the rapper. Hollow Squad—my niggas is smart, my niggas is killas. I'm telling you lot, it's a dissimilar type of situation. I've got a responsibility out here with this shit.

I could accept diddled upwards, but I'm on that real shit and niggas don't wanna hear that all the time because it makes them feel some type of manner. That's why my shit moves slower. But I ain't tripping, my shit holds quality. Real music. That'southward why I fuck with Skepta and so difficult considering me and him had talks like this. He'southward the same way every bit me. We on some real grown men shit. Me and Skepta make the type of music where its like if our parents hear it, our parents would be like, "Yes that's my son with that shit." We have substance. Nosotros got proficient shit.

How did that Skepta collaboration come about?

Me and Skepta have been cool for similar two years at present. I met him through my boy Ian Connor, just shooting the shit back in the day. He was like, "Yo my guy Skepta, he fucks with yous heavy." I didn't actually know nearly grime or any UK music, so he put me on. We met and he was a cool guy. The first thing he told me was that he likes my song, "Führer Wulf." For him to pick out that vocal ways he really fucked with me.

I was in L.A. correct before "Check it Out" dropped and I had the rough version in my telephone. I'm in the front seat and Skepta and Ian were in the dorsum so nosotros're just bumping and the song ends, and Skepta'southward like, "Bruh that shit crazy man!" 3 weeks after that, he came out to L.A. and we sitting on the couch smoking, and my assistant Hakeem asked him, "So what new music you fucking with Skep?" And he goes, "To be existent I'm withal on the 'Cheque It Out' shit." He's like, "Do you mind if we make the remix?" Nosotros ran up to the studio upstairs, and he wrote it. We recorded that shit correct there, mixed it upwards, and and so nosotros dropped it. Shot the video, and now we're here.

Me and Skepta finna get crazy. We're on some real other shit, I'chiliad telling you lot.

Tin we expect more music from you lot and Skepta in the future?

Of form, hell yeah. Me and Skepta finna go crazy. We're on some real other shit, I'm telling you. In the studio that day nosotros were together, he made a beat for me on the spot and it was cold. I put a poetry on information technology and everything. It'south in my phone right now. I'one thousand going to go overseas. I own't even been out the country all the same, but he invited me to London to kick it.

What kind of music were you listening to growing up?

I grew upward in the late '90s, so I caught that tail end of all the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Iii half-dozen Mafia, Project Pat, DJ Paul, Juicy J, Gangsta Boo, Koopsta, and Scarecrow. When I grew up equally a kid I never planned on existence a rapper. But every bit a child, when a song came on in the car that was too slow or R&B, I didn't like information technology. I liked the rap stuff. The difficult stuff. I've learned to appreciate all kinds of music now, only when I was immature, I used to hate annihilation just hard rap.

Also, for all the rappers that want to practise Memphis type music or try to, that shit corny. You lot can't do Memphis music unless yous a Memphis dude. Y'all've gotta be built-in and raised in Memphis in guild to qualify. Straight upwardly. Then I have an advantage. Can't nobody make music similar Memphis niggas. The attitude and shit, it's but genuinely authentic. I make the type of music I make and it's not really difficult. I merely practise me. I do Memphis.

Has your artistic process changed over the years?

Yeah. Back in the twenty-four hours I but made music at habitation with nobody in the room. No one could exist around me while I made my shit. I had to exist past myself and nobody could hear my shit until information technology was finished. I was like that for years. Then I met my guy Big-Eastward, who is my engineer now. For the longest fourth dimension, I was the only person who could make me sound like me. I recorded my ain shit and mixed my ain shit. It was difficult trying to teach that to other people. But I went to Large-E's studio and he has a special talent, human. He but got the sauce. He's the best in L.A.

The first song I did in the studio with him was "Cold Front." I showed him my means a little and he took it on and at present he'southward the only ane I could trust to mix my shit when I'grand not around. When we made "Cold Forepart," that pretty much killed my anxiety virtually studios. Now I tin tape with people in the studio. I don't mind anymore. I'm good now considering I know what I came to do. I came to go crazy. When I made "Bank check It Out" in Atlanta, I put on all black [habiliment], left my hotel room, went to the studio, and killed it.

It sounded like a tape where you had all black on.

Hell yeah, all black.

Your shows are a big part of your artistry every bit well. Do you feed off that energy?

Hell yeah, y'all gotta feed off that. If they're rowdy, I'1000 rowdy. But for the most part I merely go. I exist tired as hell after the shows, only that's how I know I went in. When I exercise shows and I kill information technology, it's like a struggle for that concluding vocal. I'thou finna dice, but I gotta kick the doors open up. Everybody happy, everybody turnt up, everybody tired. These cocky ass rappers think they're so cool but they don't understand that without your supporters, you ain't shit. Your supporters are everything. They're the reason you got everything y'all got and can pay your bills, so if you don't appreciate them, then fuck you. How y'all think we got here? Look at the faces in the crowd. Proceed it real and stay humble nigga, you lot practice that and y'all skilful.

What'due south next for you?

I got some work. I gotta catch upwardly with my male child Toro y Moi, shout out to him. Me and him got started on some shit like three years ago. But then he moved, so you know how that goes. We finna get that cracking, though. Now is the fourth dimension. Skepta, of course. Chris Travis, Bones, Boil. I only want to let all my fans know likewise: I love you and I'll run into you lot soon.

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