Meet Xanderz : The All Round Threat Storming His Way Through The New Jersey Music Scene

Xanderz ; Mount Olive, New Jersey.

Q.) What is your name/stage name?

A.) “Xanderz”

Q.) Where are you located?

A.) “Mount Olive, New Jersey.”

Q.) What is the meaning behind your name?

A.) “Back in college, I used to get into a lot of shit aside from music & my friends and I were turning it up all the time on campus. My last name’s Sanders, so over time, people started subbing it for ‘Xanderz’ for confidential reasons…”

Q.) What are your roles within the music industry?

A.) “I’m an artist, producer, and an engineer. I usually make my tracks from scratch, and help others with theirs in terms of instrumentals, lyrics and direction.”

Q.) What got you into music?

A.) “I started off with rock music, playing guitar for about 10 years. I had a pedalboard with like 13 pedals locked in & toured with a band until my second year of college. I ended up getting into Rap just messing around in my dorm room & that branched into recording others and later starting a service on campus.”

Q.) What type of music do you make?

A.) “My own music falls under Rap/Hip-Hop, but my beats have all types of range. It’s hard to describe but it always has some sprinkles of Alternative, Grunge, and even R&B. It depends on how I’m feeling during that moment.”

Q.) How long have you been making music?

A.) “Overall, I’ve been making music for almost 15 years.”

Q.) What are you making music for?

A.) “Honestly, I make music mainly for myself. I’m always looking for new music, so it hits the spot any time I make something new. It’s also for the fans & peers keeping up; I wouldn’t be here without those people tuning in and giving feedback. It’s all constructive & I’m constantly at competition with myself.”

Q.) What’s driving you?

A.) “I have a different type of love for music. The craft alone motivates me heavy, so I can’t stay away from it. I’m content with just contributing. It’s great to have money coming in from your own hustle, but the money just feels like an accessory. I’d say just the beauty in the art & the unity is really what drives me.”

Q.) Who are your biggest supporters?

A.) “My family motivates me a lot. My girlfriend is my #1 supporter & always wants me to do the best I can with whatever I do, which is hard to find as a musician. Endlessly grateful for that. Fan-wise, shoutout to Obi. He’s constantly locked in & reaching out. Definitely finna be my bodyguard in the near future.”

Q.) Are you signed to a label?

A.) “No, not currently.”

Q.) Do you want a record deal, a distribution deal, or none?

A.) “I’m not against signing. I’ve turned down a little more than a handful of contract offers- but I know what a good deal is. I’ll sign if it looks right & the terms don’t look like they’re hitting a lick on you. When the pressure is real, a lot of people would sign a bad deal just for the fat advance, but I’ve always been someone to think about the future. People wanna sign for these crazy bonuses & don’t even have the numbers to make that back. Then they’re trapped because they didn’t put that money towards trying to reach those numbers.”

Q.) Who are some features that you have?

A.) “I’m super picky about who I work with, but also always looking to work with more artists. Right now, I’ve had features with Erko Bandz, Nemo DODIII, Yung Beamer & I’ve been featured on a couple tapes including Young Mizu’s ‘Float Factory’ tape, which was a dope showcase of some of the talent in Jersey. Need another one of those.”

Q.) What was it like working with Young Mizu?

A.) “He’s definitely good people. We used to talk a good amount of times about my artist development & general direction of the game. He’s crazy talented in what he does & he’s always working. Highly skilled producer, videographer & overall creative. Hoping to get another one done in the near future.”

Q.) Who are some features you want to get?

A.) “I’ve been getting some good feedback from some people with a foot in the industry such as Warhol.SS, Lucki, Chasethemoney, and even a reply from Turbo. Really cool people for sure. I’m praying to get some work in with some of these people. My sound is definitely in their lane, so I’m glad that the music speaks for itself. They’ve helped influenced my sound a lot over the years and look up to them, so hopefully I can learn some things from them.”

Q.) Who’s one person dead or alive that you’d want to work with?

A.) “Mad random, but Offset. He got a universal flow and his articulation is crazy. Him and I could definitely make some hits. Same with Young Dolph. EST Gee been on my radar too. Too many to think of.”

Q.) is there anybody else you want to shout out for any reason?

A.) “Shoutout to Ashley & Doot. Can’t thank y’all enough. The support never quits and I got no doubt that I’ll get my foot in, so we can all eat. Appreciate the homies for checking in & sticking around. You lose a lot of people doing this, so the people you still got, you gotta cherish that.”

Q.) What are you currently working on?

A.) “Right now, I’ve been taking a break from recording and pushing my focus to producing and networking with people in the game. I’ve been cooking up crazy & creating packs to sell & send. Since I do all 3 of the works, I try to grind off this shit from all angles. When it’s album time, I focus on that & marketing. When it’s producing/engineering, I solely focus on the music.”

Q.) What is your latest release?

A.) “I recently dropped an album, ‘Leveled Up”. It’s on all digital platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, etc. SoundCloud, too.”

Q.) When is your next release?

A.) “I’m in no rush since I’m constantly working on other things, but you can expect new music sometime before the year ends.”