Xavier Marquis

Xavier Marquis Davis (born March 13, 1984), better known by his stage name Xavier Marquis (/zeɪviˈɛər mɑːrˈkiː/ zay-vee-AIR mar-KEE) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Xavier Marquis
Xavier Marquis at Rawkzilla Battle of the Bands 2011
Background information
Birth nameXavier Marquis Davis
Also known asXavier Marquis, XM, X. Marquis
Born (1984-03-13) March 13, 1984
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
OriginNorthside Minneapolis, Minnesota
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Record producer
InstrumentsRoland Fantom-X Synthesizer/Workstation, Apple Logic Pro, Native Instruments Komplete
Years active2009–Present
Associated actsAnonymousCulture, LehtMoJoe
Websitewww.xthemarquis.com

Career

Early years

Xavier began writing songs at 9 years old. He came from a family of musicians and singers. At age 16, Xavier purchased his first keyboard which helped him hone his productions skills and prepare him for his opportunity to study music and produce records at FlyteTyme Studio, the studio belonging to the legendary Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. “The time I spent at Flyte Tyme was essential to my growth as a music producer and artist. There was so much history there. Just to know that you were recording in the same place that Michael and Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Boys II Men, and Usher once recorded in is breathtaking and motivating.” [1]

2008-2010: The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 1
Xavier Marquis at the Minnesota State Fair 2010

In 2008, Xavier began recording his first mixtape "The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 1. He wanted to bring something different to hip-hop, stating, "I like to give listeners’ ears a full course meal. A lot of artists are either afraid or unable to step out of the box. People get tired of the same ole’ thing all the time, so I attempt to give them a little bit of everything to fill not only their appetites, but mine as well."[2] In the middle of recording the mixtape in St. Paul, Minnesota, he decided to move his operation to Dallas, Texas. Shortly after his move he met rapper AnonymousCulture and immediately began producing tracks for the emcee.[3] One of the many tracks he produced for AnonymousCulture was "PosterBoi.[4] Through AnonymousCulture, he met producer and rapper LehtMoJoe. He later collaborated with the producer on the song "Touch the Sky".[5] Xavier later remixed LehtMoJoe's "Look Around".[6] The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 1 was released April 2010.

In November 2010, Xavier release the single “Open Letter”. The single was later awarded the "Urban Finals Grand Prize" by MTV partner company Ourstage.com.[7] He finished once in the Top 10 and twice in the Top 40 of ourstage.com's monthly song competition.[8]

2011-Present: The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 2
XM, Gabrielle Samone, Marcus Kar

After moving back to his hometown, Minneapolis, Xavier assembled a band for his live performances and completed "The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 2". On July 28, 2011, Xavier headlined "The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 2 Release Show." Accompanied by his backing band, Xavier performed to a near-capacity crowd at the historic First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN.[9][10] In September 2011, it was announced that Xavier Marquis and his band made it to the Rawkzilla Battle of the Bands Finals. Rawkzilla is the largest battle of the bands in the Midwest.[11] Xavier and his band came in 2nd place out of 86 bands.

In November 2011, Xavier was awarded his second "Urban Finals Grand Prize" by MTV partner company Ourstage.com for his song "Lovelee Day" featuring singer/songwriter Gabrielle Samone.[12]

Xavier released his single "Soul Glo" January 1, 2012. The single showed his boastful side with lyrics like "Too big for these rappers coming from the Sota, give up, let go, stop that, it's over."[13]

In February 2012, it was announced that Xavier was selected as one of three finalist out of 236 entries in the annual "Are You Local?" best new band contest held by Vita.mn. Xavier was featured on the cover of the Vita.mn magazine. In the interview conducted for he magazine Xavier stated, "I've always aspired to be someone that reaches the masses, I wanna fly all over the world and have stadiums full of people that love the music I make."[14] The Are You Local? showcase and SXSW Send Off show was held at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN, on March 2, 2012. Xavier and his band performed wearing Xavier's XM logo shirts and neon paint under black lights. "Rapper Xavier Marquis' set was arguably even wilder. His various backup/hype vocalists jumped around Marquis in their neon face paint, and his surprisingly metallic band pounded away, coolly mashing up Silversun Pickups' "Lazy Eye" in the set highlight "Maybe Something.""[15]

In December 2012, Xavier released his single "Show Girl". Shortly after the single release, XM released his first official music video. The "Show Girl" music video was directed by director Adam J. Dunn. The video told a dark tale about a murderous groupie. Xavier announced that he was working on his "X. Marquis EP" with a late spring 2013 release.

Discography

Mixtapes

The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 1 (2010)

The X-Files Mixtape: Episode 2 (2011)

Singles

"Dangerous" (2009)

"Hate Me" (December 2009)

"Paradise" (January 2010)

"You Killin' Me" (July 2010)

"Crazy Love featuring Sedrick Stylez" (August 2010)

"Open Letter" (November 2010)

"Lovelee Day" featuring Gabrielle Samone (May 2011)

"Don't Want Know" featuring Munqs (June 2011)

"Soul Glo" (January 2012)

"Show Girl" (December 2012)

Videography

"S.O.S. (Spot Me)" (2010) Directed by Corey Lawson

"Show Girl" (2012) Directed by Adam J. Dunn

Past Live Performance Band Members

Dave Sellner (Drums)

Josh Ackerley (Bass/Vocals)

Bob "Zen" Firestone (Electric Guitar)

Shaquille Lapree (Vocals)

Marcus Kar (Djembe)

Corey Lawson aka Munqs (Keyboards/Vocals)

gollark: It's more of a metaphor.
gollark: Our nanobots can extract specifically the holy water. It's generally more convenient.
gollark: We can do that and unbaptize you too.
gollark: Good idea, do that once the known death records are exhausted.
gollark: Iterate through all names in death records or whatever, then procedurally generate plausible names of past people.

References
  1. "Artist Biography",""Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)", Retrieved 10/22/11
  2. "Artist Biography",""Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)", Retrieved 10/22/11
  3. Jesse Hughey, "Dallas Observer", 2/2/2010,"", Retrieved 10/22/2011
  4. Corey Graves, "Pegusus News", 6/10/2010,""Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)", Retrieved 10/22/2011
  5. "LehtMoJoe Official Website", 4/07/2011,"", Retrieved 10/22/11
  6. "LehtMoJoe Official Website","", Retrieved 10/22/2011
  7. "OurStage.com", "", Retrieved 10/22/2011
  8. "OurStage.com", "", Retrieved 10/22/2011
  9. "Artist Biography",""Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)", Retrieved 10/22/11
  10. "FirstAvenue.com","", Retrieved 10/22/2011
  11. Dave Hitchcock, "Rawkzilla", 09/23/2011,"", Retrieved 10/22/2011
  12. "OurStage.com", "", Retrieved 03/14/2012
  13. " Bandcamp.com", "", Retrieved 03/14/2012
  14. " Vita.mn", "", Retrieved 03/14/2012
  15. " Vita.mn", "", Retrieved 03/14/2012
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