Miami, Florida, rapper Xleoniduz [the x is silent] was molded on the mid 90’s hip-hop which was dominated — predominantly — by Def Jam Records. “The ‘X’ comes from Malcolm x and DMX, and the ‘Z’ at the end is from Jay-Z — my other favorite rapper,” he confidently explains. As a youth, his father was both a DJ and an underground rapper; it’s been noted he was an underground pioneer at rapping bilingual. His love of rap was ultimately instilled through his father, who would blast Rakim, Biggie, 2pac, Ice Cube, Craig Mack, and Redman.
His parents split at a young age, and he affectionately recalls when he went to visit his mother one summer (either 1996 or 1997); “My mom had this album called Supa Dupa Fly by Missy Elliott, and I was like WTF is this? I fell in love with the beats and the sounds especially “Beep Me 911.” Her roommate one day notices that all I did was listen to music, so she one day introduced me DMX, Jay-Z, and Busta Rhymes. From that moment on I wanted to do was music.” That sentiment has rung true, as he’s been grinding like a madman on the local scene recently — and starting to build a buzz with his first three singles. One of which, “Dominican Bitch,” is produced by Icy Twat of the illustrious Divine Council (who recently signed with LA Reid).
Check out his Q&A with us below, and get familiar with him and his music.
Where are you from originally?
I’m from Miami; specifically, Dade County — raised in Allapattah and Wynwood/Overtown.
How would you describe your sound?
My sound is a mixture of different things; I’m influenced by Jay-Z, Pusha T, Pharrell, DMX, Kid Cudi, and André 3000.
How did you get involved in music?
I got involved in music through my father; he was a DJ in a local club in Allapattah, Miami, which is mainly Dominicans. He would rap. My father introduced me to music at like four years old, and I’ve been in love with it ever since. I also I remember watching the video for “Nigga What, Nigga Who?” by Jay-Z and “Supa Dupa Fly” by Missy as a kid and knowing that I wanted to rap.
What have you dropped so far?
I have released three songs on SoundCloud — so far — and a video on YouTube. I’m working on new songs as we speak; I have a project coming out called Sin Paradise, which is a nickname I gave to Miami. It’s how I see Miami through my eyes and lots of story telling about my life and things that go on in in the city. My song “Windows” will be on iTunes, Spotify, and Tidal very soon.
What are your goals in the industry?
My goals are simple; I’m inspired by Rocafella Records, so I want to own myself as much as possible, but ink a deal with a major label as a distributor, and work my way to the top. I have friends who are on the same wavelength as me. We all do something different, and we just wanna bring something new — and not repetitive — to music
So, what’s next?
The next thing I see for myself is working dropping more songs; building and getting better at my craft and getting out from the bottom. I come from nothing, so I’m doing whatever I can to make it out.
https://soundcloud.com/leoniduz/dominican-bitch-prod-by-icytwat
https://soundcloud.com/leoniduz/xleoniduz-pace-park-freestyle
https://soundcloud.com/leoniduz/windowthe-rain-2016
