Life & Work with Xavier Skinner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Xavier Skinner.

Hi Xavier, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Music was always around me. My grandfather was once in a doo-wop band before he went into the military. I was raised by my grandparents most of my life while my mom worked. When I was younger, my grandfather would bring home musical instruments that he may have purchased or picked up along his travels. I would look at them as toys and play with these instruments for hours a day.

One day he would bring in a keyboard. Next, it would be a trumpet. You never know what he might find. I also grew up in the church at New Stony Hill. I was a member of the youth and men’s choir. It was mandatory in my grandmother’s house but, I appreciated every moment. Once I got to middle school, I knew I wanted to be in the band so, my grandfather purchased me a student Yamaha Alto Saxophone. Throughout the years, the band and football was my only interest. In high school, my friend Jamarl and myself would spend hours watching marching band videos of different HBCU bands. We would debate whether Norfolk State Spartan Legion marching band is better than The Human Jubox Southern University.

But it wasn’t until Kanye West came out with Late Registration 2005, which changed how I saw music. One day, we were on our way to a jazz band concert in high school. I just so happened to be playing the Late Registration CD. My band director Mrs. Cindy Grant overheard one of the songs playing in my headphones. She asked, “was that Hank Crawford that I was listening to?” I told her, “no ma’am, that’s Kanye West Late Registration. She said, “that sounds extremely like Hank Crawford” I wanted to prove her wrong so bad, that was until she played me the original sample of the song.

From that moment on Mrs, Grant changed my life and opened up a wormhole where I just had to know where that sample came from, who sampled it, and why. I would spend hours at Willie Cd’s, Camelot ( which is now Fye), or in my grandparent’s tapes just listening to music and trying to find the original sample (Crate Digging). My godbrother Khalil had a video game where you could make beats on a PlayStation game called MTV Music Generator 3. I would go to his house daily to create music. It was all I wanted to do. I would skip football practice to make music.

My friend Cameron would be the one to teach me how to make a beat and how to sample songs. And my friend Angelo would be the one to show me how to structure a song. I moved to Raleigh and went to college at the School of Communication Arts, now named Living Arts College. I major in audio engineering. There, I met talented musicians and artists from all over the United States. It was great networking for me, but school wasn’t my main priority at the time, and my grades proved it. I would later take some time off and move to Wilmington. During this time, I picked up a free software called Virtual Dj, where I practiced my mixing and blending. Over time, I asked to deejay for a friend’s frat party, which then got me to deejay at other places.

I took a break from music when I moved back to Raleigh and enrolled at Shaw University. I later started working at At&t. I met some guys that motivated me to get back into music. Lucas, Darryl, Jarrod, and Adam were four heavy hip hop heads that would always put me on to new or underground hip hop music. My coworker, Sheldon who’s rap name (Engima)is in the group Actual Proof, that’s signed to 9th Wonder Jamla Records. He would always play me unreleased music. These men played a big musical influence in my life. One day, I was controlling the Bluetooth speaker, playing music like I always did and 9th Wonder and Rapsody walked into the store. I was star-struck but played it cool.

I made sure I played some classic songs and added some 9th Wonder beats while he was in the store. He turned around and asked who was playing that music, and my coworkers just pointed at me. He just smiled and said this kid got good taste. That made my day. One day in class, a friend just so happened to have a beat machine in her bookbag on campus. I asked her what kind did she have? She stated it was the Maschine Mk2 micro by Native Instruments. I went home and did my research. Two weeks later, I brought one for myself. It felt good to beat on pads and make music again. I wanted to get back in the music scene here in Raleigh, and I did not know where to start until I saw 9th Wonder was having a Black Jedi Zulu back-to-school picnic. I volunteered, networked, and met wonderful people like Chanel Nestor and Crystal Taylor.

Crystal has been making a name for herself here in the Raleigh Durham area by curating beat battles, hip hop shows, and festivals. I loved it and wanted to be a part of it. I signed up and won my first beat battle. I even propose to my wife at the event. That moment changed my life in the Raleigh Durham hip-hop scene. I got my first interview with Duke University radio host Dj Samps. I was able to collab and network with other like-minded musicians like Kueen, Phocuz, and OG Givens. And, I was able to participate in one of the biggest events in Durham, The Beats N Barz Festivals.

During this time, I heard about an event by a local group called Raund Haus, which hosted beat showcases. It was right up my alley. I went to their 2nd anniversary and met this producer named CRISTEN. His beat set was amazing. The things he was doing with the Roland SP404 inspired me to get one myself. Cristen was humble and gracious enough to allow me a chance to play my first beat set at the first event he curated in Greensboro with a group of collectives named Mtknwn.

I was recently featured and interviewed by Kyesha Jennings with NCart.org Behind The Boards: Highlighting North Carolina Hip Hop Producers. Currently, I was awarded the 2022 Artist Support Grant. It is supported by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, Raleigh Arts, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. This grant will help me create a future project coming 2022.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No road to success has ever been smooth. You will have your ups and downs, highs and lows. It’s how you deal with the obstacles and challenges. Will you fold or attack it head-on? The struggle that I am working on is balancing my time. I have a family, my day job, and my music career. Finding that balance can be difficult, but all things are possible with a great support system and time management skills.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a producer, deejay, composer, and music supervisor. I am known for chopping samples and remixes when deejaying. I am most proud of the work I recently did with Duke University School of Nursing. We were able to create a web series called The Wright’s Place. Myself, Kueen, and Taylor Grayy had the opportunity to produce the intro for the series.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
When looking for a mentor, try to find like-minded individuals. Someone who matches your goals. Someone who will give you advice on overcoming hurdles and obstacles you may face.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: my.bio/professorxtheproducer
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/professorxtheproducer
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/professorgotbeats
• Twitter: twitter.com/Cool2BSouthern
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/professorxtheproducer
• Other: https://bandcamp.com/yougotbeatsx

Image Credits
Dion Garner