Rapper XP ROVXE, who blurs the lines between HipHop and K-Pop, shares his favorite K-HipHop artists. If you listen to XP ROVXE’s “7877 Days,” released Jan 25th, you’ll realize how freely ROVXE crosses genres. His music is defined as ‘Alternative HipHop,’ which connects HipHop and pop and is the result of various genre experiments.
When you listen to his music, you’ll feel like you’re chasing your dreams through addictive hooks and beats. With his own style, The Source sat down with ROVXE to talk about some of his favorite artists and their music.
Q. Could XP ROVXE introduce us to the “7877 Days” song yourself? Are there any hidden messages or meanings in the song?
I was born in 2002 July 3rd, and when this song gets released on 2024 January 25th, it’s 7877 days since I was born. The number felt pretty good, so I named the song “7877 Days.” One of the messages I put in the song is towards the people who told me I couldn’t make it, or that I was lightly thinking of music. It’s a statement to them saying ‘Listen to my song and see if you can say that again’. I wanted to deliver my feelings as much as I could and wrote the lyrics pretty directly. I also wanted to demonstrate through this song my 100% confidence that I will become a successful artist in the future.
Q. The title of this single, “7877 Days” was interesting as it signifies the time it took for the album to come out. 7877 days is not a short period, with that being said, what did XP ROVXE focus on the most while working on the song, and the motivation behind deciding to release this song?
I focused a lot on the outro to make a difference to the original HipHop songs. When I work on a song I usually start with one theme and sketch ideas that made other songs that were potential for this single. But the other songs weren’t emotionally connected and I decided not to release songs that don’t feel true to even myself. Which made “7877 Days” be released since it portrays my emotions the best.
Q. I believe that during the 7877 days, XP ROVXE would have been inspired by numerous artists. Who is your favorite artist? Could you tell us who, the song title, and the reason behind this choice?
First of all, definitely DPR (LIVE, IAN, CREAM).
The ‘DPR’ team was the reason I decided to start music. To be exact, when I was a sophomore in 2017 I heard DPR LIVE’s first album ‘COMING TO YOU LIVE’, this album gave me the motivation to ‘Don’t you want to make this sort of music?’ which led me to this day. DPR’s videos and visual content are also one of the reasons that spark my passion and help me grow.
Secondly, it would be YE (KANYE WEST). I felt ‘alive’ when I first heard his song. The way YE is always unpredictable and his defiant courage to do something new is very inspiring.
Q. Let’s go back to XP ROVXE’s youth, was there any artist that made you open up to music? Share some episodes if you have any.
I would have to say Rachmaninoff. In middle school, I heard one of his songs played as an orchestra form and it was overwhelming even though I didn’t know the song. I’ve loved classics since then and also dreamed of being a conductor once before.
Also, Youtuber ‘Marasy’ is also one. Before YouTube became a huge platform, I saw one of his piano clips by chance and learned that you can speak in so many forms with just a piano. Although I didn’t know how to read notes I would listen to his clips and play piano.
Q. What are the most important aspects and steps in making a song for XP ROVXE?
There are 3 things that I consider very important; ‘emotion’, ‘groove’, and ‘not expected’. With lyrics or singing, if I don’t feel that the emotion is getting delivered I re-record until it does. Also when a ‘groove’ is important in a song, I ask to re-compose drums or try to sketch it out myself until it does. Lastly, if it feels too expected I ask to change the whole direction of the song to create something new.
Q. XP ROVXE’s music is expressed as HipHop, Pop, and Alternative HipHop. What musical story would you like to express through these various genres?
I believe that death is something unresistable. I think that instead of living the life, we are getting closer to death. Every day when you walk out of this door, you can die in a tragic incident at any time. Which is why I like to put all of myself into every project. While inspiration can come from various sources for planning a story or creative work, initially, I want to capture the emotions and vibes I feel when working on the song. So if I had to die right now, I would like to be alive in my music.
Q. Are there any last words to your global fans?
This is my debut with the name ‘XP ROVXE’ so I probably won’t have a fandom yet, but I would like to say these words.
Once you read this interview, you could be the first to claim the title of a fandom of the new 21st-century artist, ready to make history. If you follow my footsteps, I believe you will also be inspired to challenge yourself, just like I did by getting inspired by various artists and breathing with music.
Thank you so much for listening to my song. I will work hard until I stand on stage in front of all those who become my fans.
In this feature exploring the many facets of K-HipHop, with recommendations from XP ROVXE, we take a look at the unique appeal and outlook of K-HipHop.Through XP ROVXE’s eyes, we understand the colorful artists and musical trends of K-HipHop and K-Pop create new musical experiences. Through this interview, we’ve gained an understanding of the artist XP ROVXE’s recommendations and his musical landscape, and we can’t wait to see where he takes us next.