Music found $onny XL long before the world ever heard his name.
Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, his story is rooted in lineage, culture, and an early immersion into hip hop’s most foundational voices. With parents of African American and Cherokee Indian heritage, and family roots stretching from Fort Greene in Brooklyn to Mount Vernon and Yonkers in New York, his upbringing placed him directly inside the environments that shaped hip hop’s original language.
From an early age, artists like KRS-One, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., 50 Cent, Tupac, and Rakim were not just playing in the background. They were teaching. Their lyrics, cadences, and storytelling opened a doorway into a world where truth, rhythm, and survival lived side by side. Even his name reflects that influence, inspired by Rakim, with Nasir nearly chosen as well. The foundation was set early, and the calling was unmistakable.
Learning the Craft Before the Spotlight
By the age of seven, $onny XL had written his first sixteen-bar verse. What began as curiosity quickly became discipline. Composition notebooks filled with lyrics, hooks, and poems, often hidden from his mother because of their raw honesty. Between ages seven and eleven, writing was constant. From twelve to fourteen, he immersed himself in battle rap and diss records, studying competition, structure, and lyrical warfare as a craft.
At fourteen, everything changed.
A visit to the studio with a cousin who rapped introduced him to a space that felt instantly familiar. The environment felt like home. Watching music being created in real time confirmed what he already felt. This was not a hobby. This was where he belonged.
Building From the Ground Up
At fifteen, $onny XL began recording his own music. Studio time came at a steep cost. Long sessions at sixty dollars an hour, plus regular mixing and mastering fees, quickly became unsustainable. After months of spending and feeling dissatisfied with the final product, he made a pivotal decision.
Instead of relying on the studio, he built his own.
Between sixteen and seventeen, he assembled a home setup using whatever equipment he could afford. While the early results fell short, he refused to be discouraged. He studied software, practiced vocal engineering, and learned the technical side of music piece by piece. By eighteen, with upgraded equipment and sharpened skills, he was recording, mixing, and mastering his own music entirely from his bedroom, achieving a crisp, distinctive sound that was fully his own.
Recognition From the Legends
At nineteen, momentum arrived.
His tracks “Ransom” and “Brothers” earned recognition from Jadakiss and Tony Yayo, both of whom personally selected the songs for their SoundCloud playlists. Before his passing, DMX did the same with “Talk 2 God.” For an artist who grew up listening to these voices, the moment was surreal.
That recognition led to deeper connections. Jadakiss recorded the intro for his mixtape Before It’s All Said And Done. DMX provided a drop for a future project still awaiting release. From there, doors opened. Studio sessions with Dave East and Styles P followed. Live events, collaborations, magazine coverage including ThisIs50, and a placement on MyMixtapez cemented his growing presence.
Speaking Without Filters
$onny XL’s music is rooted in truth, without compromise.
He does not censor his experiences or soften his perspective. His records pull directly from real life, his own experiences and the realities of those around him. He positions himself as a voice for those who grew up in similar environments and never had the opportunity to be heard.
His recent single “Lil Ole Freak” surpassed fifty thousand streams by New Year’s Day, generating buzz throughout his hometown and reinforcing his upward momentum. To maintain that pace, he plans to release a new track every month leading up to his upcoming project Til Death Do Us Part, currently in heavy development and slated for a 2026 release.
Vision, Ambition, and BASE 5
Beyond music, $onny XL operates with a clear philosophy.
His brand BASE 5 stands for “Born Aggressive, Snatching Everything,” a mindset built on the belief that nothing in life is handed over easily. It represents turning hunger into controlled aggression, building dreams from the ground up, and becoming relentless in pursuit of excellence. For him, success is not luck. It is earned through pressure, persistence, and self-mastery.
Looking ahead, he holds a long-term goal of working with 50 Cent and G-Unit affiliates Tony Yayo, Uncle Murda, and Sha Money XL, artists who shaped his vision from as early as age two and continue to influence his approach today.
Music Bigger Than Life
Music has always been generational in his family.
Before he was born, his father rapped and DJed in a group during the early 1990s, touring with LL Cool J, NWA, Big Daddy Kane, Digital Underground, and others, even appearing in a Pepsi commercial before the group disbanded. His mother wrote poetry in her teenage years and carried a deep love for hip hop. Household cleaning sessions soundtracked by TLC, Smiff N Wesson, Beenie Man, Naughty By Nature, and Mobb Deep became formative memories. Old issues of Word Up! magazine covered his walls, turning inspiration into environment.
For $onny XL, music is meant to be bigger than life.
It is poetry layered over sound, a space where listeners can step into his world without leaving their own. Each track becomes an invitation to witness, feel, and understand.
This is not music built for moments.
It is music built for legacy.
And the story is still being written.
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