The first time Mike Xavier performed in Las Vegas was at an open mic in April 2016. His most recent gig was headlining House of Blues’ packed Local Brews Local Grooves festival on July 14. His next will be at September’s Life Is Beautiful festival, where he’ll share a bill with world-renowned entertainers like The Weeknd, Florence + The Machine and Arcade Fire.
That’s a rapid ascent for someone who, before moving here in 2015, was living in a car with his son in LA and had no connection to the Las Vegas music scene. It’s proof that relentless hustle, unbending focus and genuine optimism don’t go unnoticed. Just last month, the affable, 34-year-old emcee was named Best Fast-Rising Rapper in Las Vegas Weekly’s 2018 Best of Vegas issue. In just over two years of Vegas residency, Xavier has become an elder statesman in the community, hosting seminars and showcases so that other musicians can come up with him.
“I’m trying to do more than music,” Xavier says. “How can I help everybody else rise up, too?”
Xavier’s energy is undoubtedly contagious. But more than the man, it’s the music that galvanizes listeners. It’s honest and uplifting, an everyman’s journal of daily struggles and how to push through them. His recently released Old School Vibes LP is full of hopeful anthems told over ’90s-era boom-bap beats. The tracklisting alone lets you know what you’re in for with song titles such as “Change the World,” “Smile,” “Let It Go” and “Stay Strong.”
Old School Vibes is packed with relatable anecdotes. Take this too-real excerpt from “Try”: “I’m out of gas, a couple dollars in the tank/Slide my debit card as credit with no money in the bank/So damn, all these overdraft fees is adding up/We out here starving while celebs is gettin’ tummy tucks.” It’s lyrics like those that help him win over new fans, a base that reaches beyond the traditional hip-hop circle.
At Local Brews Local Grooves, Xavier was the only rap act on the bill, yet his name was perched at the very top. Soulful rockers The Revival and alt-pop outfit Silversage fueled the crowd with guttural wails, heavy riffs and Killers covers—hard acts to follow, for sure. But then Xavier came to the delicate keys, groovy bass, silky horns and laidback drumbeat of backing band The Noir Movement. The crowd didn’t thin out—instead, audience members were enraptured, throwing their hands up, bobbing their heads, fighting for T-shirts Xavier tossed into the audience and later posing for photos with the local rap star.
“I have a track record of good times,” Xavier says. “You come to my show, you’re gonna have a good time. People are recognizing that. If my name is on it, I take it very seriously.”
That earnestness extends to all aspects of his life. “You lead by example,” he says, “so if my son sees me doing this and what I’m accomplishing, he’ll follow in those footsteps.”
Xavier works tirelessly to grow his platform so he can make a greater impact. He wants to organize charity events to help those in need and hold more events to support his Las Vegas music peers. He’s even thought about becoming a motivational speaker.
“There’s endless possibilities if you believe in yourself,” he says. “You can be unstoppable.”
Hear Mike Xavier at mikexavermusic.com.
