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Xcel a.k.a. Xl! a.k.a G-Money The Producer
Xcel born Gregory Payne Jr. is from a city located about 20 miles west of Cleveland called Lorain off the shores of Lake Erie. Lorain is an industrial city most popular for its steel mill, but through the years the city has experienced a huge decline due to drugs, crime, and unemployment. Many of these things have directly affected Xcel and his family. So in the mid 90s Xcel's Mother Cynthia Wilcox decided to relocate down south to Atlanta's Metro Area to escape the environment of Lorain, and to provide a more promising future for her family. Xcel initially did not take the move well. In fact he and his mother often quarreled about situation, but as the years went on Xcel soon understood why his mother made the decision. Xcel often made frequent trips back to Ohio to spend time with his father and grandparents, but as time passed he noticed that something was not right with his father. He later learned that his father was a victim to drug abuse. With this information he learned and appreciated his mother's decision to move to Georgia.
Xcel has always been known for music since he was very young. His Uncle Joseph was a huge influence because he played the drums in a funk band and toured with Rick James in his younger days. At the tender age of five Xcel's Brother Q exposed Xcel to hip hop and often ask him to freestyle for his friends for entertainment. Of course his skill level was very premature then, but it developed greatly as time passed.
At age 13 Xcel was introduced to a local producer in Lorain by the name of J Reese. Reese was the most popular producer in Lorain and was owner of the most respected studio in town called Studio 720. If you rapped in Lorain and did not record at 720 your credibility was questioned.
So Xcel was eager to gain a great reputation. In sessions Xcel would freestyle in ciphers and hold his own with some of the best lyricist in Lorain. This eventually got him a little buzz in the city. Through working with Reese Xcel began to improve greatly and soon began to develop other trades like ghost writing, engineering, and producing.At age 15 Xcel's Mother had been diagnosed with cancer, and spent a large portion of Xcel's freshman year of high school in the hospital. This was a tough time for him, because his mother was very close to him and was his sole provider. Later that year Xcel's mother passed away in August of 2003. This was difficult because he was only 15 and his mother was his everything. Now Xcel was faced with a tough decision. Who was he going to live with now that his mother was gone? His father was still battling his demons and was in no position to provide for him, and Xcel knew his mother did not want him to move back to Ohio. So Xcel's older brother Q decided to move to Georgia from Florida to help Xcel out. When Q moved to Georgia he built a preproduction studio in his house to help his brother with his craft. Xcel was in heaven and would not leave the studio. He studied and enhanced his skills as an M.C. and a producer and built himself to point he is now.
Though Xcel had a studio in his house he still went back to Ohio to continue his music relationship with J Reese. On one occasion in Ohio Xcel recorded a mix tape with another Lorain artist by the name of E Cruz in one week called WWD vol.1 (World Wide Distribution) and they also appeared in a local hip hop DVD Structured by J Reese called The Footage.
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It included the video for a Local Hit "Steel City by Xcel N Ecruz, "The Champ" by Xcel, and any other freestyles and appearances. This enhanced Xcel's Buzz greatly in the Steel City. Xcel went back to Georgia with the mix tape that he and Ecruz recorded and started to independently distribute it himself. Xcel's Brother in Law Jamel purchased one the mix tape for support and passed it along too a guy by the name of Lawyer Denson known as J.R. J.R had the same mechanic as Jamel. J.R submitted the mix tape to a child hood friend of his by the name of Teddy Bishop an R n B producer of Groove Factor Productions. J.R contacted Jamel and soon set up a meeting with Teddy Bishop. Xcel and Teddy hit it off and have been working ever since. Xcel has also worked with producers like Dj Toomp, Sho Nuff’s Ced Keys, Drummer Boy, Troy of East Point Muziq, The Olympics, and many others.
In the Meanwhile He and his brother have been formulating the groundwork for an entertainment company called Teamsterz MuziQ named after the workers union created by Jimmy Hoffa. It consists of a wide variety of artist and producers led by Xcel (XL!), Savone Phaust, and Kiko the Classic called THE UNION. The Union has a consistent message of street and life consciousness, and working together as a people. They are currently in the process of turning that groundwork into a force to be reckoned with through hard work, consistency, and collaborative work.
Many say that Xcel has an attractive personality and a marketable appearance, and many believe that Xcel can be the next big name in hip hop with his "attention grabbing" delivery, and ability to make great songs while still letting other M.C's know he is no "lightweight" lyrically. Xcel only strives to live up to that and beyond. So he can be in a position to provide for his family and improve the condition of his hometown of Lorain, Ohio and beyond.
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