He's one of the few Japanese hip hop artists making noise on the West Coast, and definitely the only one whose musical format falls (somewhat) into the funk-laden style that the West is known for. Meet XL Middleton, the Pasadena, CA-based artist/producer who has been hard at work for years, albeit under the radar of most rap fans. Still, his melodic blues-funk style has earned him accolades all over the internet on websites from dubcnn.com all the way to HipHopDX.com , where his collaborations with Sly Boogy and Slaughterhouse’s own Crooked I made the rounds. A tour of Japan in 2006 was also a huge success.

Unbeknownst to all but the most entrenched of West Coast hip hop fans, XL has released volumes of work, most of which carry intoxicated titles such as “Music 4 A Drunken Evening”, “Barliament Drunkadelic”, and most recently, “Drunk Talk Vol. 1”, a mixtape-compilation released in conjunction with partner-in-rhyme Black&Mild. A quick look at the iTunes store, YouTube, or even a Google search will quickly reveal the underground following that Middleton has already amassed through word-of-mouth and internet buzz.

In 2009 XL launched ROTS Records with co-CEO/artist/songwriter Mike Troy.  Their vision with the label is unlike any other in the music industry.  ROTS stands for "Rap On The Side", meaning just that - music as a side venture, not a central means of income.  As XL and Troy see it, this is the best way to stifle industry politics and prevent the business from hindering the quality of their music.  Aside from themselves, they have also signed fellow 626 legend Black&Mild (www.thekingofdena.com) as well as XL's group The Slacker Pad (www.slackerpad.com), and they plan to take the "On The Side" mentality to great heights as they strive to make a living from business ventures outside of the music industry.

A lifelong Cali resident, XL’s family tree branches all the way from Hawaii, allowing his fanbase to extend to Pacific Islanders all over the world. “A lot of islanders, Samoans, Tongans, Hawaiians, they see me, see the image I have and relate to me, and because of where my family comes from, that's no fluke”. Now poised to release a new album, “Middle Class Blues”, XL feels confident that this is his best work yet. “This album is like a movie and each song is a scene, just telling a story that a lot of people are familiar with – average people suddenly struggling through hard times. When money gets funny, so does everything else.” Middleton insists that “Middle Class Blues” still ends on a high note with a positive finish. Look out for the album on iTunes, Amazon, and other online retailers in October 2009.