Two Artists Electrifying My Workout Playlist

1. BigXthaPlug 

Hailing from Texas, Xavier Landum aka BigXthaPlug overcame a difficult childhood. He grew up poor and was exposed to many extremes. At the age of five, he recalls seeing his mother fire a gun at a thief during an attempted robbery. BigX considered his mother his best friend while his father took on a more disciplinary role. Both parents were very influential in the cultivation of his music taste by introducing him to the Isley Brothers, Drake and Lil Wayne. 

BigX struggled to find his footing in school and frequently skipped classes and got into fights. After moving to Commerce, Texas with his father, he found that football was an excellent outlet for him and he even started getting attention from Division I scouts. After graduating high school, he attended Crown College in Minnesota, playing for their football team. During this timeBigX started selling marijuana to other students resulting in his expulsion. 

Without a job, BigX turned to alternative means of getting money including robbing drug dealers. Before his 18 birthday, he was arrested for aggravated robbery. After violating his probation two years later, he was sent back to jail and missed the first birthday of his son. While in solitary, BigX fought boredom and frustration by writing his first ever raps on jail-issued medical forms. 

After being released, BigX pursued a career in music using money from hustling on the street. He recorded his first mixtape called Bacc from the Dead in 2020 and his first studio album Amar, named after his son in 2023. The fourth single from Amar, “Texas,” is certified Gold by the RIAA. Backed by an incredible mix of gospel, trap and country, “Texas” explores cultural and personal history in a moving song. In 2024, BigX released Take Care including top hits “The Largest” and “Change Me.” 

I started listening to BigXthaPlug at the suggestion of a friend, but I did not know his story. At just 26 years old, BigX has lived a life of tremendous adversity and channeled it into a successful career. His strong will comes through in his music. I like listening to him in the gym because I find his music motivational and catchy. I am excited to see what BigX works on next and I admire this authenticity and work ethic. 

My favorite BigXthaPlug Songs: Change Me, Texas, The Largest, Whip it 

2.Yeat 

Yeat, born Noah Olivier Smith, also known as Luh Geeky and Kranky Kranky, is a pioneer in the genre of rage music. Rage music is a microgenre of trap that is known for energetic rhythms, autotune and synthesizer hooks. The name of the subgenre originates from the track ‘Miss the Rage” by Trippie Redd and Playboi Carti in 2021. 

Based in Portland, Yeat started releasing music as a teenager and reached mainstream popularity with “Sorry Bout That” and “Money Twërk.” Yeat’s music went viral on TikTok, earning him attention from different recording companies. His success has continued with his most recent album, Lyfstyle,  peaking at number one on the Billboard 200.

Yeat’s music is experimental and at times surreal. He invents his own terms such as “twizzy,” meaning twin, and releases conceptual albums like 2093, which is inspired by a dystopian society. The artist has said that LSD helped him shape his voice as a rapper and it certainly shines through with his unique lyrical and sonic choices. 

Outside of his music, Yeat is known for his eccentric fashion style, often involving a balaclava. At the age of 25, Yeat is a contemporary of BigXthaPlug. Both artists have very different backgrounds and are extremely young, yet have made spaces for themselves in the music industry without sacrificing their artistic autonomy. 

Listening to Yeat makes me hyped. Despite the words being relatively incoherent, I love looking up the lyrics so I can sing along. “Swёrved It” was my most listened-to song of 2024 because I am addicted to the intro. It is my dream to go to a karaoke bar with autotune and perform a Yeat song. I hope you like these recommendations and find them as epic as I do! 

My Favorite Yeat Songs: Forever Again, Breathe, Swёrved It, If We Being Rёal, Geeked Up  

Contact opinions and columns writer Ann Sabin at Ann.sabin@richmond.edu