Meet Xilence | Houston Rapper & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Xilence and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Xilence, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Honestly speaking, I strongly go by what i say when i tell people to never give up. There is definitely a difference between quitting/giving up, and letting go. I think that people tend to underestimate their own power. If you have a dream, and something that you REALLY want, and have that need and passion, then there isn’t a point where it’s required that you give up. It could take a day, and it could take a year. It can take 5 years. There are days i tell myself i want to quit. But i have a desire that keeps me going, because i know what i want and what’s right for MYSELF even if nobody else believes in me. As stereotypical as it sounds, anything is possible. We never really know what tomorrow can bring, we can only assume and expect.

To make what i’m saying a lot more understandable, let me give an example. As a kid, have you ever really wanted something your parents wouldn’t buy you, and didn’t have the money to get it?
Clothes? Toys? Candy? Depending on how bad you want it, there are two options: You can work or find a way to get the money for it, or you can quit because you don’t have, and assume that you never will, have the money to get it. If you choose option 2, you walk out on the chance to ever get what you want, with an unfulfilled desire for it, even though there was a chance. Who knows what could have happened? Now say you do choose option 1, but it takes so long that you no longer want whatever it was that you were aiming at. Because of this, you forget about it and move on. That’s not quitting, that’s letting go. The desire to have it is no longer there.

Let go, don’t quit! Best advice i can give.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
You know, a lot of people will ask me or make assumptions about what my name means and how to say it. My name is xilence (/ˈsīləns/) pronounced just as the world “silence”. The way i got this name, it’s kinda funny cause i was actually thinking about MD Anderson cancer center and how when you see their logo, they have a strikethrough over cancer. So i was thinking to myself “what do i want my name to be,” and i was having a hard time. I ended up asking alexa what was the word of the day, so maybe i could come up with a name but it wasn’t really helping, so i ended up giving up and going to eat lunch in the living room. That’s when i saw MD anderson’s commercial, and although at first i really wasn’t being serious, i was like what if i did something similar to that. That’s when i started REALLY thinking. I told myself i could do it, which means whatever name i chose, in order for it to have a strikethrough i want it to mean the OPPOSITE of what i represent. So i thought to myself what makes me different? Why am i doing this? Sure, money is cool but what IMPACT do i want to make? Who am i?

Simple, my name ” ̶s̶i̶l̶e̶n̶c̶e̶” means that i won’t silence myself or let myself conform to what other people are doing just because that’s what everybody’s doing. I want to always be myself and stay true to myself, not being afraid to be different, not being afraid to stand out, and not being a follower but a leader, even if the only person who follows my lead is myself. Being my true, authentic self under any and every circumstance and not letting anyone change that. You can’t silence me. And i want to influence other people to realize the same thing, that they don’t have to be like everyone else or be silenced. I am ̶s̶i̶l̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ and so are you. BUT, i‘m like PRETTY sure if i wanted to put my stage name that way, i couldn’t have a strikethrough on my name if i wanted it on spotify or other stores lol, so i put an X in front to symbolize that im crossing it out, or x-ing it out. “Xilence” is also a different and unique spelling of “silence” so even that in itself just goes along with the whole message i’m trying to get across.

I love music more than anything. I can’t function without music. Everything becomes harder without music. I’ve always had a really deep love for music since i was little and had a singing group i called “Divasisters” (let’s not talk about that ever again. Cringe, i know) and even before that, i was just raised around a lot of music. That’s what got me here today is that love and passion.

I really want to say it’s been easy, but of course, nothing is ever easy in life. There’s always times where i lose motivation, or i just feel like giving up because of so many stressful things going on around me that it would take me FOREVER to try and cover them all. But when you have a desire and a hope, and you really love something with all your heart, then it’s not just that easy to let it go. You fight for it, which is what i do. I keep going.

I know not everyone will support me, and not everyone’s going to be on board. You’ll hear no a thousand times before you hear yes. But I’ve learned that in order to succeed at an idea as big as this, you have to fail first. So i go on WITHOUT hesitation, but WITH hope. So i want the world to know that it might take me a month. It might take two. It might take a year. But im coming. Look out for me, don’t forget my name.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
YES!! I LOVE four wheelers, so if my best friend actually WAS visiting, i would take her to this really crazy place that i love: Xtreme Off Road Park and Beach. It’s like you can take your four wheelers and ATV’s` or other off roaders and just ride on their trails or do mudding which is really dope. BUT i like to get as muddy as possible so lets hope she doesn’t hate me after! 😀
I also love to get sno-cones from Red’s Snow Wagon. They do not play over there i promise you. The best sno cones you will ever get, trust me.
I’m a super big fan of rides and roller coasters, so you know for sure i have to love going to kemah. If i could hang upside down on their ride the Flare, i definitely would. If there’s one thing i love, it’s for sure amusement parks. Definitely one of my top 3 things i’d want to do.
Of course the Livestock show and rodeo isn’t year long, so i would have to wait until spring to go, but the carnival and the animals themselves are really great, and it has to be one of my absolute favorite time of the year.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
i would like to give a very SPECIAL shoutout to my friend and mentor B (@bshelv/@yscenebrand) for always pushing me to be my best and not give up, to put myself first, to work, and so many other things that i’ll remember for the rest of my time here. l literally appreciate everything i learn from him, and without somebody pushing me, i would honestly get nothing done and give up so easy. But having someone who won’t let you quit is one of the best things a person could ever ask for, and i appreciate it beyond words! 🙂 I would also like to give a shoutout to my best friend, yin (@likeyinyang) because i wouldn’t be able to make it through this music thing without her support either. She was there for me when i was in a very bad place mentally and gave me so much to look forward to and somebody to share those dreams with. I think about it so often that if it weren’t for having her by my side and giving me hope in life, i probably wouldn’t even be here today. So thank the both of you guys, for helping me when i needed it most.

Website: https://xilence555.wixsite.com/mymusicsuckslol

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xilence555/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/xilence555?lang=en

Youtube: xilence555

Other: Soundcloud- https://soundcloud.com/xilence555