Xpression Soars to the Top 20 on the iTunes Rap Charts
We were honored to speak with rapper sensation “Xpression” today who recently hit the USA iTunes Hip-hop/Rap Albums Chart at number 20 with the his hit album “The Write Path. “ We were fortunate for the Rap star to provide us some details about himself and his success. “My name is Juan Carlos Fajardo Jr and I'm from Indio, ca born and raised. I go by the artist name ‘Xpression.’ Since a kid, I fell in love with Hip-Hop that's always been my first choice of music. Listening to my influences Tupac, DMX, Eminem and Nas and more (in that generation) at such a young age is what made me at 10 years old start rapping. I would rap my first verse amongst family and friends and people were very impressed to hear me rapping at that age. I liked the attention I was getting and it motivated me to want to write more raps and continue to explore that realm.. At age 16 is when I first stepped into a studio to record my first song, with one of my close High School friends who had also been making music since his childhood. From 16 years old until now its been a non stop grind. Writing music, building connections, staying active on all my social media platforms, building up my brand , collaborating with different influencers and some of my personal childhood favorites, investing money into my craft, having a more professional sound and all around just growing into the artist I am today.”
The hardworking and talented phenom’s success has not come easily. He shared with us some of the most recent challenges he has had overcome along the way: “It took a lot of sacrifice, a lot of time away from family and friends to keep focused on my mission. I quit several jobs because it was interfering with my dreams and goals I had. I would always invest my last dollar into my music instead of buying a pair of shoes or something else that I felt I didn't need. None of it was as important to me than my music , and still to this day I'm investing in myself. I'm always trying to catch the next trend or stay ahead of the game. I’m never satisfied to the point I wanna stop building myself. I plan to keep going and my goal is to push until I can't no more. As long as I'm on this earth I will always contribute my arts to those who cherish it. I love music its my passion, my therapy, my first love. Some of the challenges I've had to overcome along the way are my battles with my mental health. When I was 15 I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and that's always played a crucial roll in life, especially in my high school years. A period of my life when I was homeless sleeping in the back of my friends car in another friends garage. Some nights in the park, it was rough but in the midst of all that I still stayed optimistic…I kept pursuing my music.”
Xpression is passionate about the work he does. He specializes in songwriting and story-telling as he is consistently speaking from the heart in his music and doing charitable events in the community. His talent and work ethic put him over the top of the competition, but it is his positive attitude regarding collaborations that has also propelled his career. He explains: “I separate myself from the whole I'm better he's better thing I think people get to wrapped up in that image of trying to be the best and let their egos ruin the love for the craft. I love collaborations and group efforts on projects. I think when a group of creative people get together its a stronger force and when everyone is positive, motivated and focused the work and results will speak for itself. I let my grind and actions do the talking. and not only that I don't just focus on just rap. I incorporate so much into my over all image from music to poetry to photography, to social media to comedy to managing other artist to writing for other artist I do it all. I'm a jack of all trades. I don't just stick with one thing I try to expand on every idea. You gotta dominate every aspect in this business!”
The Hip-Hop artist is also an accomplished author and his book "The Write Path To Creative Self-Xpression” is a collaboration with his mother Psychotherapist, Angelica Guajardo. Xpression is a certified Hip-hop therapy specialist who also directs teen groups, motivating the youth and trying to inspire them to chase their dreams. The artist offers his best piece of advice for readers who desire to find success in their life when he states: “The best piece of advice for people who desire to find success is don't wait for it to find you. You gotta get out there and make your dreams a reality. If you set the proper goals in place you can make it happen, don't live in fear or doubt. Believe in yourself and believe its possible. Stand out, make your presence known, speak up. Don't be afraid to ask for help, if you don't know the answer to something, do your research. If there's an idea you have share it. Be active on social media that's very important. Make sure you find balance cause you will crash if you exhaust yourself. Know when to take a break and know when its time to get back to work, but never quit!”
The chart topping Rap star has huge plans for what's next for his fans. He explains: “What's next for me is ‘The Write Path 2’ album. "‘The Write Path” was a major milestone for me in my Hip-hop career that now I wanna just follow it up and out do myself!
Fans can connect with Xpression @xpressionthemc on all social media platforms or on his website Xpressionthemc.com if they want to learn more.
