There was a time period between 2011 and 2012 when it seemed as if XV was right on the cusp of stardom. After signing a deal with Warner Bros. Records, and a string of successful mixtape releases (Zero Heroes, Popular Culture, Squarians Vol. 1) that saw his star rise higher than ever, it seemed as if all the right pieces were in place for the Kansas native to finally make that giant leap from Smallville to the big stage. Then 2013 came and went without much of a peep from the talented rapper, and the momentum he’d been steadily building just kind of fizzled out into a blip on the radar.
That’s not to say we’re not excited for new material from the gifted emcee, but it’s going to take a tremendous effort to get back to the stage he was at in his career. Madness Begins is definitely a step in the right direction. Composed of 8 tracks of new material, the EP serves as a refresher of what Vizzy can really accomplish when he puts pen to paper. We won’t go so far as to say that this is one of his best projects, but it solidifies his standing in the game, and lets us know that despite his brief sabbatical, XV hasn’t lost a step.
Madness Begins is just the first effort in a five volume #MarchMadness Free-Play series that’ll see new releases to coincide with different legs of the college basketball tournament. If it all goes to plan, this could be just the boost Vizzy needs to get his career back on track, as we all anticipate his long-awaited The Kid With The Green Backpack album.
DOWNLOAD: XV – Madness Begins EP
