Weston “Xilla Gore-Rel-A” Mod found his way into the music scene by just hanging out with friends like TJ Freeq and Samroc.
“My friends really sparked my interest in it since they were already doing music,” Xilla said. “I got together with a friend from another tattoo studio too and he wanted to try it, so I just said I am going to give it a shot too.”
Xilla said his first couple of songs were terrible for a variety of reasons.
“My first couple songs were terrible in the metal rap genre I tried,” Xilla said. “I could not make it my own and I went through some poor producers and engineers and got screwed out of some money and things too. I strictly only go through Shamu the Panda (Tyler James) now and every step since that time has been a step up and it is better and better. I have lots of projects to come and could put out more soon.”
Xilla said he has still been working out and identifying his lane in the music world.
“Me and Sacred are working on an album that is just the two of us and maybe a few other features,” Xilla said. “It will be a combination of alternative soul hip-hop, emo and screamo all combined. We recently posted a video for ‘Let Me Down’ which was the newest single from this project. I could not do any of this without Shamu.”
Xilla said he is thankful for everyone in the movement today.
“We are all pretty humble,” Xilla said. “We are rockstars but we are not rockstars. How this movement has developed and evolved has really outgrown just their neck of the woods and anticipates shows coming in other states soon.”
Xilla said he has always been into music and the history behind it too.
“I am all about the history of music,” Xilla said. “So many that I love from 8Ball to Struggle Jennings to Jelly Roll. I could not put my finger on just one thing that influenced me, I listen to everything in no specific genre. I have been such a fan of so many and would do music with anyone as long as they play their cards right, this is a business.”
Xilla does music when he can but his days are filled with appointments for his body piercing work.
“I have a full-time career as a body piercer but it allows me to go anywhere,” Xilla said. “It is a beautiful thing that I can travel and still work on music and find a guest spot in a different area to still earn a few dollars with my craft. I have been living the double life for awhile doing both music and my body piercing work and I don’t have plans to ever stop.”
At the end of last year Xilla’s ‘Crown of Thorns’ album was released. Since the release of this album people have began to reach out to Xilla letting him know they were going through some of the same things he did. Xilla said if one person can be moved by his music it makes it worth all the time and money invested in it.
‘Crown of Thorns’ was a deep and personal endeavor and Xilla said it helps people understand exactly who he is and where he comes from. Growing up Xilla did not have much but he had his parents support.
“I didn’t have much growing up in life,” Xilla said. “We had our parents and they did what they could and helped us get by with what we had. I also had some really good friends and I lost some of them too.”
A lot of the songs Xilla has written and performed have a personal connection to his life.
'Ghost Town' and that track is the rise of not giving up,” Xilla said. “If I called their names out they did some immaculate ass shit that changed my life. A song called ‘Till We Meet Again’ that I did with Shamu was about two people that were close to me that had passed on. I knew that Shamu and TJ Freeq had lost their Grandma and you can feel the pain in their chorus, it was reflected in that song. If people want real talk and sensitive serious material that will leave them feeling and crying this project was it. We can all feel it, we have all been there and ‘Crown of Thorns’ touches on everything. It is really deep.”
Xilla said his brand of music is hard to describe.
“You can’t put a finger on my genre,” Xilla said. “It’s like mixed metal, rap, hick hop and everything. We just don’t put it in a specific genre, I can’t explain it and that is the beauty of it.”
The response at live shows Xilla said is a rush and was a surprise when he first started.
“The whole album was me pouring my heart out and I found myself as the new hype man, like a Lil Jon of the South,” Xilla said. “There is nothing like it though when you have a hook repeating over and over and everyone tunes into it and they start to yell it back at you. Everyone is pumped and hype and getting into it. I said ‘wow’ I did this and there is no feeling like that and there are a lot of emotions involved.”
When Xilla and fellow artists do live shows, he said people can catch all kinds of crazy things they do but he can’t wait to get out and tour with his boys. Xilla said it has been slowly creeping along and it is definitely going to be an experience for them and their supporters.
“It has been unreal and very humbling how my fanbase has been growing,” Xilla said. “My phone is jammed up with likes and subscriptions on YouTube. If I miss responding to someone, I hate it but I try and make sure everyone knows that I appreciate everything they contribute to the movement and I don’t want to be cocky and arrogant in any way. One of the first shows I did was with Big Po and DJ Goody and Po really just gave me the way. I want to find the balance in my life to keep moving forward with music.”
One of Xilla’s sole inspirations in music and through the movement has been TJ Freeq.
“TJ Freeq is one of the most diversified artists out there,” Xilla said. “Every song is getting better with him involved. He may have poured some magic dust over my head. I don’t think I am that great, but other people do and that is motivating. I am just going to keep doing it. I just know that Gore-Rel-A-Fest is one of the most hopping shows and we have had such artists as Stormie Leigh, Trigger 8, Samroc, Something Sacred, Reup, SPMG STACKZ and more. Whoever else comes from the lifestyle movement chips in. Whenever we do Gore-Rel-A-Fest it is a kick ass show from the performances to the videos.”
Mod said his name Xilla Gore-Rel-A came from a Yelawolf song on the Ghetto Cowboy album, 'Box Chevy'.
“I could not find a name to save my life,” Xilla said. “I didn’t want to just use my artists name for my body piercing and get them intertwined. Yelawolf said something in his lyrics and it just hit me. I am a big ass fan of Yelawolf and have always admired him. I still support the ‘Slumerican’ movement.”
Xilla said he is just taking everything day by day and he could not do it without his crew, they have come so far already.
“I always have a smiling face for everyone I meet,” Xilla said. “I am not letting up and going to keep grinding.”
‘Evil Eyez’ one of the biggest hits for Xilla is available on Spotify and other music platforms. Xilla said that song is 100% Memphis with the kid from Georgia twist on it. Xilla said in their circle they have something for everyone from country rap to soul. He has new music coming and features with a variety of artists.
Xilla recently dropped a new video for 'Top of the End' which was produced by Notorious Melodies and mixed by Shamu. Xilla has been dropping videos, tracks and features one after another. Another recent release was 'Let Me Down' featuring Something Sacred.
Xilla was also recently featured in a new video and track with Crewsont, 'Rockstar Shit'.
If you want to catch Xilla-Gore-Rel-A live and in person you can hit up the upcoming Big Motion Family Fest on February 20th in Nashville, Tennessee.
-Jennie Chevalier
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