Track Premiere: “5th Dimension” by Xantheartist

OKC trans rapper/songwriter/producer visits the outer bounds of human perception on new freestyle single

Scientists theorize that there are 11 dimensions in the universe, and of those, humans only observe four–three spatial dimensions and one time dimension. There are inconceivable realities in this existence, but if one is in tune with their surroundings, one can sometimes sense their presence. Transcendence to higher planes of awareness requires a third eye of openmindedness, and this mentality has led to some of the biggest breakthroughs in history.

If the role of the artist is to challenge and advance human perception, Oklahoma City independent musician Xantheartist earns his name. His Spotify bio states that he aspires to be the first mainstream transgender hip-hop artist, and his small but growing repertoire of new music suggests he is already making a bit of a splash. His excellent reimagining of “Hapsburg Lippp”, a deep cut from British art rock band Everything Everything, hit #1 on Alt Q Radio‘s weekly Top 20 earlier this month. He’s also seen recognition for his feature verse on Ryan Cassatta‘s “Daughter” remix.

Xantheartist’s music pulls from alternative pop, SoundCloud rap, and indie rock. Each single leans into a different stylistic direction, suggesting Xan is still trying on ideas. That’s true with his new single as well. It’s called “5th Dimension”, and you can listen to it here in this Make Oklahoma Weirder track premiere.

“5th Dimension” is a freestyle track from lyrical top to bottom. As its title suggests, it centers around enlightenment through advanced perception. All life and matter are a product of the cosmos, so the cosmos is the key to a deeper understanding of the universe and, consequently, oneself. The fifth dimension is marked as the ceiling of human perception, but acknowledging it can show a way forward.

Philosophy aside, “5th Dimension” is a chill, atmospheric cut that could easily land in a kush playlist. Xantheartist pulls triple duty as rapper, singer, and producer, while close collaborator Wardale Wilson drops a featured verse and handles sound engineering. The track dips into autotuned territory with Wilson’s appearance, but its vocals are otherwise pretty unmodified. Xantheartist’s verse is calm and collected, and his chorus, while a bit muddy in its overdubbed delivery, keeps the single centered on its concept, not unlike how Xan recenters himself by coming back to the stars in times of uncertainty. Maybe if more people follow his lead, chaos might be minimized on this pale blue dot.

“5th Dimension” is out now on all mainstream digital music platforms today. For everything Xantheartist (including some rad new NTFs), visit xantheartist.com

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aka Jarvix, the Chief Executive Weirdo of Make Oklahoma Weirder. His out-of-the-box music coverage has been published by the Oklahoma Gazette, KOSU, and The Oklahoman among others. He also makes DIY music as a solo multi-instrumentalist live looper in his spare time.

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