Meet Xavier Karatz, aka X Caratz. A member of the traditional Goodnight Scholars 2029 cohort with a Chemical Engineering major, Xavier raps under the name X Caratz. 

“I’ve always been a creator, I’ve always wanted to create something that I could put out there,” Xavier said. 

As a creative mind, Xavier noted that could have had some impact in his choice in pursuing an engineering degree at NC State. He described that his love for innovation along with his eagerness in science and math made an engineering major feel like the result of a natural development. 

His interest in creating began when he was younger, with comics. Creating comics transitioned to making video games online, and eventually evolved when he found his appreciation for rap music. What started as his favorite genre of music, transformed into an art he now creates himself. 

This journey sparked when Xavier met his best friend Caden, who goes by the rap name Jk, in the midst of high school. Xavier recalled that they connected deeper over the subject of rap, and eventually threw around the idea of trying something. A simple ‘lets try something’ grew into something bigger – they have been making music together since. 

“It was all made out of my room. I’ve got an old Shure microphone that I’ve had for around seven years, and it’s still going strong. I bought some sound insulation, like foam walls and a pop filter,” Xavier said. “Every time Caden was able to come over after school, we’d find a beat online, write some lyrics and then record a song.”

What started as a hobby and pastime became Echo Chambers, a solo album you can find on Xavier’s SoundCloud, X Caratz. Xavier described that his decision to release his music came from a desire to contribute his work to the music world, and connect with people through music. 

“I need validation and feedback, and I want to share what I create with the people around me that I love and that I value the opinions of,” Xavier said. “So, I want to put my music out there to enjoy it with the people around me.”

Xavier brought his trusty Shure microphone to Raleigh with him, and keeps up on rapping in his free time. He looks up beats, or uses some that his friends make, writes lyrics, and puts it all together in BandLab. He stays in touch with his friends from his hometown in Davidson, NC, who encourage him to keep doing his thing. 

“My friends motivate me, and they remind me that rap is there for me – think of poets when they write, they’re talking about their issues or something that they want to vent. Art is an expression of feelings that you have as the artist,” Xavier said. 

Xavier acknowledged that rap has been a great supplementary hobby to all his endeavors at NC State. But while rap can be viewed as just a hobby, he admitted that most of the time it’s so much more than that. Xavier described that being in his freshman year, while he enjoys his new adventures at NC State, a new place can also come with new hardships. Yet, he can always lean on rap to get him through. 

“All of these complicated feelings can be put into music, and that’s what rap has evolved into for me – both a hobby and a processing/coping mechanism, to put my feelings into words,” Xavier expressed. “It’s a way to serve my own interests, regulate my emotions, and understand my feelings and thoughts better, while expressing myself.”

From an Eminem fan at a young age, to listening to more underground sounds – like his current favorite artist, Billy Woods – Xavier has always felt the poetic side of rap. He continues to keep working on evolving his creative outlet, with the intention of new material coming soon. 

Until then, catch his latest verse on the Goodnight Scholarships Mixtape Sleigh where he was featured in “To All a Goodnight.” The link to the google drive is on the Goodnight Scholarships Instagram page.