Josh X infuses Haitian and East Coast vibes into his music. 

Cox: Where did your love for music come from?

Josh X: Funny thing is it came from my mom being obsessed with classical music. She wanted me to be the little boy on the piano in Carnegie Hall. It was her way of making sure I would stay out of trouble. She didn’t want me in the streets. Hip Hop wasn’t allowed in my house growing up. I realized I was falling in love with music even though I was being forced to play a genre that I didn’t know that I would grow to love. At seven years old I started to fall in love with the piano.

It was when he got to college he realized that classical music wasn’t for him and that R&B is where his passion was. There he told his mom that he wasn’t going to pursue classical music and she told him as long as he gets his degree he can do what he wants. He graduated with a B. A in Music Education and the rest was history as he went on to pursue his career in R&B music. 

Cox: Josh X where does your Haitian influence come from for your music?

Josh X: It goes back to when I was a kid and we would have the family barbecues. The grown-ups would put all the bad kids in the backyard while they linked up inside and grooved to the music. They would grove to Kompa, which is a Haitian style of dance music. Everyone was lit. That’s why I incorporate it into my music because I want to make music that makes people feel good. It’s the rhythm in the music. 

Cox: There is also a strong East Coast influence in your music!

Josh X: My mom moved from Haiti to Brooklyn. I was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens for the majority of my life. So I’m very New York influenced. 

It was a dream of his to get on the hottest hip hop station in New York Hot 97, which he achieved. He has worked with some of the biggest East Coast artists such as Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, Swizz Beatz, and the list goes on. 

“I try to keep it New York everywhere I go, Man,” said Josh X