XL Middleton

Matthew Hudgins, a producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist based in Pasadena, California, launched his extensive output under the XL Middleton name during the opening years of the 2000s. Drawing primary inspiration from West Coast funk and hip-hop luminaries while incorporating traces of Deep South rap, he cultivated a relaxed, occasionally blues-inflected approach marked by strong melodic emphasis and energetic production values. After establishing his own imprint, Crown City Entertainment, Hudgins promptly issued his recordings, a process that began while he remained affiliated with the rap collective Crown City Kings and continued through various performance aliases until he adopted XL Middleton as his primary identity. The 2004 release Music 4 a Drunken Evening featured the G-funk-infused single "Feel So West Coast," after which he soon embarked on repeated tours and album releases in Japan, where his California-rooted aesthetic resonated with comparable intensity to its reception at home. Keyboard performances on his own material emerged as a defining element, supplying the melodic hooks for projects including the 2007 album Barliament Drunkadelic and 2012's Bright Lights Palm Trees. He co-founded the MoFunk label alongside Eddy Funkster in 2013, initially putting out limited-edition funk 7"s before issuing his 2015 album Tap Water through the same outlet. Not long after, he renamed Crown City Entertainment as Cavi Sounds, channeling the label toward releases under several of his alternate aliases. The full-length Things Are Happening appeared in 2017.