BOOTLEG KEV & ALEXCIS
Article by Andrew Mason & Michael Pofsky / Photos by Brian Ticas
Bootleg Kev has built his media empire from pure genuinity and a knack for networking. In 2024, this is certainly a lost art amongst the modern media landscape. Call upon most hip-hop platforms and news aggregators, and you’ll find outlets quick to exploit the subjects of their content. It’s a world of yearning for viral online moments and creating what we all commonly know as “click bait." Keep in mind this is typically done with the journalist’s advantage of not necessarily facing the artist in discussion “face to face.”
Bootleg Kev has done quite the opposite in his multifaceted mogul journey. The Phoenix-native who got his name from “bootlegging” knock-off rap albums in the early 2000s, has today found the balance between running a reputable news source for the public, all the while building mutual respect with artists, managers, and other industry personnel.
“My business model is that I’m a ‘relationships guy,’” says Kev. “I want people to know that if they come on my show, it’s like a safe place for them. I’m not gonna release anything they don’t want out, stir up controversy for clicks. I’d rather not release an interview than make someone look crazy.”
His approach has paid off. Kev’s YouTube channel boasts nearly 400k subscribers, while his radio show is syndicated across the country in cities like Las Vegas, Oxnard, Phoenix, Pittsburg, and Tampa Bay. Some of his top interviews include Berner, Jelly Roll, Kevin Gates, Lamar Odom, GloRilla, Boosie Badazz, and E-40. In late 2023, Kev took the journey to Grave Digger Mountain in Salt Lake City, capturing a rare interview with NBA YoungBoy, a chart-topping rapper famous for being cut off to both the press and public (partly due to YoungBoy’s well-documented and long term house arrest).
With Kev’s background starting in the radio environment, he quickly climbed up the ladder in that field. He spent his 20s moving to different states, taking opportunities to be an on-air host and build his personal network. He recalls working at the Las Vegas radio station in the early 2010s, where he was allowed to cut up and post the video content of guests for his own personal use. At this time, YouTube content related to artists was pretty juvenile, leaving Kev a key gap in the market for him to capitalize on. Check out his channel, where you can still find freestyles and content from legends like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole from their come-up eras.
After working at multiple top stations in LA, Kev began putting together his own platform. Today, we see the YouTube & streaming platform targeted “The Bootleg Kev Podcast,” as well as his independent daily hip-hop radio show.
“It’s important not to burn bridges in the entertainment industry,” says Kev. “I still have working connections, even with places that fired me.”
Outside of his career in media, Kev has a very entrepreneurial spirit. He owns “11:11” — a nightclub in Scottsdale, AZ, with his restaurant “Well Seasoned,” next-door. His newest venture opened in March 2024, a poppin’ pizza spot in Burbank, California called “What Up Dough.”
In the music lane, Kev also heads Redy Set The Label, a music label with star signee “Alexcis,” a fellow Arizonian.
“Alexcis is signed to my ‘imprint,” Kev says in a recent sit-down. “He’s one of my best friends, he’s like my child [Laughs]. He’s lived with me for a few years.”
Along with the Bootleg Kev co-sign and push, Alexcis carries his own in musical talent and likability. He provides high-energy hooks with smooth lyricism, and has worked with artists like T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa, and Snow Tha Product. Despite the face tattoos, he’s not an intimidating presence, but instead the first to shake your hand when you enter a room.
Long before signing to Kev, Alexcis tells UNDRGRND Magazine memories of singing outside of stores for money as a teenager in the Phoenix area.
“I just had this hustler mentality,” Alexcis says. “I’d pull up with a guitar outside of Ross. 30-60 minutes, I’d make $60-$100, go buy weed and Taco Bell. When it came to surviving, getting money, it was always like ‘I could do this, why not? The worst people gonna tell me is no.’”
Alexcis began recording music in a studio after being invited by producer “TKRUNITUP.” TK, then a coworker with Alexcis in the back kitchen of a Phoenix restaurant, recognized that Alexcis’ raw vocal skills needed a professional touch on the production and engineering side.
“Alexcis was never timid or shy to show his talent, especially out in public,” says TK, who now works behind the scenes at The Bootleg Kev Podcast.
After bouncing between Arizona, California, Nevada, and multiple management agreements, Alexcis and Kev inevitably linked up.
“We met at this sushi spot at like four in the morning [in Vegas],” Alexcis says on his first time meeting Kev in-person. “He had shouted me out before though, on his podcast.”
Today, the two work closely to build up Alexcis’ music career. April 2024 brought the release of Who Can I Run To?, a [ ]-track EP featuring [ ]. In true Bootleg Kev x Alexcis fashion, the project drop was kicked off by a release party at Kev’s “11:11” in no other than their mutual home state of Arizona.
Kev and Alexcis are ultimately a model duo in our hip-hop media world. Built off the foundation of solid relationships and consistent content, the two will continue to make their voice heard in the modern media landscape.
Follow Bootleg Kev and Alexcis on Instagram at @bootlegkev and @alexciswroteit, and stream “Who Can I Run To?” out everywhere now.