In 2011,
the Weeknd,
Wassim Slaiby,
Amir Esmailian and
La Mar Taylor founded XO as an unofficial imprint to release the Weeknd's three mixtapes;
House of Balloons,
Thursday, and
Echoes of Silence. The mixtapes earned the Weeknd a following and recognition from mainstream publications, and helped grow the record label's reputation through various performances, song references and business ventures. The meaning of "XO" stands for
ecstasy and
oxycontin. During the Weeknd's early uprising of his career, he would occasionally record music under the influence of drugs, stating, "There were songs on my first record that were seven minutes long." When the Weeknd signed with
Republic Records in 2012, XO was assumed as a subsidiary label. In 2015, rappers
Belly and
Derek Wise were signed to XO. In 2016, rapper
Nav joined the label's roster. XO signed hip hop duo
88Glam in 2017, following the independent release of their mixtape
88Glam. The duo left the label in 2020. Singer
Black Atlass joined in 2018, he left the label in 2022. Singer Chxrry joined in 2022, becoming the first female artist signed to XO. On June 6, 2018, the Weeknd announced his new radio show
Memento Mori run by the label on
Apple Music 1. The first show aired on June 8, 2018, where the Weeknd would play a mixture of songs that have influenced him in the music scene. Often, he would invite his fellow XO members as well for other musicians as guests to host their own episodes in the scene to share their own taste in music. Each episode is run in the span of 2–3 hours. == Roster ==