Sean Rhoden, known globally as MeLo-X, began his ascent not with a major label co-sign or viral TikTok moment, but through the slow-burn discipline of mixtapes, remixes, and beat tapes traded across the pre-streaming internet. Born and raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn to Jamaican parents, MeLo-X represents a generation of artists who used the blog era as a launchpad into genre-defying cultural architecture. In 2008, he released “Mustafa’s Renaissance,” a raw, spiritual, sample-heavy project that channeled the Afro-Caribbean consciousness of his upbringing and introduced listeners to a sonic landscape that felt both cosmic and deeply personal. Around the same time, he began his celebrated “Inside the Mind of MeLo” series—mixtapes that layered poetry, ambient transitions, chopped R&B vocals, and original production, building a world where soul met software.

His early remix of Maxwell’s “Bad Habits,” accompanied by a grainy one-take studio performance video, circulated heavily on YouTube and SoundCloud. It resonated so deeply that Sony Music licensed the remix in 2009 and it was used during Maxwell’s 2009 BLACKsummers’night Tour at Madison Square Garden. This remix, with its raw vocal treatment and sophisticated synth layering, became one of those quiet landmarks—an inspiration to a generation of producers who came of age watching MeLo reshape a ballad with nothing but a laptop, keys, and intuition.

Trained formally at the Institute of Audio Research in Manhattan, MeLo-X developed a foundational understanding of sound engineering and audio programming. He was already experimenting with frequencies and field recordings, and the school helped refine what would become a hybrid sonic signature: deep bass lines mixed with sacred textures, digital pads merged with roots reggae phrasing.

In 2012, MeLo’s rework of Yuna’s “Live Your Life” was included in the in-game radio of Grand Theft Auto V—a game that has since sold over 185 million copies. His version appeared on Worldwide FM, the fictional station curated by Gilles Peterson, giving his remix an unlikely but monumental platform. That same year, “Let It,” his collaboration with Machinedrum, appeared in NBA 2K12, widely ranked as one of the best basketball games of all time. These syncs were more than placements—they marked the moment when MeLo-X’s work became ambient in global popular culture, playing from car stereos in Los Santos and sneaker commercials across the world.

In 2014, his unofficial remix EP “Yoncé-X” sparked a career-defining connection. Beyoncé and her team took notice. Instead of sending a cease and desist, they extended an invitation. MeLo-X became part of her creative inner circle, working on the “On The Run Tour” with Jay-Z and later contributing to 2016’s “Lemonade.” His credits on “Lemonade” include co-writing and co-producing “Sorry” and “Hold Up”—both cultural touchstones. “Hold Up” was certified Gold by the RIAA, while “Sorry” achieved Platinum status. MeLo-X also helped shape the audio environment of the accompanying visual album, crafting transitional interludes and thematic sound design that stitched together the film’s emotional journey. His sonic work continued on the “Formation World Tour” and the Peabody Award-winning “Black Is King.”

Throughout this period, MeLo-X kept one foot grounded in the underground. With Jasmine Solano, he formed Electric Punanny, a DJ-performance duo that toured the world blending electro, dancehall, and Caribbean bass. From club nights in Bushwick to the stages of Glastonbury and Afropunk, Electric Punanny preserved the rebellious, sweaty essence of sound system culture while updating its rhythms for new generations. MeLo-X’s work with Solano helped reintroduce global audiences to dancehall’s experimental edges and made him a fixture in both festival and fashion circles.

Beyond the booth and stage, MeLo-X is a multidisciplinary force. His 2015 project “Curate” was not just an EP, but a mobile app that allowed users to remix and interact with the music through a touch-sensitive interface inspired by the Marvel concept of the Infinity Stone. It featured vocals from Little Simz, Raury, and Kilo Kish, and positioned MeLo-X as a pioneer in app-based music experiences long before that became a trend. That same year, his photography from travels in Equatorial Guinea and South Africa was exhibited at Sean Kelly Gallery in New York City, showcasing another dimension of his creative practice: archival, observational, reverent.

His creative direction credits extend into television and broadcast. He led the set design and visual direction for 6lack’s Coachella performance in 2019 and his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that same year. In 2020, he also directed stage design for Summer Walker’s televised performance on Jimmy Kimmel, blending lighting, space, and mood into a three-dimensional sonic experience. These moments blurred the line between music video, stagecraft, and gallery installation, confirming MeLo-X’s versatility as a visual storyteller.

In 2025, MeLo-X composed the original score for the ALLBLK film “Operation: Aunties,” a cyber-vigilante action comedy about Black women in STEM taking justice into their own hands. Starring Tisha Campbell, Amiyah Scott, and Melissa De Sousa, the film received praise for its bold tone and visual style, both of which were supported by MeLo’s nuanced, Afro-futurist score. It marked his official entrance into film composition and solidified him as a narrative-driven composer able to translate arc and emotion through layered instrumentation.

Across all mediums—mixtape, gallery, app, television, tour, and now cinema—MeLo-X continues to chart his own system of artistry. His work is threaded with ancestral logic and spiritual technology, borrowing from sound system culture, numerology, and his lived experience as a Black Caribbean child of Flatbush. While his fingerprints can be found on some of the biggest cultural moments of the past decade, his approach remains intimate, improvisational, and rigorously experimental. In a world saturated with algorithmic production, MeLo-X is still building from instinct, channeling the unseen, and remixing the future by hand.