Artist Spotlight ~ X-Raided

Photo Credit: Darryl Wood

Artist Spotlight is a segment that we started to introduce our readers to some deserving up and coming artists/bands. They have made an impact on us for all of the right reasons. We think they kick ass, and we hope you do too! Today we’d like to shine the spotlight on Northern California based rapper X-Raided!

This Artist Spotlight showcases X-Raided, an artist whose life could easily be turned into a movie. The Northern California-based rapper was arrested as a teen and charged with first-degree murder, he was tried as an adult and his lyrics and CD artwork were used against him in as state evidence in court, something that would not be allowed today due to the creation of AB 2799 – the Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act.

While his co-defendant was acquitted of all charges, X-Raided was convicted and sentenced to 31 years to life. He was granted parole and released in September 2018. Despite the conviction, no murder weapon was ever found, and he maintains his innocence to this day.

While incarcerated, X-Raided managed to release 12 albums, often rapping through a payphone. His creative fire never diminished. He cracked the Billboard charts multiple times and sold millions of units. The State of California even filed a “Son of Sam” lawsuit against him in an attempt to confiscate his royalties, but the California Supreme Court struck down the law, allowing his artistic expression and career to legally continue.

Upon his release, he signed with Independent trailblazing label Strange Music and rapped with a sense of urgency, stacking up millions of streams. At the same time, he became an advocate for lasting change. He uses his freedom and platform to make a statement with his 2024 full-length LP A Sin In Heaven [Strange Music, Inc.]. He also donates his time to working with youth, most recently through the Augmented Forensic Youth Program (AFYP), helping young people positively re-enter the community. His mission to decrease recidivism and increase restorative justice has earned praise from various governors, senators, members of U.S. Congress, and law enforcement.

Let’s get to know him…… (We then sat down with X-Raided for a very informative Q&A session.

You’ve been in the rap game for decades, from the early 90s to now. How do you feel your music and message have evolved since your first album?

X-Raided: I think my music has matured in a way that my fans have appreciated. I’ve noticed that a lot of my peers failed to tackle subjects that their fans could relate to as they grew up, from having children to losing loved ones, to struggling with addiction and overcoming adversity. They’re still trying to sell an image that was awesome when we were 16 – 25 but that doesn’t translate to those same people who are 36 – 55 now yet may still want to enjoy Hip-hop music. They end up losing access to those fans’ children who are 18 – 30 and also enjoy Hip-hop music. I wrote hundreds of songs when I had nothing to lose that addressed sensitive topics that displayed humanity and vulnerability. I was rewarded by having fans that allowed me to grow up with them and who also grew up with me. Now I have multiple generations of supporters in a lot of households. They can differentiate between music that is a work of truth versus a work of fiction, and they value that I’m truthful when I make a work of fiction meant to provoke thought.

How did your time in prison shape your artistic expression, both lyrically and creatively?

X-Raided: There came a point where I was writing lyrics compulsively, almost as a form of journaling, without knowing whether or not I would ever be able to record them. There was a lot of power in that because I wasn’t writing those songs for anyone. There was a purity and transparency to it that became second nature to me. Solitude was more important to that process than prison itself. I think anywhere there was that kind of silence, I would have heard the lyrics in the universe and downloaded them regardless. It just so happens that the fortress of solitude I was isolated in happened to be a cell.

You’ve recorded albums while incarcerated. Can you share some insight into the challenges and process of making music in that environment?

X-Raided: I think the biggest challenge and advantage was that I didn’t get to write to the beats. I used a metronome to keep track of my BMPs and wrote and recorded the great majority of my songs to click tracks. The disadvantage was that they laid a lot of my vocals incorrectly or built beats around me that I wouldn’t have chosen for myself. The advantage was that it allowed me to come up with deliveries that weren’t beholden to a producer’s melodies or drum placements. I still tend to write and record that way. I often start with a simple kick and snare, lay the vocals and build the music around the lyrics. I think it made me a better emcee.

You have spoken in many interviews about your time with the Menendez Brothers and the positive impact they have had on you and other inmates, with the resurgence in support for them and a chance of a release, can you tell us about your relationship with the brothers. What would you like people to know about them?

X-Raided: Quite simply that they are two of the best men I have ever met in my life, and I possibly may not currently be free with my babies and career if I had not met them. They prepared me for everything, as my brothers, deliberately. They demand a certain level of performance from people they allow close to them, and it is an infectious psychology. I have not let that go and I tend to demand it of people close to me as well. You kind of have to keep up intellectually, spiritually and emotionally because they process things very quickly. Lyle went to Princeton and Erik was on his way to UCLA prior to incarceration. They continued to educate themselves and others and I very much benefitted from that. The speed with which I was forced to process information correctly around them has served me well in society. Lyle and Erik are the best of the best and are just good people. I literally love them.

What were some of the most surprising or unexpected lessons you’ve learned that help fuel your creative growth?

X-Raided: My sons taught me that authenticity is my greatest asset. They helped me realize that I was still wearing different masks. I would walk in my house and not be emotionally prepared to engage my babies because I was a different person in the world than I was at home, and it took a while for me to peel the layers off in order to “become” Dada again. I really resented that, so I decided to just be Dada all the time. Everyone has to meet Dada. I’d rather forget I’m being Dada when I’m out in the world than to forget that I’m being worldly when I walk in my house. Making all of my decisions from the perspective of a father has purified everything I do, and the resulting authenticity has fueled my creative growth more than anything ever.

AB 2799 – Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act prevents prosecutors from using lyrics as evidence. How do you feel about this legislation, and what impact do you think it has and will have on artists and the broader music industry?

X-Raided: I think it’s a giant leap for California and a small step for the country as a whole. It sets a precedent, but it doesn’t apply to all 50 states and the territories. We already have the First Amendment. We shouldn’t have to draft assembly bills to enforce protections that are already in the Bill of Rights. All in all, I’m proud of California for taking a stance on the matter and for leading the way in terms of showing other states a path forward but I resent that it’s even necessary. It is an inherently racist practice to arrest and prosecute rappers over song lyrics and props in videos. Freddy Mercury would never have been arrested for Bohemian Rhapsody, but would Bob Marley have been arrested today for making I Shot The Sheriff? I’m not advocating for artists who make actual dumbass confessions in their music to be protected but for those who aren’t doing that, it’s a slippery slope when we start playing with Freedom of Speech protections.

Given that your own lyrics were used against you in your trial, what does AB 2799 mean to you personally, and do you feel this legislation would have changed the outcome of your case?

X-Raided: AB 2799 is a symbol of progress to me. It says that matters of importance to my life and that of those who look like me are actually being considered and acted upon. They actually were allowed to present my Psycho Active album cover as evidence to infer that I had possessed a murder weapon that they had never found nor performed ballistics on. Just think about that: they used a picture of an alleged lethal weapon that they had neither located nor proved was even real for that matter, to infer that I had shot someone. AB 2799 would have prevented that from happening, and that’s before we mention my song Still Shootin’ which they intentionally miss-referred to as Tha Murder because it was more salacious and then butchered the lyrics in order to make the song say what they wanted the jury to believe was a confession. That would not have been allowed either. It’s crazy to even think about.

How important do you believe it is to protect artistic expression, especially in genres like hip-hop and rock where lyrics often reflect raw realities and personal experiences?

X-Raided: I think it’s important to protect all forms of art. The fact that we have to isolate rap, and rock is a blatant signifier that there are obvious biases at play. I believe that the concerted effort to render music practically worthless was part of the same plan to compromise a demographic that had found a way to both enrich and express itself that the persecution and prosecution of rap and rock originated from. Both of those things were part of the same agenda in my opinion. Where does it stop? It’s the same reason why the fight for civil rights ultimately required the inclusion of other struggles because when they encroach on one, all vulnerable parties should be concerned. For that reason, we have to protect rap and rock but also all other forms of artistic expression as well.

You were just a kid when you were falsely convicted, yet somehow you came out with a positive outlook and you continue to make strides not just in music, but in personal growth. What has been the most rewarding aspect of your life since your release?

X-Raided: Being a father, bar none. Raising children is the best, most honorable thing I have ever had the pleasure of participating in. It is a truly special thing.

Looking back, what do you hope your legacy will be? Do you see yourself as an artist who transcends music and speaks to larger societal issues?

X-Raided: I think I would be remiss if I failed to speak toward larger societal issues. I don’t think something as miraculous as me having a Life sentence removed and being freed occurred so I could come home and be a good rapper. That just seems like an illogical thing for me to believe. I believe that a higher power removed me from that environment and that I owe a debt to it. I don’t think I have a choice. I feel compelled and, on a less complex level, I simply can’t allow my children to reach an age where they look at my life and wonder why I left so much meat on the bone. I need them to be able to figure out that their old man meant something to the world yet somehow still had time to throw the ball and wrestle; and that their existence is part of a larger miracle that quite possibly obligates them to go mean something more to the world as well.

What can fans expect from you moving forward? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you can share with us?

X-Raided: I’m working on three new projects simultaneously: my next solo project for April or May of 2025, which I’ve already mapped out and started recording; the Blocc Movement 2 project with C-Bo and Brotha Lynch Hung, which we’ve already started swapping songs for; and a darker, more sinister artistic offering for October 2025 that my core fanbase will really enjoy. I’m going to a whole other level from here forward. A Sin in Heaven was just the tip of the iceberg.