X-Raided

X-Raided
Birth name Anerae Brown
Born (1974-07-30) July 30, 1974
Genres Hip hop, Gangsta Rap, G-funk, horrorcore
Years active 1991–present
Labels Black Market Records, Priority Records, Madman Records, Gangway Inc., Bloc Star Entertainment
Associated acts Brotha Lynch Hung, C-Bo, T-Locc, Luni Coleone, Smigg Dirtee,

Anerae Veshaughn Brown (born July 30, 1974), better known by his stage name X-Raided, is an American rapper and a former 24th St. Garden Blocc Crip gang member. He is currently incarcerated for gang-related homicide, of which he is serving 31 years to life.

Life and career

Born July 30, 1974, Brown was brought up by his mother, Shirley James 'Jaz' Brown, a clerk at the Sacramento County Courthouse.[1]

The first X-Raided album, Psycho Active, was recorded in June 1990 with Sacramento rapper Brotha Lynch Hung, and released in 1992. Brown claims that the recording was made during a deadly conflict between the 24th Street Garden Blocc Crips and the Meadowview Bloods, contributing to lyrics full of violence. In March 1992 gang members raided the home of Patricia Harris and she was fatally shot. Brown and four other gang members were arrested for the murder.[1] The cover of Psycho Active shows Brown’s face with a .38-caliber handgun pressed to his head, and it was speculated that this was the actual murder weapon. The lyrics on the album contained mirror images of the crime he was suspected to have committed, and this caused national media coverage of X-Raided's then-impending trial. Brown did not testify about the night of the Harris murder, adhering to a code of silence, claiming he was present at the attack but did not pull the trigger.[2]

From 1993 to 1995 X-Raided recorded a large amount of material entirely over the telephone while in jail awaiting trial. These recordings were released on the 1995 album Xorcist. The exact means used to get the recordings is unknown, but the quality of X-Raided's material on the album is substantially less than studio quality, especially when intermixed with collaborations with other artists where the sound quality is normal. A track on the album begins with a recording of a collect call from X-Raided which identifies him as "an inmate in Sacramento County Jail".

This second album garnered even more attention and it was covered in various mainstream media outlets including Playboy (September 1996). Months after the release of "Xorcist", X-Raided was convicted of first degree murder with a special circumstance pre gang related homicide and he was sentenced to 31 years to life in prison.

X-Raided's next album Unforgiven came in 1999, and was also recorded surreptitiously while in prison. A guard helped X-Raided access the equipment necessary to record his vocals, and even his cell mate, Dott Dogg, made an appearance on the album.

Vibe (August 1998) reported, "The Unforgiven is culled from 65 tracks recorded onto a DAT, with beats added afterwards at a studio". Post-production was done at a house by producer DJ VerbalTek. He sent the music equipment necessary for recording; a microphone used to clip on in interviews, a tape recorder and an electronic metronome. All the beats were made by DJ VerbalTek including the single Mortal Kombat. According to Jerry Smith, Community Resources Manager at Salinas State Prison, "it's a mystery how such vocal sessions could take place. Inmates are not allowed to have tape recorders."[3]

Despite adverse circumstances, X-Raided managed to obtain clear and legitimate vocals. The result is "The Unforgiven: Volume I". X-Raided says, "with 2Pac gone, there is no one stepping up to represent the West Coast that has the lyrical skills, plus the intrigue to withstand the scrutiny that comes with being the best in his region. Now that I have real vocals, I am claiming the throne that was vacated by the death of Makaveli. Cali is mine and I am demanding my place at the top of the list of West Coast MC's." When asked about his case, X-Raided stated, "I was railroaded, straight up. But there is nothing I can do now except to make as much noise as I can, and hip hop is my medium, my podium. I gotta make some Johnnie Cochran money so I can get up out of hell." "The Unforgiven: Volume I" showcases the production of newcomers DJ Shareil, The Technician, and R.A.W., collectively known as Mad Man Records. The album also features two new lyrical talents, Dott Dogg and Hanifah. Stand out tracks include "Misanthropy", "Spittin' Venom", and the autobiographical title track.[3]

In 2000 X-Raided released an album under the pseudonym NEFARIOUS titled "Speak of the Devil" in order to continue to release music despite the state of California targeting his previous release trying to claim that it fell under the Son of Sam law. Ironically X-Raided chose the moniker NEFARIOUS because the Prosecutor in his trial referred to him as nefarious in attempts to paint him in a negative light to the jury.

The Initiation was released in early 2001, and was the culmination of X-Raided's attempts at forming his own record label beginning in 1999 with the help of his mother, Shirley “Jaz” Brown. The new label would come to be known as Madman Records Before the murder, Jaz Brown was a clerk at the Sacramento County Courthouse, but she quit when X-Raided became a famous defendant in the corridors. By June 2000, Jaz Brown had a new title, CEO of Madman Records, the new label for X-Raided and other local up and coming Sacramento rappers such as Big No Love & T-Nutty. Some said X-Raided was still part of Black Market Records but that was wasn't the case. (http://www.facebook.com/BlackMarketRecords).[1]

In 2011, X-Raided signed a distribution deal with RBC Records. Despite getting his equipment confiscated, X has continued recording, including work on his forthcoming album, as well as features for L.A.M.B (Roccy & Sccit), Jacka, Mars, and G-Macc. X released his first mix-tape, "Sacrifice", followed by his latest album "Sacramentally Disturbed", in March 2012. (http://www.siccness.net/vb).[1]

In 2013 X-Raided began working on his latest album Psycho Active 2.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Compilations

References

  1. 1 2 3 2002 X-Raided article in LA Times
  2. ↑ X-Raided Still Unforgiven from Davey D
  3. 1 2 https://web.archive.org/web/20081025063441/http://www.mtraks.com/artist/x_raided X-Raided / Artist, Mtraks.com, 2008. Accessed 2008-10-25.

http://csus-dspace.calstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10211.9/1140/Hybrid%20Gangs%20and%20the%20Hyphy%20Movement-%20Crossing%20the%20Color%20Line%20in%20Sacramento%20County2.pdf?sequence=1

External links

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