Here's the nine...


I must be slippin' in my old age. I can't believe I missed this. Last night, I was listening to and catching up on "On The Real" w/ Chuck D when I heard that he was talking to Brother J from the X-Clan. Come to find out that not only that X-clan and Public Enemy are now on tour, but X-clan has a new album coming out in January (the 30th from what I see).

If you don't know X-Clan is a Hip Hop group from the 90's and the "face" of the Blackwatch Movement (which is still active) started by group member and Activist Lumumba "Professor X the Overseer" Carson, son of civil rights activist Sonny Carson. Their first album, "To the East, Blackwards", is classic material and their second album, "Xodus", was more of the same. They spoke a message of pro black radicalism not totally unlike aforementioned Public Enemy. Brother J, the lead and pretty much only, MC was and still is regarded as one of the nicest on the mic. Ok, I don't remember if he made the list, but I think he should have if he hasn't. X-Clan helped popularize the beads and black medalions (the "afrocentric look" as would be said nowadays) that were widely worn (I hate to say fashionable, but that's what it seemed to be) when they came out. They didn't seem to be doing it for fashion sake, but because of what they believed in and that's part of why they are one of my favorite groups.

The group consisted of the before mentioned Brother J and Professor X (points if you can tell what that was in reference to), DJ Sugar Shaft, Paradise (not sure what he did), and Lady MC's Queen Mother Rage (not to be confused with Lady of Rage) and Isis, AKA Lin Que. Professor X died earlier this year, and Sugar Shaft died some years ago. Of that group, Brother J and Paradise are what's left. I have now idea what Queen Mother Rage is doing and Lin Que was, at one pint down with the Wu Tang offshoot crew, the Deadly Venoms.

Anyway, you can read all of that elsewhere. Right now, you should check out the new video, "Weapon X" below. It's hot, personally. I'm a little biased, granted, but it is good and Brother J proves he's still nice with his.



And if you want to check out X-Clan, here is their website:

X-Clan Music

And their Myspace page:

www.myspace.com/Xclanmusic


More videos:

Funkin' Lesson


Heed the word of the Brother


Xodus


Oh, and by the way, this is still protected by the Red, the Black, and the Green, SISSIES!!
(Hey, the prof's not here to do it so someone had to)


Vanglorious!