November l6, 1993 |
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The last time I saw X-Raided was when he came into Enharmonik to do the CD |
master for his CD on Black Market Records,Psychoactive. Three days later, |
he was arrested for the murder of Patricia Harris, in what the media |
portrayed as a Gangland slaying gone wrong. A case of mistaken identity. |
Patricia Harris was the mother of four. |
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That was almost two years ago and today I'm a little nervous going to visit |
X-raided at the county jail down at fifth and I streets. Besides being |
arrested a few times when I was a kid for draining swimming pools and |
skimboarding, I haven't been near the jail in 10 years. Actually, when I |
was arrested for draining pools, I was about the same age as X-raided was |
when he was arrested. Seventeen. |
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I first met X-Raided when he came into the studio to work on his album. He |
wasn't signed to a label yet, and Kevin Mann (now known as the Brotha' |
Lynch) was producing the record. I knew X by his real name, Anerae Brown |
Although he seemed like he might be the kind of kid who could get into |
trouble, he was never any trouble around the studio. All the engineers |
including myself got along well with him and liked him. We generally felt |
that X was an OK guy, and he treated us with respect and went about his |
work at the studio. Over the course of that year I had some: interesting |
conversations; with him, including one where he was discussing how he |
couldn't walk into Florin Mall without being hassled by the security |
guards. I remember another time, when I had to ask him to put a gun away |
that he was using for a sound effect, and he did, and he didn't give me any |
grief about it. |
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I checked out OK with the guard, and he sent me up to the 8th floor. While |
the jail is pretty big, the public or visitor area is no more than a small |
hallway which connects to a small visiting room, about 20 by 6, with steel |
benches, thick glass, and two way telephones to talk. After a few minutes, |
X came up the stairs and we started talking on the phones. |
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He seemed glad to see me, and once we started talking, all my nervousness |
dissapeared It was like we were back in the studio shooting the shit while |
Lynch tweaked a sample or some thing. But it wasn't I would be able to get |
up and leave, while X wasn't going anywhere soon. Nonetheless, it was good |
to see him, and I think we both enjoyed the conversation. |
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After a few minutes, I told X that I wanted to do an interview for Heckler |
and he agreed. I wanted to find out how he felt about how things turned |
out, and how he was holding up in jail |
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I was curious about aLL the hype the local media like the TV stations; the |
Bee and the SN & R. had made about the line "I'm killin' mamas, daddys
and |
nephews, " from X's CD. They claimed that the DA was going to prosecute a |
premeditated murder charge because of the lyric. "Bullshit," said X.
"That |
shit didn't come up once in court. They didn't even mention my tape once." |
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As X put it, "If you're with three nobodies and you're a somebody, and |
something goes down, who do you think they're going to blame? If Ice Cube |
and three nobodies are in a shooting, who do you think's going to.take the |
rap?" |
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While X still has his rough side, he's grown up and matured quite a bit |
over the last two years. He was on the 8th floor instead of the 6th, |
because he had gotten in a fight a couple of weeks ago with another inmate. |
But X realizes his mistakes too. One of the first things he said to me in a |
slightly embarrassed tone was "I guess I fucked up, huh?" |
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I asked X if he regretted how things turned out and he replied "Hell yes, |
If I had it to do a11 over again, I'd do it a lot different. My advice to |
young rappers starting out is pay attention to the music and the rhymes, |
'cause that's the most important thing." |
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X's debut, Psychoactive is still available in record stores and is a strong |
and confident debut. It's a hard edged record, and X's slow, laid back and |
almost non chalant delivery makes it even more chilling. Re-writ ing the |
present based on suppositions on how things might be different if other |
things in the past hadn't happened has little profit if any, but you can't |
help but wonder where X would be now if he hadn't ended up in jail. His |
second album would have almost certainly been even stronger than the first, |
and would have probably done real well. X however, has grown up and learned |
a lot in the meantime. |
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While he realizes that he fucked up and is having to pay for it he's |
optimistic about the future and plans to use his time in jail |
constructively and make plans for his release. X is 19 now and hopes to get |
out by the time he's 25. X's final sentencing is in early December and he's |
looking forward to being transferred to either Folsom or Solano prison. He |
wants to get his AA degree while he's in prison and he plans on getting a |
job inside prison too. He said he wants any kind of job where he uses his |
body and stays in shape. He's been playing a lot of basketball too. He's |
excited about the possibility of transferring to Solano where they have a |
l6-track studio, but would also like to be in Folsom where he can be closer |
to family and friends. X is proud of Brother Lynch's success and thinks |
that Lynch's brother, Triple 6 is going to bust out soon too. He feels |
protective towards Lynch, and wants to see him do well and not make the |
same mistakes he made. X is obviously eager to get out of prison, so he can |
get back to rappin himself. In the meantime, he is encouraged by the |
support and love he gets from his family and friends and also wanted to |
thank Cedric Singleton and Black Market Records for the help and continued |
support. |
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X raided has made some big mistakes in his life and he realizes it. It's |
hard for me to make excuses for what he did or didn't do, so I won't. It's |
not my place. I do however like him as a person. The last time I saw X in |
my studio he was a young kid. The next time I see him, he'll be a man. I |
wish him well over the next 6 or so years, and I hope he accomplishes his |
goals. for himself while he's in prison. And even more importantly, when he |
gets out I hope he grows into the young man he never got a chance to be, |
but that I think he could've been. Peace and good luck Anerae. |
