Happy 30th Anniversary to X Clan’s second studio album Xodus: The New Testament, originally released May 19, 1992.
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The crew X Clan was hip-hop’s equivalent to the Old Testament wrath of God. The group, comprised of Jason “Brother J” Hunter, Lumumba “Professor X” Carson, and Claude “Paradise” Gray were as militant and confrontational as any rap group in the early 1990s. With their debut album To The East, Blackwards (1990), they unleashed fire and fury on a Biblical scale, backed by funky and soulful soundscapes. Nearly two years later, they dropped Xodus: The New Testament. Released 30 years ago, the album reinforced that their rage had not subsided, making it one of the under-appreciated “angry” albums of its era.
X Clan make it clear from the outset that they are aware of the many criticisms that were leveled at them after the release of To The East, Blackwards. They just don’t care. The collective doesn’t change its approach with Xodus. If anything, they doubled down. The beats are often dense and more chaotic. Their verbiage is more esoteric. And their rhetoric, if anything, is even more militant. They have scores to settle and souls to save, and they don’t let up on either front.
And given the societal conditions at the time, there is no reason that X Clan’s rage should have abated. Racial and social unrest marked much of late 1991 and early 1992, as the crack epidemic continued to cripple inner-city communities and the Rodney King trial played out in a Simi Valley courtroom. Xodus reflects the anger and resentment of the times. It’s not quite as good as Blackwards, but it’s still a potent project.
One change to X Clan’s music on Xodus is the increased prominence of Professor X. It’s a little weird to quantify, as the Overseer very much made his presence felt on To The East, Blackwards, providing often lengthy intros and declarative outros to every single track. With Xodus, he often provides spoken hooks to many of the songs and delivers verses on around half the material. The development didn’t come completely out of left field, as Professor had released his own solo album, Years Of The 9, On The Blackhand Side (1991), the previous year.
Another change on Xodus is the almost complete lack of their DJ, Anthony “Sugar Shaft” Hardin. He doesn’t appear in the album’s liner notes, or on any of the album’s promotional material, aside from the cover of their first single. He’s only credited for co-production on the group’s first single, “Fire & Earth (100% Natural).”
“Fire & Earth” was a pretty heavy opening salvo to unleash in order to promote Xodus. The group’s best known earlier songs were musically funk-filled romps that contrasted with the seriousness of lyrical content. In comparison, “Fire & Earth” is a stern endeavor, with Brother J and Professor X delivering verses over the strains of B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone.” Both emcees are particularly surly, fed up with portrayals of the Black population and openly mocking those who they’re at philosophical odds with. The crew throws some not-so-subliminal disses at both 3rd Bass and KRS-One, taking issue with the latter’s more “humanistic” approach to activism.
“Fire & Earth” became a source of beef between X Clan and Boogie Down Productions, with KRS recording some scathing return disses on Sex and Violence (1992). According to Kenny Parker, the Blastmaster’s brother and DJ, the crews managed to squash the beef before Sex And Violence and Xodus officially dropped, but their beef made for some interesting material.
Brother J handled most of the production on Xodus, mostly opting for a dense, collage-like approach to creating the beats. He didn’t dig as deep in the crates as other producers at the time, often using popular sample sources utilized by other artists. However, in most cases, the group takes the familiar and transforms it into something that matches its ethos. Xodus’ title track exemplifies this approach, as Brother J mixes together such sample source staples as “Funky Worm,” ”Flashlight,” and “UFO” to create a sonic whirlwind to back their righteous furor. “The dark president, the dark sun resident,” Brother J thunders, “Will give more reason to impeach a president / And all the puppets in the ever square lay / Supporting three Ks and AmeriKKKan way.”
“F.T.P.” is similarly confrontational, as you’d expect of a track named for the acronym signifying “Fuck the Police.” Brother J rails against corruption and the injustices inflicted on the community by those sworn to protect and serve. While invoking the names of Yusef Hawkins and Elanor Bumpurs, Brother J promises swift action in the face of police brutality. “You think I’m satisfied by just stopping traffic?” he declares. “You best get ready for the 20 million boom automatic.” The lyrics seemed of the moment at the time, as Xodus hit the shelves weeks after the 1992 Los Angeles uprising that resulted from the Rodney King trial verdict.
Even as X Clan continues to address the issues facing the Black population of the United States throughout Xodus, the album occasionally mixes intergalactic imagery with tales of ancient Earth gods. On the sparse “Cosmic Ark,” he invites listeners to leave this planet’s corruption behind and journey the stars in search of a new home. The group sticks with the cosmic and mystical themes on “A.D.A.M.,” which contrasts a mellow sample from Grover Washington Jr.’s “Mister Magic” with Brother J’s aggressive delivery. Brother J rhymes as a divine interstellar warrior, emerging from his sarcophagus, sword and shield in hand, wandering the Earth on a holy mission.
“Ooh Baby” features Brother J bringing back the laid-back Pink Caddy grooves as he raps over a sample of Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love” and the “Impeach the President” breakbeat. “Verbal Papp” is a sequel to To The East, Blackwards’ “Verbal Milk,” where Brother J muses on the wisdom and lessons that his father imparted to him. The track features Brother J flexing his slick talk over a section of Barry White’s “Playing Your Game, Baby.”
But despite these smooth digressions, Xodus is an album that’s most adept when X Clan’s wrath is unbridled. The crew throws things into high gear with “Rhythm of God,” in which Brother J carpet bombs the electric guitar driven track, delivering a barrage of rhymes in the form of a singular, nearly three-minute-long verse. He exhibits masterful breath control as he raps, “I just can’t stop: my vibe won’t obey / So what is a brother to do? Hey…”
Xodus ends with “Funk Liberation,” Brother J’s declaration of his own individualism. Brother J explains his refusal to conform to expectations of what it means to be a Black man, rapper, and revolutionary. He kicks three verses of “mega-mega vibes that make you comatose” while chunks of George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog” and stabs from James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” plod forward. Brother J excoriates phony activists out for the fame, as he reflects, “God bless, liberation in my blood feels good / But if I’m real, that’s how it should be / ’Cause all the razzamatazz is not at all what it’s worth / Good Brother would rather be down to earth.”
X Clan dissolved not long after Xodus’ release, and Brother J would then create Dark Sun Riders, a group steeped in similar iconography and ideological determination. Xodus retains its power as the product of an era marked by outrage and uncertainty. The group may not have had any desire to play nice, but their decision to express their aggression is as effective as any. Sometimes when society is collapsing, being civil isn’t an option.
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