(August 23, 2024) Delivering an epic body of work befitting of his unbelievable story, underground rap phenomenon and Sacramento native X-Raided excitedly presents his new full-length LP, A Sin In Heaven, out now via Strange Music.
Stream the album HERE.
This 24-track opus finds him grappling with the responsibilities, complexities, and nuances of his newfound freedom after almost 27 years behind bars and just shy of 4 years on parole. He’s experiencing “Heaven,” but it comes at a price—which he elucidates through expert and elite rapping.
Regarding the record, he commented, “Getting off parole tipped a lot of dominos. I could finally live where I wanted to live without setting off any alarms. If you’re a lifer and you’re on parole, you technically still have a life sentence. I could run a red light and get sent back to prison indefinitely if that officer is having a bad day. I had to walk on eggshells even with my music because the same machine I wanted to protest still had control over my future. I didn’t need to give them any additional ammunition—since they used my lyrics to incarcerate me to begin with. I’m off parole now, though. I’ve gotten stronger. I’ve made allies, and I can start talking about my experience within the criminal justice system. This album is a shift from the darkness to the light. It’s similar to going from being a former slave to being a Harriet Tubman.”
He celebrates the arrival of the album by uncovering the music video for the explosive new single “Olly Olly Oxen Free” with Bleezo, T-Nutty, and Tech N9ne. In addition to spotlighting two of his Sac-Town O.G. cohorts, he once again locks into a stunning lyrical crossfire with Tech N9ne. Between the ominous choir and tight snaps, X-Raided fires off bars with pummeling precision as he warns, “Helter Skelter is upon us, it has begun.” This quartet of MCs turns up together on screen in the minimalist visual, which focuses on their presence and lyrical power. Fittingly, X-Raided raps on top of an “X” outline projected on the ground. Watch the video HERE.
At the top of the summer, he bulldozed the way for the album when he dropped “Paranoia” with Tech N9ne. Thus far, it has notably amassed over 360K Spotify streams and north of 731K YouTube views on the music video. Among other album cuts, he served up “California State” featuring Locksmith. Global Grind touted it on “This Week’s New Music Roundup.” He also shined on “It’s Up” featuring Ras Kass and KXNG Crooked.
Earlier this year, the fan favorite “The Sunken Place” racked up over 100K YouTube views on its music video. The song attracted plugs from Music Existence, Underground Hip Hop Blog, and Hip Hop Over Everything.
Stay tuned for more from X-Raided.
Most recently, X-Raided shined on “Knock” from Tech N9ne’s BLISS alongside an a-list cohort, including Conway The Machine and Joyner Lucas. Last year, he made a long-awaited return with his Strange Music debut album, A Prayer In Hell. Taking flight, the single “Stratus Fear” [with Tech N9ne] gathered 1.8 million Spotify streams and 414K YouTube views on the cinematic music video. Meanwhile, he landed major looks from the likes of New York Post, Hunnypot, and TMZ, among others. The latter professed, “X-Raided wants his experiences to steer past, current and future inmates in a better direction.” Plus, V13 welcomed him as its cover star in an extensive story as well.
Get ready for X-Raided’s next era!
MORE INFO:
X-Raided’s journey could be likened to the hip-hop equivalent of The Shawshank Redemption. To focus heavily on his 26 years, 5 months, and 26 days locked away in jail would be a disservice to him. However, A LOT happened during this time—he consistently landed on the Billboard charts with independent releases; appears to have inspired Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg’s camp and Eminem; befriended the Menendez Brothers; learned a few tricks from Mac Dre to record songs over the phone; nearly died; and somehow still managed to make a tangible impact on a variety of major legislations. When he came home and signed to Tech N9ne’s Strange Music, he rapped as if his life depended on it, stacking up millions of streams and snatching the attention of TMZ, the New York Post, and more. At the same time, he advocated for lasting change. He uses his freedom and platform to make a statement on his 2024 full-length LP, A Sin In Heaven [Strange Music, Inc.].
ALBUM ART
TRACKLISTING
1. 2400
2. Sacrilegious
3. Can’t Hold Us Down
4. California State (with Locksmith)
5. Boy Meets World
6. PTSD (Passing The Story Down)
7. A Favor For A Favor (with Nox)
8. Waste Management (interlude)
9. A Cold Day In Hell (with Joey Cool & C-Mob)
10. Olly Olly Oxen Free (with Bleezo, T-Nutty & Tech N9ne)
11. The Sunken Place
12. Anymore (with Bingx)
13. Pray
14. Conception (Aneraé’s Song)
15. Invigorated (with Macntaj, Trizz & Ellis Prescott)
16. It’s Up (with Ras Kass & KXNG Crooked)
17. Juggernaut (with Matt Phoenix)
18. Paranoia (with Tech N9ne)
19. All Or Nothing (interlude) with X-Raided and Ebony Ephriam
20. No Conversations (with Ellis Prescott)
21. Baby Mama Music
22. Water (with Ellis Prescott, Laza, Macntaj & Jerome Dillard)
23. Elevating (with Don P)
24. Gladiator (with King Iso, C-Mob & Jerome Dillard)
SOCIAL LINKS
X-Raided
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