In this world we will all deal with circumstances beyond our control. We will all have beliefs. As an artist we have an opportunity to share our experiences and our thoughts about society. This is power. Our recent discovery X-Raided has been through a lot and connected with some controversial people. 

We caught up with the Sacramento rap artist and prison reform activist to chat about his journey and new single “Sins of the Father.” Enjoy the interview here” 

First off, can you tell us about how the name X-Raided came to be. 

X – I’ve been a big fan of Marvel comics since I was a child. Wolverine was my favorite character. He was also known as Weapon X. That’s where I originally got the name, from referring to myself as Weapon X. 

The “rated” part originally came from a vulgar line in a rap I wrote at 16-years-old. My rap partner, Brotha Lynch Hung, came up with the spelling RAIDED instead of rated, and that’s how the name X-Raided was born. 

Your latest song released, “Sins of the Father” was written about The Menendez Brothers, can you tell us a bit about your relationship with them. 

X – I met Lyle first and built a bond with him after I did an interview in the middle of the day room with a camera crew about a new album I had released. Lyle saw that and wanted to give me some advice. I think maybe he could see that I was gonna have a rough ride. I was young and still focused on being a gangster. Lyle wanted me to know that I could be so much more than that; that I could use my influence to have positive outcomes for myself and others. That really resonated for me because I respected his opinion as someone I’d seen doing interviews with Barbara Walters on other larger media outlets. I respected his intelligence and sincerity. He didn’t want anything from me. He just saw that I had potential and wanted me to reach it. He introduced me to Erik by letter about seven years later at a different institution. Erik took it from there. They became mentors to me. I consider them as my brothers. From then to now they’ve continued to push me to be the best version of myself as possible. I love them. They helped me embrace education, self-help and the belief that I would one day be free. 

Lyric video for “Sins of the Father” by X-Raided

“Sins of the Father,” written about the Menendez Brothers, is such a powerful track. The song narrates the harrowing reality of children suffering years of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Tell us about your motivation to write it and why it was important to you to get this message out now. 

X – I had a conversation with Lyle about interview requests that I was receiving and my initial reluctance to do them because I didn’t want to be perceived as a person looking for media attention just for talking about the Menendez Brothers. Lyle reassured me that I was more than capable of speaking on their behalf and that he wanted me to do all of the interviews. 

Music being a superpower, I had the thought of writing a song for the brothers to tell their story and amplify it through my most powerful means of communication. Music is my megaphone. 

One day I was downstairs ironing my son’s clothes when the chorus and music popped in my head out of nowhere, fully formed. My wife calls them downloads. She says I stare off into space for a while and receive an airdrop from the universe. So the music and the lyrics popped into my head and I grabbed my voice recorder to capture the chorus and then kind of beatboxed and hummed the music, so I wouldn’t forget it. 

The biggest challenge was figuring out the angle to approach the story with. I took some direct quotes from Lyle – because I didn’t want to use my own opinions – and constructed the verses based on things that he had said in the media. It just flowed out from there. 

I sent my notes to my engineer and co-producer, Matt Phoenix, who is an amazing artist in his own right, and we brought it to life together. Once the choir came in to sing the chorus along with Matt, we knew we had something special. It became so much more than just a song for Lyle and Erik, but an anthem for other victims of abuse who may not have the words. I’m honored that I could be a vessel for this song to have manifested itself for everyone to hear. 

At 17 years old you were tried as an adult and sentenced to 31 years to life, after serving over 26 years in prison you still maintain your innocence to this day. During the trial, in a controversial move, the prosecution used lyrics and artwork from your debut album Psycho Active as evidence in court—something that would not be allowed today under the Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act. As an artist, can you share with us the importance and significance of this law? 

X – I believe the law is important because it prevents malicious prosecution, where they weaponize the justice system to derail the careers of young men and women just because they disagree with their content politically, where law-enforcement may simply view something as criminal based on where they came from and what they write about as opposed to specific laws that they’ve actually broken. I believe that everyone’s first amendment right to free speech should be sacred in this country as it relates to the arts and political discourse. Once we start censoring artists, we are entering dark territory. We’ve had repeated demonstrations of that throughout our history. It’s a sign of big trouble on the horizon. 

Since your release, you seem to have dedicated your life to music and activism, signing with independent powerhouse, Strange Music and advocating for criminal justice reform. You have been recognized for your efforts in youth rehabilitation, particularly through your work with the Augmented Forensic Youth Program (AFYP), helping young people positively re-enter society. After all you have been through, you still seem to have a very positive outlook and seem committed to using music as a means for advocacy and justice. That said, can you share more about your story with us, and how you were able to come out on the other side, with optimism and a desire to help others. 

X – I believe that the central theme of my story is faith. At some point, I came to the conclusion that nothing about my life made sense if my life ended badly. A negative conclusion to my story made no sense. There were too many blessings, too many blatant interventions, too many positive people in my life for that to be the case. I couldn’t accept it. I couldn’t fathom why I would’ve been equipped with so many resources and good people if it was meant for me to rot in that cage. Out of that introspection came this unwavering faith that if I just kept going, did the work and stayed focused, I would have positive outcomes.

Once that belief was validated, there came a sense of duty and obligation that I felt to honor the energy that had indeed propelled me to such positive outcomes. 

I can’t get in a time machine and go help my younger self, so the next best thing that I can do is to show my children a better way, and be an example for other people to know that they are not defined by the adversity that they faced, but rather by the way they respond to its existence. I feel obligated to show people that there is another way forward; that they don’t have to choose darkness. That’s really all there is to it. 

Your lyrics and storytelling are honest and filled with raw emotion. What do you hope the listeners will take away from your music and messages? 

X – I’d like for my listeners to know that they’re not alone. When someone hears one of these songs that I poured my heart into, I truly want them to be aware, whether I know them or not, that there’s someone who can relate. And that if they did not have the words, then maybe I’ve 

put something they’ve been wanting to say into words for me and them both. I think art is supposed to speak to and for the people, and that an artist in turn is simply a vessel to carry out this great act of transmitting these messages in hopes that others will be inspired to do the same in whatever way their personal gifts allow them to do. 

How does a song come together for you? Is there a process you can share with us? 

X – I think this goes back to the process of how I came up with “Sins of the Father.” Sometimes I have to take notes and deliberately figure out what I want to say. I call those songs “work.” I have to work on it and work it out. That’s when it’s me putting in the effort to find this song. And at other times I get one of those downloads. The song just pops into my head, fully formed, and I’m just trying not to mess it up. I truly do consider it a privilege when that happens. 

Which artists have had the biggest influence on you and why? 

X – The first artist to have an influence on me was LL Cool J. I was 11 years old when I saw Krush Groove. LL made me want to rap. Then there was Ice T, Six in the Mornin, when I was 12 years old. He showed me what I wanted to rap about. Then there was Rakim. He made me realize that a rap could be intricate. That it could be poetry. Then there was Public Enemy. They gave me a sense of pride and an awareness that I represent more than just myself in my music. Then there’s Ice Cube, who made me aware that I could be passionate, politically conscious, but still keep it gangsta. Then there was Scarface. He taught me to be imaginative, soulful and introspective. Then there’s 2Pac. He taught me to be compassionate, empathetic, transparent, and vulnerable. Then there was Too $hort, who showed me that I could be relatable. Just being myself. Looking like me, dressing like me, speaking like me. He was the one who made me believe that I could do it on my own. All the albums I put on consignment and sold at swap meets and out of the trunk were based solely on the fact that Too $hort had done it and shared the game with us in his music. And then there’s Dr. Dre, who made me want to have sonic purity in my music; for it to be polished as close to perfect as I could get. And then I’d say E-40 for a lot of the same reasons I said about $hort. Those are my top ten biggest influences as a rapper.

Give us a peek at what’s up in 2025 and beyond for X-Raided, more new music, any tour plans and how can our readers stay up to date with you? 

X – I have new music dropping every month for pretty much the calendar year. I’m in discussions about filming a documentary about my life and I’m currently writing my autobiography. I’m very excited about that. This is a year where I transition myself fully into who I need to be for myself and my family. Fully committed. 2025 is the first year of the rest of my life.

Dive deeper into the story and music of X-Raided HERE.