While EPMD and Heavy D had already scored hits by looping ‘More Bounce To The Ounce,’ the sound of the first X-Clan album really brought the most out of the whole Parliament Funkadelic movement in terms of flipping it into a entirely new context. Their combination of jazz and soul samples with the heavy funk sound created a sound that was far ‘heavier’ than anything we’d heard from New York, soaked in a cosmic slop that no doubt made an impression on the ears of LA rap producers. Clearly the popularity of Zapp and P-Funk on the West Coast meant that it was always going to play a major role in the pre-synth era (or Before Chronic as I like to call it), but when I had the chance to speak to Brother J back in 2007 leading up to the release of the his new X-Clan project, he confirmed this theory for me:
Robbie: X-Clan was one of the first groups to get deep into the P-Funk samples. Do you think that West Coast artists were influenced by that?
Brother J: I don’t think they took it and ran with it, it’s always been here. I think what X-Clan did was we took music that we love. I never sample ‘More Bounce…’ because I wanted West Coast artists to pick-up on my music, I sampled it because in my basement that’s what we deejayed. You go to the parties, that’s what we put on. I’m from Flatbush, Brooklyn, I wasn’t traveling worldwide when I was making this album. I was 17, 18 years old writing To The East, Blackwards. I wasn’t world orientated, I just knew when we go to the block parties, when they put on that Zapp ‘More Bounce…’ the crowd was crazy! When adults hear ‘Knee Deep’? My father and mother listened to records. I dig in their crates and make my album! I knew what was moving the crowd I wanted to serve. It’s beautiful to see that a lotta producers out here in the west coast say, ‘Man, you inspired me. We used to play your album up on the big speakers when we was making Ice Cube’s album and making this dude’s album and this cat’s album.’ I’ve met a lot of legendary west coast cats that gave me a salute, and I’m saluting them cos they’ve got crystal clean sound. I’m from New York where sampling was king, and these cats are playing stuff over and got the mean band on it and the good engineer on it and their sound was just so much more cracking than what we were getting in New York. I admire Dre’s production, he had the best EQ’s.
By the time that X-Clan’s second album, Xodus, arrived, the crew’s production style had evolved in a manner similar to Greg Nice‘s knack for combining well-worn samples and making them sound brand new again.
As Professor X told Brian Coleman when asked about ‘Heed The Word Of The Brother‘:
“Other people, like Heavy D and De La Soul, had used that music already. So we made our song even stronger than what they had done. We called The 45 King and he put a string of horns at the end of the beat, and that’s why ours is different.”
Listening back to To The East, Blackwards now, it holds up even better than I expected. The way that Tom Tom Club‘s ‘Genius of Love’ is reinterpreted into an eerie hook for what may be the strongest track of the LP, ‘In The Ways Of The Scale,’ and the transformation of Average White Band’s ‘School Boy Crush’ into a call to arms called ‘Grand Verbalizer, What Time Is It‘ which manages to differentiate itself from Rakim’s declaration of verbal supremacy that was ‘Microphone Fiend.’ Brother J doesn’t make the common mistake of compromising his rhymes for the sake of content, as he weaves dense, coded stanzas that flow as effortlessly as he concocts new ways to take shots at cracker-ass crackers.
It’s also a timely reminder of how political rap crews realised that nobody would pay attention to their message if it didn’t sound better than everybody else’s records. Rather than whining about how nobody supports ‘conscious’ hip-hop, X-Clan and Public Enemy slapped you in the face with beats so powerful that you had to take notice.
I still play this album every couple of months if only for the best use of the word sissy in hip hop ever
“It’s also a timely reminder of how political rap crews realised that nobody would pay attention to their message if it didn’t sound better than everybody else’s records. Rather than whining about how nobody supports ‘conscious’ hip-hop, X-Clan and Public Enemy slapped you in the face with beats so powerful that you had to take notice.”
^^That right there is so on point
That’s why I love this site. For the last 5 days I been jammin a.d.a.m, verbs of power and fire and earth. Props on this story and props to a legendary group. I remember people was hating calling the beat jackers because of the common samples they were using.
Then the beef with krs and 3rd bass. Yea x clan were gs.
Nice to see one of my favorite crews get some love on Unkut. Ice Cube was clearly influenced as he shouted them out, quoted and sampled them on his early albums. Boots from The Coup mentioned recently that Brother J influenced Snoop early on: https://twitter.com/BootsRiley/status/507646637443776512
Recently I revisited those early X-Clan albums and was shocked at their high quality – they are truly great – so I’m thankful that you wrote this article: it’s spot-on. And to call Brother J’s flow effortless is RIGHT: he’s so masterful & confident it’s hypnotic. …Also, speaking as an obsessed fan of Nice & Smooth, I agree when you liken their beatmaking to X-Clan’s: “the crew’s production style had evolved in a manner similar to Greg Nice’s knack for combining well-worn samples and making them sound brand new again” – I hadn’t made that comparison myself; but the second I read those words, I shouted eureka.
I’d really enjoy a pre-x-clan professor x piece from you Robbie. The manager to the stars, concert promoter extraordinaire, Brooklyn pilar, etc. there is a great story there.
Best thing on the internets today.
Actually I take that back … The Latino brotha in SoCal that faced down the Fuzz ( 2 guns , 3 squad cars ) and the ‘ Comply or Die ‘ mentality is BEST ….X CLAN is solid @ position 2
… All Hail Funkin Lesson
THIS!!!!! ——“It’s also a timely reminder of how political rap crews realised that nobody would pay attention to their message if it didn’t sound better than everybody else’s records. Rather than whining about how nobody supports ‘conscious’ hip-hop, X-Clan and Public Enemy slapped you in the face with beats so powerful that you had to take notice.” word Robbie
FTP
To the East My Brother to the East
Fuckin always loved me so XClan Sissy’s
Professor X Carson RIP, a Brother J verse is always a welcome
@hotbox, now that I see that connection made, it seems to obvious! Snoop’s early stuff especially bears a bit of J’s influence.
Fucking CLASSIC ALBUM and Brother J has to be the most slept on M.C. in history…I mean who ever put it down like Brother J and that Voice Woooooo Clasic right there!!!
VANGLORIOUS!
Dug out my Xodus tape just the other day, one of my favourite albums
Thanks for all the love, 2015 is the 25th Anniversary of “To The East Blackwards”!
Was all about Brother J for me and what a voice he owned. Funkin Lesson and Grand verbalizer used to give me goosebumps! learned the lyrics to those back in the day. Rappin behind the track made me feel conscious unfucwitable 17 year old brother. Damn i wish i still had my leather africa pendants! R.I.P Dj Sugar Shaft and Professor X. “This is an invitation, to the crossroads
If you dare, SISSSSSSSSSY
With a KEY!”