Anerae Veshaughn Brown, better known as X-Raided, is an American rapper, and Garden Blocc Crip gang member. He is currently incarcerated for first degree murder, also for gang-related murder homicide.
Born July 30, 1974, Brown was brought up by his mother, Shirley James 'Jaz' Brown, a clerk at the Sacramento County Courthouse.
The first X-Raided album, Psycho Active, was recorded in June 1990 with Sacramento rapper Brotha Lynch Hung, and released in 1992. Brown claims that the recording was made during a deadly conflict between the 24th Street & Garden Blocc Crips and the Meadowview Bloods, contributing to lyrics full of violence. In March 1992 gang members raided the home of Patricia Harris and she was fatally shot. Brown and four other gang members were arrested for the murder.
The cover of Psycho Active shows Brown’s face with a .38-caliber handgun pressed to his head, and it was speculated that this was the actual murder weapon. The lyrics on the album contained mirror images of the crime he was suspected to have committed, and this caused national media coverage of X-Raided's then-impending trial. Brown did not testify about the night of the Harris murder, adhering to a code of silence, claiming he was present at the attack but did not pull the trigger.
From 1993 to 1995 X-Raided recorded a large amount of material entirely over the telephone while in jail awaiting trial. These recordings were released on the 1995 album Xorcist. The exact means used to get the recordings is unknown, but the quality of X-Raided's material on the album is substantially less than studio quality, especially when intermixed with collaborations with other artists where the sound quality is normal. A track on the album begins with a recording of a collect call from X-Raided which identifies him as "an inmate in Sacramento County Jail".
This second album garnered even more attention and it was covered in various mainstream media outlets including Playboy (September 1996). Months after the release of "Xorcist", X-Raided was convicted of first degree murder and gang related homicide as he was sentenced to 31 years in prison.
X-Raided's next album Unforgiven came in 1999, and was also recorded surreptitiously while in prison. A guard helped X-Raided access the equipment necessary to record his vocals, and even his cell mate, Dott Dogg, made an appearance on the album.
Vibe (August 1998) reported, "The Unforgiven is culled from 65 tracks recorded onto a DAT, with beats added afterwards at a studio". Post-production was done at a house by producer DJ VerbalTek. He sent the music equipment necessary for recording; a microphone used to clip on in interviews, a tape recorder and a electronic metronome. All the beats were made by DJ VerbalTek including the single Mortal Kombat. According to Jerry Smith, Community Resources Manager at Salinas State Prison, "it's a mystery how such vocal sessions could take place. Inmates are not allowed to have tape recorders."
Despite adverse circumstances, X-Raided managed to obtain clear and legitimate vocals. The result is "The Unforgiven: Volume I". X-Raided says, "with 2Pac gone, there is no one stepping up to represent the West Coast that has the lyrical skills, plus the intrigue to withstand the scrutiny that comes with being the best in his region. Now that I have real vocals, I am claiming the throne that was vacated by the death of Makaveli. Cali is mine and I am demanding my place at the top of the list of West Coast MC's."
When asked about his case, X-Raided stated, "I was railroaded, straight up. But there is nothing I can do now except to make as much noise as I can, and hip hop is my medium, my podium. I gotta make some Johnny Cochran money so I can get up out of hell." "The Unforgiven: Volume I" showcases the production of newcomers DJ Shareil, The Technician, and R.A.W., collectively known as Mad Man Records. The album also features two new lyrical talents, Dott Dogg and Hanifah. Stand out tracks include "Misanthropy", "Spittin' Venom", and the autobiographical title track.
The Initiation was released in early 2001, and was the culmination of X-Raided's attempts at forming his own record label back in 1999, Mad Man, with the help of his mother, Shirley “Jaz” Brown. Since the release of that album, X-Raided has since created another label called Bloc Star in 2005. He was the first artist to leave Madman Records in 2005. It is now run by Shirley “Jaz” Brown and Big No Love. Before the murder, Jaz Brown was a clerk at the Sacramento County Courthouse, but she quit when X-Raided became a famous defendant in the corridors. By June 2000, Jaz Brown had a new title, CEO of Madman Records, the new label for X-Raided and other local Sacramento rappers.
In 2011, X-Raided signed a distribution deal with RBC Records (same distribution company as Tech N9ne's Strange Music). Despite getting his equipment confiscated, X has continued recording, including work on his forthcoming album, as well as features for Jacka, G-Macc, and L.A.M.B (Roccy & Sccit). X is currently working on his album "Sacramentally Disturbed", which is due out some time in 2012.
