It is approaching 25 years since X Clan released their seminal debut, To The East, Blackwards. Although he shared the billing with his late partner Sugar Shaft, and later additions, the also mourned Professor X as well as Paradise The Architect, the verses and production were almost entirely thanks to Brother J. Still the leader of the group, the Brooklyn native created a movement around the music, decades before the expression would become a cliché. Blackwatch, which was hand-in-hand with X Clan and their lessons on wax, promoted Black Nationalism to the Hip-Hop generation, stressing respect of elders and family. Although the symbolism and lyrics of X Clan’s music was (and is) dense, Brother J and his crew were never above laughing, joking, and sweetening the wisdom with danceable grooves.
When the ’59 Caddy of To The East… drifted into the horizon lines, Brother J remained active. He formed the Dark Sun Riders, which 20 years later, is an archetype for the underground Hip-Hop to follow. J protested in the streets, toured the world, and kept his causes and music alive.
Now carrying the X Clan name, Brother J says he is out to eradicate verbal abuse on records. The artist who came up in close conjunction with The Ultramagnetic MCs and Jungle Brothers says that radio programmers and label executives need to be taken to task for the messages they’re propagating. Moreover, Brother J is the change he wishes to see, abstaining from cursing on his records, and proudly pointing to a catalog of music that he’s unashamed of, and agrees with today. Crazy Hood speaks to Brother J, to learn what time it is, 25 years later, with a host of memories and milestones to speak of.
Crazy Hood: One thing that I’ve always admired about you, is to the listener, you’ve always put the groups that you were in above yourself. Whether looking at X Clan or Dark Sun Riders, the sum, for the art’s sake, always seemed greater than the individuals involved. Those of us who have done the history know how much you’ve contributed, but how intentional and calculated was the overall collective front, especially at a time when so many groups were breaking up to pursue solo interests?
Brother J: That’s a great point that you make, because in this month of April we celebrate 20 years of Dark Sun [Riders] being in existence. I gave birth to that concept in ’94. The purpose was to let people know that I still wanted to be group-oriented and not about myself, doing a solo album, which is what [Island Records] was trying to push me towards because Busta [Rhymes] had just left Leaders Of The New School, EPMD was breaking up, even Run-DMC had split; so many groups were breaking and finding solo options. I didn’t want them to believe I failed, or made a bad decision. X Clan was my group. It was me and [Sugar] Shaft coming in; we invited my mentor, Professor X and [Paradise] The Architect into the group, which made it more mature, and more digestible for older [audiences]. It was tactical, and I’m glad you point that out. Sometimes, as a sacrifice, it’s not noticed. It was intentional.
Dark Sun Riders had to be a team where we were continuing where we last left off. I wanted to aim at more doing music, but I wanted to [make clear] that [I did not] abandon the mission all of a sudden, like I’m a just a producer now. No. It’s just that I wanted to take my team out of the analog era and into the digital. It had to be a cross, so [Seeds Of Evolution] was the perfect bridge to let people start hearing me more on digital tracks. We went through it, trying to make our own; I was tired of giving George Clinton money, and lawyers and all of that. I hope that answers what you were kickin’ to me.
Crazy Hood: So the primary difference, as you see it, between the analog and digital eras was sampling?
Brother J: Yes. The elders didn’t see the people who continue what they started. If you made a song about peanut butter, and I come out and do one about peanut butter and M&Ms, I’m coming close to your concept. X Clan sampling George Clinton was something different. He’s talking ‘bout the mothership, [Snoop Dogg] is talking about drinking gin and juice. I’m not trying to limit anybody’s expression, but you would think that he would bond with the person who’s continuing your concept. I remember somebody said, “Stop sampling my stuff and come up in the studio with me.” But unless I was paying out millions of dollars for that kind of concept, then I wouldn’t get it. I had to continue to sample. It’s the publishing companies that make sampling expensive. They have to. That’s how they eat. [Laughs] It’s not the artist’s fault. “Go ahead and use that, just give me my fair share.” But if you if you’ve got four or five people eating off of your plate, you’re taking sampling out of the conscious artists’ plate, because already we get taken out of the [running] because we’re not properly valued. Now I gotta give you my whole bread and butter to sample, just like we had always done at the block parties? I had to take a break. And that Dark Sun Riders was my break for me to learn engineering, for me to learn digital, and I wanted to share what I was on. I was in a meditative state; I had lost my boy [Sugar Shaft]. I was fighting a depression and still wanting to give a lesson and continue with the transition of taking Clan somewhere else. When we broke Clan, I wanted it to be different, and up to stage, and I didn’t want to compromise, brother. Like you said, you’ve got to be tactical and put a strategy down.
BROTHER J (X-CLAN): GRAND VERBALIZING (INTERVIEW) | CrazyHood.com
When the ’59 Caddy of To The East… drifted into the horizon lines, Brother J remained active. He formed the Dark Sun Riders, which 20 years later, is an archetype for the underground Hip-Hop to follow. J protested in the streets, toured the world, and kept his causes and music alive.
Now carrying the X Clan name, Brother J says he is out to eradicate verbal abuse on records. The artist who came up in close conjunction with The Ultramagnetic MCs and Jungle Brothers says that radio programmers and label executives need to be taken to task for the messages they’re propagating. Moreover, Brother J is the change he wishes to see, abstaining from cursing on his records, and proudly pointing to a catalog of music that he’s unashamed of, and agrees with today. Crazy Hood speaks to Brother J, to learn what time it is, 25 years later, with a host of memories and milestones to speak of.
Crazy Hood: One thing that I’ve always admired about you, is to the listener, you’ve always put the groups that you were in above yourself. Whether looking at X Clan or Dark Sun Riders, the sum, for the art’s sake, always seemed greater than the individuals involved. Those of us who have done the history know how much you’ve contributed, but how intentional and calculated was the overall collective front, especially at a time when so many groups were breaking up to pursue solo interests?
Brother J: That’s a great point that you make, because in this month of April we celebrate 20 years of Dark Sun [Riders] being in existence. I gave birth to that concept in ’94. The purpose was to let people know that I still wanted to be group-oriented and not about myself, doing a solo album, which is what [Island Records] was trying to push me towards because Busta [Rhymes] had just left Leaders Of The New School, EPMD was breaking up, even Run-DMC had split; so many groups were breaking and finding solo options. I didn’t want them to believe I failed, or made a bad decision. X Clan was my group. It was me and [Sugar] Shaft coming in; we invited my mentor, Professor X and [Paradise] The Architect into the group, which made it more mature, and more digestible for older [audiences]. It was tactical, and I’m glad you point that out. Sometimes, as a sacrifice, it’s not noticed. It was intentional.
Dark Sun Riders had to be a team where we were continuing where we last left off. I wanted to aim at more doing music, but I wanted to [make clear] that [I did not] abandon the mission all of a sudden, like I’m a just a producer now. No. It’s just that I wanted to take my team out of the analog era and into the digital. It had to be a cross, so [Seeds Of Evolution] was the perfect bridge to let people start hearing me more on digital tracks. We went through it, trying to make our own; I was tired of giving George Clinton money, and lawyers and all of that. I hope that answers what you were kickin’ to me.
Crazy Hood: So the primary difference, as you see it, between the analog and digital eras was sampling?
Brother J: Yes. The elders didn’t see the people who continue what they started. If you made a song about peanut butter, and I come out and do one about peanut butter and M&Ms, I’m coming close to your concept. X Clan sampling George Clinton was something different. He’s talking ‘bout the mothership, [Snoop Dogg] is talking about drinking gin and juice. I’m not trying to limit anybody’s expression, but you would think that he would bond with the person who’s continuing your concept. I remember somebody said, “Stop sampling my stuff and come up in the studio with me.” But unless I was paying out millions of dollars for that kind of concept, then I wouldn’t get it. I had to continue to sample. It’s the publishing companies that make sampling expensive. They have to. That’s how they eat. [Laughs] It’s not the artist’s fault. “Go ahead and use that, just give me my fair share.” But if you if you’ve got four or five people eating off of your plate, you’re taking sampling out of the conscious artists’ plate, because already we get taken out of the [running] because we’re not properly valued. Now I gotta give you my whole bread and butter to sample, just like we had always done at the block parties? I had to take a break. And that Dark Sun Riders was my break for me to learn engineering, for me to learn digital, and I wanted to share what I was on. I was in a meditative state; I had lost my boy [Sugar Shaft]. I was fighting a depression and still wanting to give a lesson and continue with the transition of taking Clan somewhere else. When we broke Clan, I wanted it to be different, and up to stage, and I didn’t want to compromise, brother. Like you said, you’ve got to be tactical and put a strategy down.
BROTHER J (X-CLAN): GRAND VERBALIZING (INTERVIEW) | CrazyHood.com
