X-Raided - Xorcist album review
Xorcist was his most highly controversial album of 1996. A quote from a 1996 Playboy Magazine article about X-Raided - Xorcist stated: “Talk about determination.” X-Raided shocked the world and baffled authorities by recording a rap album over the phone while he was awaiting his murder trial to begin in the Sacramento County Jail from the timespan of 1994 to 1996. He was in jail for the murder of community activist Patricia Harris.
The fact that the Xorcist album was recorded over the phone from jail was shocking at that time since no one else recorded an album from a phone in jail which is why the Xorcist album received national attention in news media across the United States. At that time recording an album over the phone from jail was completely unheard of.
Xorcist is a Sacramento rap classic that is quite memorable due to the sound quality and the fact that the album was recorded over the phone from jail. This album is highly sought after by X-Raided fans alike. Memorable hits from Xorcist are Deuce Five To Life, I Ain’t Dead Yet, Unfukwitable, Wit A Mask On, Liquor, Niggaz, & Triggaz, Recognize. Done Deal is another one.The vocals are not up to high quality as all his other albums are as the vocal quality is rather subpar. But don’t let that deter you from buying this album! This album is highly sought after by X-Raided fans alike.
A news article from a January 10, 1996 edition of the Sacramento Bee newspaper confirmed and reported that Xorcist sold over 28,000 copies in its first run. 50,000 copies of the 1st edition of the Xoricst album exist. Overall more than 150,000 units of the Xorcist album have been sold.
Willie Charles (LA Chill) was the executive producer responsible for acting as the sole engineer and producer along with Ced Singleton while working on the Xorcist album timespan of 1994 to 1996. Willie Charles (LA Chill) and Ced Singleton both acted as producers for the Xorcist album. Willie Charles was looking after X-Raided while working on the Xorcist album. That’s how deeply involved with Xorcist he was! LA Chill’s name is all over the Xorcist album for that very reason.
While working on the Xorcist album, Willie Charles was influenced by psychedelic rock, horrorcore, siccness, and gangsta rap sounds. He was on the psychedelic tip. Willie Charles (LA Chill) is the sole creator of those eerie sounds that you hear when listening to the X-Raided - Xorcist album as he is the originator and creator of those high pitched eerie sounds. HE IS the sole creator for those high pitched eerie sounds!
Xorcist was recorded on a 16 track reel to reel. The vocals were recorded over the phone live in Sacramento County Jail. At first Xorcist was released on cassette only and then Xorcist was released on CD in 1996. X-Raided was not satisfied with results of the audio quality for the cassette edition of Xorcist as he stated in a news article in LA Times written in November 17, 2002.
Xorcist was recorded through an old fashioned rotary phone. LA Chill modified the rotary phone to ease the recording process. The vocals were processed through a mixer. A phone was hooked up to the mixer. X-Raided used 2 phones to record the Xorcist album. The deputies would take X-Raided to a separate room to record. Ced paid off the deputies to hook everything up in order for X-Raided to record the Xorcist album. He is the one who was pulling the strings.
Internal Affairs Division came after Ced Singleton after it was determined an album was recorded from behind bars. Ced Singleton directed Internal Affairs to go after William Charles (LA Chill). Internal Affairs went after LA Chill. All LA Chill did was produce beats and record vocals.
Deuce Five to Life is about how X-Raided felt he won't get a fair trial on the murder charge. Deuce Five to Life explains the situation as to how X-Raided got incarcerated, the legal drama surrounding X-Raided, stress he is dealing with, and the March 15, 1992, murder of Patricia Harris. X-Raided claims his innocence on Deuce Five to Life. X-Raided foreshadows as he knows he is going to be found guilty by the jury.
The March 15, 1992, murder of Patricia Harris was in response to a gang-related vengeance which prosecutors described as. Patricia Harris was gunned down in the hallway of her Meadowview home after gunmen kicked in the front door and shot her in the chest. Two of Harris' sons were alleged members of the Meadowview Bloods were the intended targets. These two Meadowview Bloods members were rumored to have killed 24th Street Garden Blocc Crip member Jerome McCoy (J-Dogg). The March 15, 1992 murder of Patricia Harris was a home invasion gone wrong.
Two other men, Roosevelt Jermaine Coleman and Christopher McKinnie, were convicted of first-degree murder and are serving a 25 years to life sentence. X-Raided was given a 31 years to life sentence in 1996 after being found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy by a Sacramento jury.
Liquor, Niggaz, & Triggaz is the most eerie track on the whole album! Those high pitched eerie sounds you hear on Liquor, Niggaz, & Triggaz are the work of LA Chill. Willie Charles (LA Chill) is the sole creator of those eerie sounds that you hear on this track. Liquor, Niggaz, & Triggaz has an eerie horrorcore vibe.
Brotha Lynch Hung, Sicx, and the Black Market Records production crew were high during the of recording this track. Sicx was drunk off that OE (Olde English) for which he was intoxicated off of during this recording. That is why Sicx made a reference to that OE. Brotha Lynch Hung was high whilst recording this track. The Black Market Records production crew stayed high at times.
That’s why you hear
[Brotha Lynch Hung verse]
Cause I don't love you hoes
I don't love you niggaz
All I'm givin a fuck is about my liquor and my triggaz
[Sicx verse]
When I’m off that OE
When I’m off that OE, Loc
LA Chill produced Done Deal with female rapper Da Misses all over this track. That’s why you hear those high pitched eerie sounds on Done Deal. Those were LA Chill’s signature sounds. Notice the creepy animal sounds in the background for instance. Da Misses is LA Chill’s cousin. Da Misses really shined on here and the 5 tracks she featured on this album. Done Deal is a perfect example of a G-Funk track as Done Deal is a perfect G-Funk track.
Da Misses vents about shadiness of society on Done Deal. She displays a raw, shrill, cold attitude of harshness towards society on Done Deal. She breaks everything down into detail about what’s real with reality and what’s the reality. She takes a hit against the industry on this track.
LA Chill produced the beats for I Ain’t Dead Yet. Take notice of X-Raided giving Will a shout out. Da Misses does not have as huge a presence on here as all the other tracks. The beats used on I Ain’t Dead Yet were used on Basket Case from the Sicx albums Deer Hunter and If These Walls Could Talk.
Unfukwitable was inspired by the sounds of Snoop Dogg, G-Funk, and gangsta rap. Da Misses is all over Unfukwitable. LA Chill produced the beats for Unfukwitable.
*[For those who didn’t know, Brotha Lynch Hung was originally supposed to produced the X-Raided - Xorcist album. But X-Raided and Brotha Lynch Hung got into a feud over copying each others music style. Lynch had copied X’s style. So instead X-Raided got LA Chill to produce the Xorcist album by writing to him by letter from Sacramento County Jail. That is how X-Raided convinced LA Chill to produce the Xorcist album.
That is why Brotha Lynch Hung was not as “hands on” and did not have a huge presence on the Xorcist album as he did on the 1992 Psycho Active album. That is also the reason attributed to why Brotha Lynch Hung was only on the following tracks: Open The Casket, Body Count, and Liquor, Niggaz, & Triggaz. Brotha Lynch Hung only produced Open The Casket, Body Count, and Liquor, Niggaz, & Triggaz.]
*[For those who didn’t know, Ced Singleton released the X-Raided - Xorcist album without the permission of Willie Charles and copyrighted the Xorcist album without no contract. William Larcell Charles (LA Chill) did not give Ced Singleton permission to release the Xorcist album nor did he give Black Market Records any distribution rights either for retail release of this particular album to be released in any format. That is a federal offense!
Ced Singleton also “claims” he published Xorcist. The truth is Ced Singleton wrote none of the songs. Both X-Raided (Anarae V. Brown) and Cedric (Ced) Singleton cheated Willie Charles (LA Chill) out of both mechanical royalties and publishing royalties for the Xorcist album because they wanted the money for themselves. Ced Singleton and X-Raided never paid Willie Charles (LA Chill) mechanical royalties and publishing royalties for the 1996 X-Raided - Xorcist album ever. Despite all this, Ced Singleton was still credited as a producer.
Despite that, Willie Charles and X-Raided had split the publishing royalties for the 1996 Xorcist album. They never signed no agreements or contracts for the Xorcist album at the time. X-Raided owns his lyrics regardless of the copyrights involved for this case.]
*[William Larcell Charles lawfully owns the full copyright to the X-Raided - Xorcist album as he owns the Xorcist reel to reels to this day for which he clearly maintains for which he rightfully owns full copyright and full ownership to.]
*[Both X-Raided and Ced Singleton still owe William Larcell Charles (LA Chill) mechanical royalties and publishing royalties for the 1996 X-Raided - Xorcist album.]
*[LA Chill was the person who came out with the original concept for the artwork and graphic design for the Xorcist album. Ced has falsely claimed himself for taking the credit for the artwork and graphic design. LA Chill was the person who designed the front album cover artwork.]
5/5*****!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vallejo - Vallejo (IMI Edition) album review
Shining Sun is the self-titled debut album by Vallejo that was released on the Chicago, Illinois record label IMI Records in 1997. Shining Sun sold 5,000 copies upon its release in just a few weeks! TVT Records took notice and singed Vallejo to their label the same year. Their debut album was repackaged and re-released as the Shining Sun album on TVT Records.
Just Another Day was an instant hit which caught fire on local radio station KLBJ in Texas and eventually the US. Texas fell in love with the song Just Another Day. Just Another Day is similar to the raw raunchy Latin rock sound of Santana. Just Another Day was the single that became an instant hit. Their first single Just Another Day reached #30 on the Billboard Alternative Rock charts.
Boogie Man is a hard rock song with all hard rock energy. You can feel the intensity and energy in style with this hard rock song. Boogie Man does get startling at times. Honestly Boogie Man should have became an instant hit for the Vallejo band.
The album cover was changed from the Sacred Heart artwork to the sun and thorns because of religious controversy. Vallejo caught flack with he Catholic Church and various religious organizations (as well as TVT Records) back in the 1990s. So TVT Records revamped, repackaged, and re-released their self-titled debut album with a whole new completely different look visually in 1997.
Now the album cover with the burning heart (Sacred Heart artwork) is the album that was originally released on IMI Records in 1997. If you have the IMI1969 edition of the self-titled debut album, then you have the original version of the self-titled Vallejo album. Artwork for both versions differ. Photography was done by Todd V. Wolfson.
Shining Sun is the self-titled debut album by Vallejo. None of the songs were changed either on the original version or the re-release. TVT Records was the one responsible for releasing new album cover now known by Vallejo fans as the "Shining Sun" album. The Shining Sun album you see in the retail market is the self-titled album which is the re-release version. Bobby Francovillo was responsible for launching the career of Vallejo.
Their (Vallejo) original contract with IMI allowed them to sign a joint deal between IMI and TVT. However despite that, the contract between TVT and IMI led the label to effectively shelve the album. Vallejo managed to sell over 50,000 copies of their debut.
5/5*****!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vallejo - Leftovers album review
Only 1,000 copies of the Leftovers album by Vallejo of were ever pressed onto CD. The Leftovers album was really meant to be a digital download album only. The Leftovers album is basically a collection of outtakes, alternate mixes, and remixes of songs from previous albums from Vallejo. Leftovers is for all the hardcore Vallejo fans, fans of Latin rock, and Latin music lovers. The sound on most of these songs are raw and unpolished. Leftovers was released in 2004 on CD and in 2005 as a digital download album on iTunes and emusic.
Snake In The Grass was on the soundtrack of True Blood. All you True Blood fans should know that! Snake In The Grass was minor hit that gained the band a relevant buzz with radio stations and TV cross the US. The song Snake In The Grass was a minor hit in the US.
Other than that, this version of Snake In The Grass is Snake In The Grass (Original Rock Mix). This song was the original version that was supposed to be on the 1998 album Beautiful Life before TVT Records gave the song to DJ Hurricane to remix for a single. This is the version Vallejo wanted on the Beautiful Life album, but ended up getting outvoted by TVT to have DJ Hurricane’s version on the album instead.
Dynamite Wack was diss song aimed at rock band Dynamite Hack when they did a shitty ass cover version of N.W.A.'s Boys In The Hood. Which wasn't funny at all! Somehow Dynamite Hack got to hit a chart at #12 and #2 on the BillBoard, thus killing any chance for Vallejo's albums to chart back in the year of 2000. Dynamite Hack even made front page news on the Austin Chronicle back in the year of 2000 because of this.
Dynamite Wack and appear as hidden tracks on the 2004 CD of Leftovers and the 2005 digital download version of Leftovers on iTunes and emusic. Dynamite Wack appears as hidden track.
Natasha as a song was the beginning of Vallejo’s introduction into Latin rock that would eventually become a part of their own sound. The song Natasha was recorded in 1997 for the Shining Sun album. The song did not make it onto the album due to an abrupt seizure lead band member AJ Vallejo had experienced while recording the vocals for the song. Natasha was the final song for the Shining Sun album which as supposed to be the last song.
The song Natasha was about prostitution. AJ read a disturbingly moving news article in TIME magazine about fathers in foreign countries who pimped out their teenage daughters to tourists against their own will to make money for themselves. TVT considered this song to be too violent and sexually graphic in lyrical content on an album of songs about hope and faith. TVT was not too crazy about the song’s message anyway. (Or the song either.) In the end, TVT replaced Natasha with Cold Monkey.
Natasha appeared on the Japanese version of Vallejo's self-titled album as a bonus track. For some reason in 1997 when Vallejo was signed to TVT Records, TVT decided to not include Natasha and Irishman on the US version of their self-titled album. This was done for promotional purposes or some other shit like that. TVT sucks!
Just A Game was a previously unreleased song intended for Into The New album, but the producer deemed it a bit too different for the direction the album was going in. Just A Game was replaced by The Beginning.
The song Break Free was recorded in March 2004 at Matchbox Studios for another album the Vallejo band was working on which was too good for Vallejo to ignore. Break Free was the first rock music song the band had recorded in 2 years since the release of the Stereo album in 2002. Break Free is an unreleased song.
Tono's Montreaux will remind you a lot of Bonzo's Montreaux from Led Zepplin's Coda album! It's almost exactly like Bonzo's Montreaux which is a drum solo! Tono's Montreaux is a tribute to Bonzo's Montreaux. (Am I the only one that noticed that?) XXX 96 Mix was more instrumental than the album version. It will remind you a lot of the local ATX electronic band OHN. XXX 96 Mix was possibly meant to be an instrumental.
Man Lotion was a wack song. Vallejo’s attempt at humor is quite witty. Yet this tracks humor was too state with no substance. It seems as if the Vallejo band was not really trying. The acoustics are unbalanced yet the vocals are not which is quite odd.
This compilation album was just basically thrown together. Break Free, Dynamite Whack, Man Lotion, Tono's Montreaux and Just Game are the only real unreleased songs. To sum it all up, overall, Leftovers by Vallejo is an overlooked compilation album by fans of rock music and Latin music.
3/5***
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DJ Snake - Turnt Up Bass Classics album review
DJ Snake combined songs from his albums Till Bass Do Us Part and King of Bass onto one album which is this one right here. Did you know that DJ Snake bass test tones can help equalize balance in your speakers? Well if you purchased his newly remastered state-of-the-art digital download album of his Turnt Up Bass Classics album that was released on iTunes back in 2016, then you will know what I am talking about. For instance songs such as How Low, Moments in Bass, and Frequency use a 26 Hz bass test tone that will surely clear and equalize your speakers.
5/5*****!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lil Hawk - Red Pagez album review
Lil Hawk finally released an album after all these years! And no, this is not the Lil Hawk Red Riding Hood album that circulated via CD-r in the hoods of Inglewood and LA back in 1997. The album was released digitally online in October 2016 by Upset Records and Red Pagez Ent. (And on CD from rapbay.com.) The Red Pagez album is a collection of tracks that were recorded from 1994-2014 during his time as a solo artist and during his time signed onto Dangerous Records which was 1994-1999. Some of those tracks were recorded from 1994-1999 before Lil Hawk caught his murder case which landed him in jail on April of 1999.
These tracks were from his albums Lil Hawk Red Riding Hood and the Lil Hawk self-titled solo album which was supposed be to all solo tracks by Lil Hawk only. Physical copies of this album exist, but the Red Pagez album was intended to be a digital album available online only. Physical copies of this album can be purchased on rapbay.com however. Denver, Colorado based label Upset Records oversaw the responsibilities of marketing this Lil Hawk album towards the digital market online.
Some of the sound and production is not up top notch thrifty state-of-the-art recording standards. Lil Hawk did record some tracks on a 4-track cassette recorder connected to a mono speaker which is why the vocals are lower than the music on some tracks.
Ironically Tweedy Bird Loc and Dangerous Records ad nothing to do with this release nor was the album released by Dangerous Records. Despite Tweedy Bird Loc, J Stank, Leroy Dukes, QLuso, and Ronnie Ron producing some of the tracks, neither parties involved had any say in the matter of whether or not the Red Pagez album would be released or not.
Red Rida is a self-explanatory track about Lil Hawk Red Riding Hood himself. Lil Hawk gets self-explanatory and autobiographical on Red Rida. Red Rida was most likely recorded in 2002 since it has that new school rap sound.
Murda Flo pays tribute fallen late rapper B Brazy of Damu Ridas. Soundclips of B Brazy from the documentary War Stories which was released on DVD in the 1990s. on that intro LIP B Brazy
Inglewood Barz is a Lil Hawk freestyle rap track that has that classic Dangerous Records sound with hard heavy hitting bass that will surely rattle your speakers! Level for bass is quite heavy. The treble inside his vocals are quite noticeable as Inglewood Barz was recorded in 1997 on a 4-track cassette recorder connected to a mono speaker which is why the vocals are lower than the music.
The electronic synths and new school rap sound on My Shit Bang do not suit Lil Hawk at all. My Shit Bang is more of a “hit or miss” type of track. The treble inside his vocals are quite as his vocals could have been mastered better. Treble stands as a highlight out the most here.
Westside Moment is a hood classic to some. However you can’t help but feel something is off when you listen to Westside Moment. Lil Hawk’s flow does not match up the tempo on Westside Moment. He raps way too fast in such a rapid pace that his lyrics do not match up with the mid tempo beats. However don’t let that deter you away from listening to the track. Lil Hawk is still hard with it. Westside Moment was probably recorded sometime during 1994-1999.
Red Pagez is a 4/5**** album! Lil Hawk the Inglewood legend returns with the real gangsta shit on this album. The album has that classic Dangerous Records sound on top of that new school rap school. However most of the tracks retain a new school rap sound rather than the classic Dangerous Records sound Lil Hawk fans among others would expect to hear. The weak tracks on this album are My Shit Bang, Broke Bitchez, Tha Weed, N Tha Hood, Westside Moment, and Tha Niggaz I Kno. Trap beats do not suite Lil Hawk at all. Period. The old school rap sound suites Lil Hawk best.
Other than that, Lil Hawk should do a sequel album to this album called Red Pagez 2 which would be appropriate for a follow-up album to this album. That would be brehsive! A sequel album called Red Pagez 2 from Lil Hawk should be released.
4/5****!
No comments:
Post a Comment