Few artists in hip-hop or any genre carry the gravity of X-Raided. His career began under the shadow of a life sentence, when at just 17 years old he was tried as an adult and indicted in a gang-related homicide case. Prosecutors even used the lyrics and cover art from his debut Psycho Active against him, he was sentenced to 31 years to life. He spent more than 26 years in prison before being granted parole, and though a good part of his artistry was forged behind prison walls, he maintains his innocence to this day.
Signed to Tech N9ne’s Strange Music, X-Raided approaches his latest project, A Prophecy In Purgatory, as both a personal testimony and a sweeping meditation on faith, fate, and freedom. Structured like a double text, “The Old Testament” and “The New Testament” a story written in blood and bars. From the opening title track, co-produced with longtime collaborator Matt Phoenix, X-Raided sets the tone: dark, urgent production underscored by verses that feel like revelations carved out of confinement.
The early stretch brims with theological tension. “Ecclesiastes” and “Harrowing of Hell” balance doctrinal imagery with raw autobiography, while the skits (“Three Days in Hades,” “The Crucifixion”) heighten the album’s cinematic arc.
Guest appearances deepen the project’s resonance. West Coast heavyweights Brotha Lynch Hung, C-Bo, and Luni Coleone reconnect with their Sacramento roots on “Outside (Three Kings)” and “What’s My Name,” making the record a bridge between eras of California rap. “HeLa Cells” brings in Kurupt for a track that’s equal parts science, struggle, and survival, while Strange Music’s own Tech N9ne elevates “Damnation” with his trademark rapid-fire delivery. Mozzy closes out the record on “Still Outside,” a generational handoff that reinforces X-Raided’s ongoing relevance in today’s street narratives.
But some of the album’s most striking moments arrive when the spotlight narrows. “Queen of Hearts,” with guest vocals from Jayla Kearney and a poignant cameo from Tech N9ne, pulls personal threads into universal lament. “A Song for Grandparents” and “Measure of Wealth” cut through with raw intimacy, grounding the album’s grand themes in family and legacy.
Production throughout is dense and layered—Matt Phoenix and X-Raided craft soundscapes that feel both epic and haunted, drawing from gospel, horrorcore, and cinematic hip-hop. It’s not just a backdrop but an atmosphere, echoing the dualities of purgatory itself: hope and despair, damnation and redemption.
A Prophecy In Purgatory is an album that refuses to separate art from life, or struggle from salvation. For X-Raided, who now devotes his freedom to prison reform and restorative justice, this isn’t just music—it’s a mission.
Verdict: A Prophecy In Purgatory is heavy in every sense: thematically, sonically, historically. It’s a document of survival, a gospel for the forgotten, and a reminder that hip-hop at its best is not just entertainment but testimony. It’s a powerful display from one of rap’s most resilient voices.
Videos at: www.youtube.com/@OfficialXRaided
Follow him at:
© 2025, Variety Press. All rights reserved.
