Customer Reviews

Return From Mecca

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This review is protected by The Red, The Black and The Green. For those of you who dont know, X-Clan is one of those groups of the early 90s that gave you superb rap classics like Return To The East Blackwards and Xodus(the album You dont mention). After a long hiatus and the untimely passing of Professor X(RIP), Brother J is back and in full effect with this album. Brother J sounds very energized as evidenced in tracks like Aragorn, Who U Doin That and Weapon X. He stills drops knowledge as well as dope rhymes on those track mentioned as well as Mecca, Prison, Atonement, Self-Destruct, 3rd Eyes On Me etc. Voodoo brings back memories as RBX does his best Professor X impression on the track. Im glad that Krs-One and Brother J buried the hatchet(rap gods should never beef period!)because Speak The Truth is 2006's best rap collabo. Trump Card is another exciting cut that features a pretty good verse from a femcee by the name of Hannah Barbera. Locomotion has the most unlikely but good collaboration with Tri State of One Session and Brad X of Kottonmouth Kings(yes, you've read that right). Another unexpected but good match up is Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach on the rock-inspired Americans. Damian Marley shows up on the beautifully reggae-inspired Culture United. Even though this album is great, I dont feel, Space People(feat Quazedelic) and Funky 4 U(feat Charli 2na of Jurassic 5). Bottom Line: X-Clan's Return To Mecca is one of 2006's best releases and is X-Clan's best work to date. The Production: innovative, unique and catchy. Lyrics: Brother J is still sharp and his rhymes are stilled filled with jewels that need to be heard especially now. Guest appearances: They were great too(especially Krs-One) and added to the album's appeal. I strongly recommend this to any fan of political hip hop. Professor X would be proud. PS. could someone tell me the name of the last joint featuring Tech9ne? Thanks. Standout Tracks: VOODOO, WEAPON X, SPEAK THE TRUTH, POSITRONS, MECCA, PRISONS, ATONEMENT, TRUMP CARD, AMERICANS and 3RD EYES ON ME.


PROFESSOR X REST IN PEACE!!!!

What a return! What a comeback! When I was a teenager, X-Clan was one of my favorite groups. They were a way more radical, pro-black, pro-Africa version of Public Enemy. Brother J was just as good a MC as Chuck D, but X-Clan gets no respect.

So this album picks up where their first left off. It's been about 15 years, but this actually meshes well with the older stuff. The beats are updated a bit. But they're still hard, upbeat and militant.

Brother J has one of the greatest deliveries/ flows/ presence on the mic. They borrow enough of the old lyrics to make it familiar to those of us who were fans back in the day. But it's not like it's a straight remake of To The East, Blackwards.

"Return from Mecca" is definitely recommended to anyone who likes that old-school hip-hop. This is music for true hip-hop heads, backpackers and college students.... Good stuff... which probably means no one will buy it.

A lyricist, dope beats and knowledge are the key elements to a dope conscious album. Funkin' lesson hits all the categories on the head with this new release from x clan. When I heard a new album was coming out after the long hiatus I questioned if brother J still had it. Well I saw x clan live when they came to chicago with public enemy. needless to say I left the concert with x clan's new cd in my hand. Not only does brother J shine on the album but he also has some nice guest appearances (Krs-One, Chali 2na, Jr. Gong Marley). It is good to hear a solid album that actually has some substance to it instead of wack material lyrics with a wack dance to accompany the weak track. This release gets two thumbs up from me.

The last album X-Clan dropped was all the way back in 1992 ("Xodus"). The group disbanded after that album to pursue other collective & solo projects. In 1995, original member Sugar Shaft died from AIDS. Shortly before the making of this album, Professor X died from spinal meningitis. With Paradise out of the picture, that left Brother J to single-handedly reform X-Clan for their comeback masterwork in 2006. The results are incredible. Brother J in particular sounds like he never left the booth. You would hardly believe his skill has not decreased since the golden age. He enlists a slew of producers, some veterans, but mostly new and fresh talent. The result of the production is near-perfect, and the chemistry is jaw-dropping.

01. X-Clan Album Intro: A nice tribal-rhythm background with past legends and new producers reintroducing X-Clan to the scene.

02. Aragorn: Quazedelic sets it off with a fresh, memorable beat. Brother J spits like he never took a break from the game. Guest rapper RBX adds nicely.

03. Voodoo: One of my favorites here; and also a throwback to the "Grand Verbalizer"/"Tribal Jam" days of 1990 with classic Professor X lines intertwined. Brother J slides smoothly into DJ Khalil's throwback beat. Pure dope!

04. Hovercraft Intro: A nice intro the blends nicely with the next cut

05. Why U Doin That?: Bean One's production flows nicely around Brother J's worldly commentary. After all these years, Brother J finds excellent ways to speak on wrenching matters. A quote from Afrika Bambaataa leads into the next cut.

06. Weapon X: UltraMan takes care of this cut, and it's nice spin on a CTA (?) classic. Again, Brother J's lyricism is in top notch form, delivery memorable verses and choruses.

07. Speak The Truth: This may be my favorite cut here. Jake One nails the soundscape....very memorable, and KRS-One delivers complete fire on his verse. A complete banger!

08. Positrons: This beat is produced by Quazedelic, and sounds similar to Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot". It's very different from the cuts that come before it, and Brother J delivers nice verses and choruses. Nice variety. A quote from Chuck D leads into the nest cut.

09. Mecca: Quazedelic is back again with another nice mix of samples/beats, adding nice instruments and tweaked out vocal samples. Jah Orah adds a rasta/reggae vibe to the song with his appearance. It works well with the protest vibe.

10. Prison: "It's gonna take people who are willing to fight. Not people who want to negotiate with the enemy". On this cut, Brother J tackles issues of slavery & freedom. Proh Mic produces the cut, and it's arguably the finest production on the whole disc. Christian Scott adds nice vocals to the mix. Not sure if they got a live trumpeter for this track, but it makes this track gold!

11. Atonement: Another cut from DJ Fat Jack, and this one is xylophone driven. Jah Orah adds his rasta/reggae vocals on this one too, and it works well.

12. Brother, Brother: West coast legend DJ Quik produces this cut, and it definitely adds a nice flavor to the mix. It seems Brother J can flow over just about anything. Nice scratching from Quik too. Heat!

13. Funky 4 U: Another banger from Quazedelic. Chali 2NA (of Jurassic 5) shows up here, and makes it an all-out banger.

14. Self Destruct: The up-and-coming J Thrill produces this acoustic guitar-laced cut. Brother J speaks on the struggles of addiction and self-destructive behavior. Introspective as always.

15. Space People: I'm convinced Quazedelic will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. He mixes another excellent cut here of various instruments and tones. Brother J and Quaz definitely have some nice chemistry. Not only that, Quazedelic can rap, and he proves it on this cut.

16. Trump Card: ACL & DJ Fat Jack handle the production duties here. It has a classic boom-bap thump to it. Female rapper Hannah Barbera (whom I never heard of before) kills her verse here. Nice to see some new talent.

17. To The East: ACL & DJ Fat Jack provide the beats here as well. It's more atmospheric this time around. It features excellent verses from Abstract Rude & old-school vet YZ. Nice cut all in all.

18. Locomotion: Proh Mic produces this cut. Daddy X (of Kottonmouth Kings and Humble Gods) & Tri State add pretty nice verses to the mix.

19. Americans: This certainly seams like a misstep in the album's quality run. Jacoby Shaddix (of the nu-metal band Papa Roach) takes care of the screaming chorus. While it adds a different flavor to the mix, it's not a good one in my opinion. The production from P. Shevelin just doesn't match Brother J much.

20. 3rd Eyes On Me: DJ Fat Jack delivers a nice synth flavored beat here. Overall, this one works nice, but some of the momentum gets lost.

21. Culture United: Damian Marley & Stephen Marley lace this one with all-out reggae production. Not a bad cut. Brother J delivers nicely, but I'm honestly just not feeling Damian's vocals on this track.

22. Respect: Tech N9ne stops by on the last cut of the album. Not bad, but not great either.

Overall, had they trimmed the fat on their 77-minute magnum opus of a comeback, I would have had no problem handing out 5-stars to "Return From Mecca". The quality that Brother J and the wealth of new talent he brings to the table is outstanding. Some of these new producers have some nice resume pieces here. Not only is "Return From Mecca" one of the best releases of 2006, it's also one of the best veteran-comebacks of the new millennium. Vanglorious!

Brother J's long awaited return will not disappoint. We have not heard from him since 1996's Dark Sun Riders (which was dope as hell btw). The production on Return From Mecca is solid, the flow is solid, collabs are tight and the content is positively dope.

HipHop has changed and Bro J has proven he can handle the shift in the tide. Other people gave it a lower rating because they expected something along the lines of 1991's To The East, Blackwards or Xodus. This is ridiculous...times have changed...and artists evolve and progress.

There are bangers galore on here... my personal fav is the collaboration with junior gong damian marley.

X-clan is back and thank god here to save hip-hop it's been a long time since we heard Brother J rap but he hasn't missed a beat it's another classic album by x-clan. x-clan gives you a little bit of everything on this album some of the best tracks are weapon x and voodoo the album is missing of course professor x (r.i.p.)but x-clan does the right thing by putting samples of his voice once and awhile all in all this is a very good album

Wow! I can't believe its 2007 and X-Clan has released some new music. Altho they have suffered a loss, they have marched on with the spirit and Brotha J is still spittin gems on the mic. That 5 percent ishh. Any fan of the old Clan will be happy to hear this album - pick it up and see what the game has been missing!

How you aint released an album in 15 years and your lyrics are still light years beyond the "hottest" cats out in the game? Is the game that bad or is Brother J just that damn good. When mentioning the greatest ever often you'll hear your Chuck Ds, KRSes, Rakims, Kanes and Pacs quite often but somehow Brother J goes unmentioned which is hip hop blasphemy! Suns skillz are arguably more poetent and on point then the above mentioned. Return from Mecca is ridiculous, so many bangers. If you know revolution (change) evolution (growth) is the solution you can't go wrong with this. The jewel is Speak the Truth featuring KRS. Those that know the history between both acts know how big an event this is. Locomotion goes hard too but the whole album slams ya heard, Vanglorious indeed! PEACE TO THE GODS!!!

Despite their terrible loss, The Clan made a great come back with Return of the Mecca. I was a fan of the old clan and they made me proud this time. Brotha J must be looking down on them proudly.

~Meme~

Some of the best current hip-hop. The lyrics get me every time and the beats behind it keep me dancing all night long. My collection would not be complete with out this in it. Every time I play it for my friends they can't get enough and they all go out and get the cd also. It is not on constant rotation in our apartment.