Overlord X
Encyclopedia
Overlord X was one of the earliest British hip hop
artists to receive national acclaim in the UK
, with his most well known song still being his second single release, "14 Days in May" (Westside Records, 1988) about Edward Earl Johnson
. He worked with DJ Sir Preme T as well as other members of the "X Posse". He runs a music and creative production company.
's sessions, with three tracks recorded on 24 November 1988. He returned to the show on 2 August 1988, by now having joined Sir Preme T to record four further tracks.
Overlord X's first release was the song "Let There Be Rock" on the first of the Hard as Hell compilations
in 1989. This was followed by his break-through single, "14 Days in May" (Westside, 1989) where he raged against capital punishment
and in particular the case of Edward Earl Johnson, who was executed on the grounds of a confession that he claimed was made under duress.
The record was a success, and brought X to the attention of Mango Records, who signed him to record some singles and an album as the X Posse, featuring many other artists who were part of Overlord X's crew. The album, Project X (Mango, 1989), introduced a new generation of rappers to the UK audience.
This album was quickly followed by X's solo debut album. However, at the time Westside Records refused to grant permission for "14 Days in May" to be used on the album, and so X had to record a sequel instead, called "14 Days in Hell". The album, Weapon Is My Lyric (Mango, 1989), pioneered a new British hip hop, laying a blue print for a rock
influenced hardcore
style that was to dominate the scene for many years.
The album's success led to some strange ventures: one of the tracks, "Visa To Rock", was re-recorded by Overlord X with new lyrics relating to chess
for a BBC
documentary about the game fronted by a young Stephen Fry
. A clip of the documentary, featuring Overlord X's re-recorded tune, was shown when Fry was a guest on Jonathan Ross
' BBC chat show in 2005. His success also led to a long running feud with fellow rapper MC Duke
, which culminated in X recording the diss tune "Die Hard" about the rapper on his "You Oughta Get Rushed" (Mango, 1990) single.
That single was taken from the follow-up album X Versus the World (Mango, 1990) which features a distinctive cover and comic strip
story by artist Joe Jusko
. The album also gave prominence to X's alter egos, Sidekick and Lord V/Lord Vader
- Sidekick was X with the pitch of his voice turned higher, and Lord V was him with the pitch turned down. The album was a critical and scene success, and Overlord X was working on a third album - Master of Menace (unreleased) when he decided he did not like the way the scene was heading, and left his record label
.
Working under the name Tim Shade, Overlord X formed the Benz, who released singles between 1995 and 1997. This led to trouble with Mercedes-Benz
, who accused the group of attempting to infringe their trademark when they attempted to register a dissimilar trademark that used the name Benz. In 2000, the courts decided against the Mercedes Benz objection, and the company were forced to pay £935. Benz released a number of records on the Hacktown Records (a sub-label of BMG
group) and Hendricks Records record labels including the Top 40 hits "Urban City Girl", "Miss Parker" as well as "Boom Rock Soul". The band members were known as Tim Shade, Big Ben and Darkboy.
He started record producing in 1998 working with unsigned acts. One of the acts X worked with was called Cherise, and she went on to win the MOBO
s best unsigned award with a track he produced called "2nd Best" that led her to sign an album deal with WEA
/East West Records
. Overlord X at this time was working with a keyboardist/engineer and producer and joined forces with Mike soul The duo combined a production team called The beatruners and produced numerous tracks together over three years.
Just before that, X put together the girl group Tommi, who released the single "Like What" which got to number 12 in the UK Singles Chart
(Sony, 2003). The band is still going with original members Bambi and Peekaboo and a new member called Juice. A solo singer called Flick has also joined the group which is now known as F.A.T. (Flick and Tommi). Overlord X is credited with writing, producing and remixing a number of songs for artists such as Big Brovaz
, Martine McCutcheon
, Craig David
, Peter Andre
, Michelle Gayle
, Beverly Knight and Aaron Soul. He went on to sign with Zomba Publishing.
With X-Posse:
British hip hop
British hip hop is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of urban music...
artists to receive national acclaim in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with his most well known song still being his second single release, "14 Days in May" (Westside Records, 1988) about Edward Earl Johnson
Edward Earl Johnson
Edward Earl Johnson was a man convicted and executed by the U.S. state of Mississippi for the murder of a policeman, J.T. Trest and the sexual assault of a 69-year-old woman, Sally Franklin...
. He worked with DJ Sir Preme T as well as other members of the "X Posse". He runs a music and creative production company.
History
Overlord X first began rapping at the age of 14, before which he practised DJing - something which helped him in his later career to produce and record his own music for his songs. He first came to attention on one of John PeelJohn Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's sessions, with three tracks recorded on 24 November 1988. He returned to the show on 2 August 1988, by now having joined Sir Preme T to record four further tracks.
Overlord X's first release was the song "Let There Be Rock" on the first of the Hard as Hell compilations
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
in 1989. This was followed by his break-through single, "14 Days in May" (Westside, 1989) where he raged against capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
and in particular the case of Edward Earl Johnson, who was executed on the grounds of a confession that he claimed was made under duress.
The record was a success, and brought X to the attention of Mango Records, who signed him to record some singles and an album as the X Posse, featuring many other artists who were part of Overlord X's crew. The album, Project X (Mango, 1989), introduced a new generation of rappers to the UK audience.
This album was quickly followed by X's solo debut album. However, at the time Westside Records refused to grant permission for "14 Days in May" to be used on the album, and so X had to record a sequel instead, called "14 Days in Hell". The album, Weapon Is My Lyric (Mango, 1989), pioneered a new British hip hop, laying a blue print for a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
influenced hardcore
Hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop, also referred to as hardcore rap, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Schoolly D, Spoonie Gee, Boogie Down Productions, and Kool G Rap, it is generally characterized by anger, aggression and...
style that was to dominate the scene for many years.
The album's success led to some strange ventures: one of the tracks, "Visa To Rock", was re-recorded by Overlord X with new lyrics relating to chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
for a BBC
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
documentary about the game fronted by a young Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
. A clip of the documentary, featuring Overlord X's re-recorded tune, was shown when Fry was a guest on Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross (television presenter)
Jonathan Stephen Ross, OBE is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross from 2001 until he left the BBC in 2010. Ross began hosting a new chat show on ITV1 starting 3 September 2011...
' BBC chat show in 2005. His success also led to a long running feud with fellow rapper MC Duke
MC Duke
MC Duke was a British rapper from the East End of London, who recorded with DJ Leader 1. He was one of the pioneers of the early British hardcore sound and later went on to record as IC3.-Biography:...
, which culminated in X recording the diss tune "Die Hard" about the rapper on his "You Oughta Get Rushed" (Mango, 1990) single.
That single was taken from the follow-up album X Versus the World (Mango, 1990) which features a distinctive cover and comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
story by artist Joe Jusko
Joe Jusko
Joe Jusko is an American artist known for his realistic, highly detailed painted fantasy, pin-up, and cover illustrations, mainly in the comic book industry...
. The album also gave prominence to X's alter egos, Sidekick and Lord V/Lord Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
- Sidekick was X with the pitch of his voice turned higher, and Lord V was him with the pitch turned down. The album was a critical and scene success, and Overlord X was working on a third album - Master of Menace (unreleased) when he decided he did not like the way the scene was heading, and left his record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
Working under the name Tim Shade, Overlord X formed the Benz, who released singles between 1995 and 1997. This led to trouble with Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, who accused the group of attempting to infringe their trademark when they attempted to register a dissimilar trademark that used the name Benz. In 2000, the courts decided against the Mercedes Benz objection, and the company were forced to pay £935. Benz released a number of records on the Hacktown Records (a sub-label of BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
group) and Hendricks Records record labels including the Top 40 hits "Urban City Girl", "Miss Parker" as well as "Boom Rock Soul". The band members were known as Tim Shade, Big Ben and Darkboy.
He started record producing in 1998 working with unsigned acts. One of the acts X worked with was called Cherise, and she went on to win the MOBO
Mobo
Mobo can refer to:*Shorthand for the motherboard in computers and other electronic equipment*Shorthand for a mobile [network] operator or MNO *Shorthand for a mobile bohemian, a person who embraces mobile technology...
s best unsigned award with a track he produced called "2nd Best" that led her to sign an album deal with WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
/East West Records
East West Records
East West Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under WMG's Independent Label Group.-History:...
. Overlord X at this time was working with a keyboardist/engineer and producer and joined forces with Mike soul The duo combined a production team called The beatruners and produced numerous tracks together over three years.
Just before that, X put together the girl group Tommi, who released the single "Like What" which got to number 12 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
(Sony, 2003). The band is still going with original members Bambi and Peekaboo and a new member called Juice. A solo singer called Flick has also joined the group which is now known as F.A.T. (Flick and Tommi). Overlord X is credited with writing, producing and remixing a number of songs for artists such as Big Brovaz
Big Brovaz
Big Brovaz were an R&B / Hip hop music group from London, England in their seven year career they released two studio albums and eight singles. There were three line up changes with two of the original members leaving half way through shaking up the dynamics of the group...
, Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress. McCutcheon had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s; however, it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders that made her a household name in the UK...
, Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
, Peter Andre
Peter André
Peter James Andrea , better known by the stage name as Peter Andre, is an English-born Australian musician, singer-songwriter, television personality and businessman. As a recording artist, he has achieving four top 10 UK albums and ten top 10 singles.-Early life:Andre was born at Northwick Park...
, Michelle Gayle
Michelle Gayle
Michelle Patricia Gayle is a British recording artist, actress and author. Gayle had success as a Soul and R&B singer in the 1990s. She achieved seven Top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart, her two biggest hits to date being "Sweetness" and "Do You Know"...
, Beverly Knight and Aaron Soul. He went on to sign with Zomba Publishing.
Discography
Overlord X:- Weapon Is My Lyric (Mango, 1989) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#68 - X Versus the World (Mango, 1990)
With X-Posse:
- Project X (Mango, 1988)