X Clan Promotional Portrait

X-Clan is an American Hip-Hop group from Brooklyn, New York. Known for its Afrocentrism and militant activism as a member of the Black watch Movement, X-Clan gained fame for the political controversy in their music. The group consisted of Brother J (Jason Hunter, b. 1971), Lumumba Professor X "The Overseer" (Lumumba Carson, 1956-2006), Sugar Shaft (Anthony Hardin, d. 1995), Paradise (Claude Grey, b. unknown), and they were joined by a cast of associates, which included MC Isis (Lin Que Ayoung, b.1969).   

The group's primary members were activists outside of music as well; they were Black watch members and were vocal supporters of several pro-Black organizations. Many Afrocentric, politically oriented Hip-Hop groups formed during the late '80s and early '90s. Many of these groups like X-Clan discussed racial injustice and Black pride and unity in their music. For X-Clan, their name paid homage to their Islamic faith (“X” representing the practice of denouncing surnames that were generationally passed down from white American slave masters) and the religious lessons from the 5 Percent Nation of Gods and Earths known as the 5 Percenters.