X-Raided (Anerae VeShaughn Brown) was born in Sacramento, California, where, at 16 years old, he wrote what would become his classic debut album Psycho Active. At 17 years old X-Raided was arrested and charged with gang-related homicide. During a controversial trial, he made history as the first rapper to have his lyrics used against him in court. He was sentenced to 31 years to Life, yet continued to release popular records from behind bars. Two and a half decades later, he would benefit from a California law that resulted in him being freed on September 14, 2018, having served a total of 26 years, 5 months and 26 days.
He signed a deal with Strange Music, which was announced while he was on stage with Tech N9ne at Red Rocks in front of a crowd of 10,000, creating a fitting new beginning for a man whose life story had already reached mythological proportions.
He said, “Whatever difficulty people are experiencing, I want them to know they can survive. If I can do it, so can you.”