Overlord X

Overlord X (born ', in Hackney) 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.

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 Peel'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. Overlord X then went on to perform for The Late Show in 1991, with huge success.

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