R.I.P. Professor X, The Miseducation of Lumumba Carson

 •  News  •  by XXL Staff  •  10 Comments

Twenty years ago, X Clan dropped their seminal debut, To the East, Blackwards. Comprised primarily of Brother J, Professor X the Overseer and Grand Architect Paradise, the group made a name for themselves as lyrical activists that actually backed up their rhymes with real action. In fact, Professor X, born Lumumba Carson, was the son of Civil Rights activist Sonny Carson.

Although P.E. covered similar pro-Black terrain, X Clan’s Afrocentric garb and image wasn’t as digestible to mainstream audiences. Still, that didn’t mean the Brooklyn-based squad wasn’t delivering quality music. Both To the East, Blackwards and their 1992 follow-up, Xodus, peaked at No. 11 on the Top R&B/hip-hop album chart.

Brother J and Paradise held down the funky rhymes and rhythms, respectively, while X provided memorable oration. He was best known for adlibs like his ever-present “Vanglorious,” but X’s true calling card was his catchphrase: “This is protected by the red, the black, and the green, with a key…Sissy!”

Four years ago today, though, Professor X’s voice was forever silenced as he succumbed to spinal meningitis. In honor of his passing and X Clan’s often-overlooked contribution to hip-hop culture, XXLMag.com pays homage to one of the game’s fallen soldiers with a few memorable recordings from his catalog.

R.I.P. Lumumba “Professor X” Carson
August 4, 1956 – March 17, 2006

Professor X – “Definition of a Sissy”

X-Clan – “Funkin’ Lesson”

X-Clan – “Heed The Word Of The Brother”

X-Clan – “Xodus”

Professor X – “Years of the Nine”

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  • BossGame

    Man! That “Funkin Lesson” was my jam! rest in peace X! Miss this era something fierce.

  • Worley

    “Aaahhh check the blackness.”

    Rest in Peace Professor X and thanks to X-Clan for giving a brother some knowledge about himself.

  • Money Mitch

    X-Clan also released a one or two albums recently on kottonmouth kings suburban noise records. Brother j was also recently featured on tech n9ne’s black boy on his killer album

  • Sincere

    Ahhh, the return of the bangin’ black/spiritual consciousness funk!

  • bakerboi

    a time long gone, but never forgotten. I think the boy Jay Electronica and Mos will bring it back tho. RIP X, X-clans really opened ones 3rd eyes.

  • http://www.facebook.com/maxprofit Max Profit

    R.I.P X

    I always loved that chick they had in the crew.
    She was a great rapper.

  • Anonymous

    DA RED DA BLACK DA GREEN with tha key to da cross roads sissy’s….VANGLORIOUS.

  • Magnetic

    X-Clan was dope, they were making crazy moves at one point. Its crazy to see this because I had a flashback of some Isis joints earlier today.

  • oskamadison

    That was the era right there, ’88-’91, when we were tryin’ to build each other up instead of destroyin’ each other. X-Clan, PE, BDP, Poor Righteous Teachers, Paris and others made bangin’, conscious music that taught us about ourselves, or at least provided the spark that made us want to learn. Rest in peace, Professor X.

  • legion

    X clan made me feel like it was time to instill pride into all aspects of my life..not just being proud to be black but to demand respect from others who did not know wher I come from..our lineage goes back to the dawn of human excistence but we forgot that we truly are the cornerstones of humanity..grab a book..read about some african kings and queens,read about the discoveries and greatness we as a people belonged to before there was such a thing as western civi-lie-sation..true pride doesn’t come at the expense of others,it embraces them and teaches them to instill it in themselves..the old kolonial powers never understood this and exploited it for their benefit..as childeren of slaves we accepted their form of pride and became as enamoured with greed and power as they are..