Since reforming X-Clan a few years ago, Brother J has been doing what any elder statesman worth his salt does: tour all over the place and cash in on those golden classics. In the last year alone he’s toured with Jurassic 5 and Public Enemy, in addition to releasing Return from Mecca, the group’s first album since 1991′s Xodus.

Old timers who remember the Blackwatch Movement and the sometimes-rancorous debates they generated in early Nineties New York neighborhood politics may have blanched when Return from Mecca dropped via Suburban Noize, an L.A. imprint founded by Daddy X of rap-rock group Kottonmouth Kingz. Not very revolutionary, but at least they’re getting the music out there. But a tour with Insane Clown Posse?

Yes, on April 28 X-Clan will embark on a national tour with Insane Clown Posse, the Juggalo-promoting gangsta rappers who wear clown face makeup. Insane Clown Posse gets respect in some quarters of the Midwest for creating an independent music empire. But man…X-Clan sure has changed since Brother J rapped, “I once knew a cave boy who tried to act black/Give a gas face and you might get slapped!” Just saying.

Tour dates are below.

• 4/26: Orbit Room, Grand Rapids, MI
• 4/27: Agora Theater, Cleveland, OH
• 4/28: Congress Theater, Chicago, IL
• 4/29: Myth, Maplewood, MN
• 5/01: Val Air Ballroom, West Des Moines, ID
• 5/02: Pops, Sauget, IL
• 5/03: Cotillion Ballroom, Wichita, KS
• 5/04: Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO
• 5/05: Great Salt Air, Magna, UT
• 5/08: Big Easy Concert House, Spokane, WA
• 5/09: Roseland Theater, Portland, OR
• 5/11: Senator Theater, Chico, CA
• 5/12: New Oasis, Reno, NV
• 5/14: The Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
• 5/15: The Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
• 5/16: Marquee Theater, Tempe, AZ
• 5/18: Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa, OK
• 5/19: Palladium Ballroom, Dallas, TX
• 5/21: Jannus Landing, St. Patersburg, FL
• 5/22: The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
• 5/23: Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte, NC
• 5/25: Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
• 5/26: The Palladium, Worcester, MA
• 5/27: The Palladium, Worcester, MA
• 5/29: Norva Theater, Norfolk, VA
• 5/30: Sonar, Baltimore, MD
• 5/31: Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY
• 6/01: Lifestyle Communities Pavillion, Columbus, OH
• 6/02: Expo 5, Louisville, KY
• 6/04: Granada Theater, Lawrence, KS
• 6/05: Sioux Empire, Sioux City, ID
• 6/06: Rushmore Civic Center, Rapid City, SD
• 6/08: Playmakers, Fargo, ND
• 6/09: Hawkeye Downs Fairgrounds, Cedar Rapids, IA
• 6/12: St. Andrews Hall, Detroit, MI

4/26-6/12: w/Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid

www.xclanmusic.com
www.myspace.com/xclanmusic

Can’t get enough of X-Clan? Missed Brother J and Co. during their opening stint on Jurassic 5′s summer tour? The Blackwatch raptivists are now opening for Public Enemy on their world tour. Try to keep your heckling to a minimum when PE hits the stage, though. Chuck D. won’t appreciate it if you ask him why he keeps defending Flavor of Love.

In related news, X-Clan settled on January 30 as the new release date for Return from Mecca. In addition to the production talents of new member and West Coast underground legend Fat Jack, guests include Damian Marley, KRS-One, Charli 2na from J5, Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach, DJ Quik, RBX, YZ, Abstract Rude, DJ Khalil and Jake One.

PE & X-Clan tour dates:

• 12/05: House of Blues, San Diego, CA
• 12/06: Rialto Theater, Tucson, AZ
• 12/07: Marquee Theater, Phoenix, AZ
• 12/10: House of Blues, Los Angeles, CA
• 12/11: House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
• 12/13: Mezzanine, San Francisco, CA
• 12/14: Empire, Sacramento, CA
• 12/15: McDonald Theater, Eugene, OR
• 12/18: Big Easy, Boise, ID
• 12/19: Shrine Amphitheater, Billings, MT
• 12/20: Rushmore, Rapid City, SD
• 12/21: Ramkota Hall, Sioux Falls, SD
• 12/22: Playmakers, Fargo, ND

www.xclanmusic.com
www.myspace.com/xclanmusic
www.publicenemy.com

In an Oct. 18 MySpace bulletin Brother J announced that X-Clan is postponing its comeback album.

“Suburban Noize and the X-Clan music group have both agreed that the best time for this product to drop would be February 2007,” writes Brother J. Founded by Daddy X of Kottonmouth Kings, the rap-rock and funk-metal Suburban Noize imprint is releasing X-Clan’s Return from Mecca. “This album is not just an average release,” Brother J promises. “It is the blueprint for the new millennium of conscious writers, artists, and music consumers that don’t have a consisent source to inspire them. This album feels pure like when I first recorded To the East, Blackwards in 1990.”

X-Clan, who released To the East Blackwards and 1992′s Xodus in the early 90s, is a cornerstone of the all-too-brief black consciousness movement. Often misunderstood during its heyday as a black separatist group, X-Clan is enjoying newfound admiration like all things from the so-called “golden age” of hip-hop. This year began tragically with the demise of activist rapper Lumumba “Professor X” Carson, who co-formed the group with Brother J. In the wake of Carson’s death, Brother J founded the X-Clan Foundation, an L.A. based youth mentorship project in conjunction with Communities Organizing to Reach Excellent Concepts (C.O.R.E. Concepts).

Brother J went on to collaborate with Cut Chemist for “Drum Riders” (a title that alluded to Brother J’s 1996 project Dark Sun Riders), a killer cut on Ammoncontact’s With Voices compilation. In the summer, X-Clan was the opening act for Jurassic 5′s national tour, setting the stage for Return from Mecca.

“We are currently planning to work with the Visionaries for some Nov. shows and possibly Public Enemy in the winter,” writes Brother J. “Our 2007 calendar is going to be off the chain!”

www.xclanmusic.com
www.myspace.com/xclanmusic