Sadat X Albums (7)
'Black October'
Release Date 10/3/2006
Tracks 14
Label HBD Label Group
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What The Critics Say
Although Brand Nubian are now considered one of the wellsprings of what is sometimes derisively referred to as "backpack" rap (for the bookbags favored by fans of this literate, low-key style) and Sadat X has maintained a career as an elementary school teacher and coach throughout his long and somewhat sporadic career, bad things happen all the time. Caught by the police in possession of a loaded handgun at a time and place where he should not have been carrying, Sadat X recorded Black October with the weight of a potential year in prison hanging over him. And yet this is not one of those gangsta records who fronts about the roughneck glories of incarceration: in those passages (even outside of the direct and to-the-point title track) where Sadat X appears to be addressing his legal trouble, thoughtful regret and anxiety color his rhymes. Far from bragging, this album tends to be genuinely remorseful, even on tracks not directly related to the matter at hand: for example, "If You" continues the baleful tone, a matter of fact portrayal of a neighborhood gang scuffle without a hint of glamour or bad-boy cool. Even the handful of lighter tracks, like the Brand Nubian reunion "Chosen Few" and the basketball-as-life metaphor "Throw Tha Ball," are tinged with sadness and stiff upper lip resolve. A mature and deeply personal record, Black October is the truth behind the gangsta façade. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
'Experience & Education'
Release Date 10/25/2005
Tracks 16
Label Female Fun
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'The State of New York Vs. Derek Murphy'
Release Date 9/19/2000
Tracks 6
Label Relativity
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What The Critics Say
After reuniting in 1998 with his Brand Nubian brothers on the under-appreciated Foundation, Sadat X resurfaced last year with two collaborative gems; "1-9-9-9," featuring Common, and the previously vaulted "Come On," which was one of the few highlights from Biggie's disappointing posthumous release. While his solo-debut Wild Cowboys failed to strike a chord with the masses, Sadat shows signs that he may yet establish himself as a solo-vocalist with The State of New York Vs. Derek Murphy. He enlists a few familiar contributors (Diamond D, Minnesota) and some new ones as well (A Kid Called Roots, Dart La) to update his sound; a revision that is gratuitously bouncy, but light in substance. He basks in the glow of Diamond's sublime guitar riffs on the divine "You Can't Deny." But it is the lesser of their two groupings that supplies Sadat a taste of the commercial success that has alluded him with the Funk Flex endorsed "X-Man." While The State is remarkably short-winded (six tracks), this EP setting is more conducive to his unorthodox style, as it manages to evade the monotonous feel his solo-debut conveyed. ~ Matt Conaway, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With his first solo album, Wild Cowboys, Sadat X continues the jazz-hip-hop fusion that distinguished Brand Nubian's body of work. But the difference between Wild Cowboys and Nubian's latter-day records Everything is Everything and In God We Trust is the approach. As a solo artist, Sadat X is looser and more relaxed, letting the groove flow and casually demonstrating his verbal vacility. With a first-class prodcution crew -- including Pete Rock, Beatminerz, Diamond D, Buckwild, and Alamo -- Sadat X has created a fun, laid-back album in Wild Cowboys that nearly manages to equal the studied intensity of Brand Nubian with its non-chalant virtuosity. ~ Leo Stanley, All Music Guide
'No Better Way'
Release Date 1/1/1996
Tracks 15
Label Light Records/Upper Room Records
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