There's little question that
X-Raided, unlike many of his gangsta peers, truly lives the life he preaches; he recorded his third album,
Unforgiven, while incarcerated at a Sacramento prison.
X-Raided recorded all the vocals while in jail, and the music was laid down in a local studio. At the very least, this makes the album unique, but it's hard to view it as anything other than a novelty, even though
X-Raided isn't half bad as a rapper. However, the vocals (not surprisingly) sound strangely isolated from the music, and the cumulative effect of his lyrics is a little creepy. All of this makes it worth one listen, to be sure, but the music and rhyming aren't strong enough overall to reward subsequent plays. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine