Capital-“X”’s rap is bloody serious. -Rune Slyngstad 
Voice of the Voiceless Rap/Hip-Hop Capital-”X” 305375. (IGWT Records.
Under the Protestfestival last year, Capital-“X” did a concert. It is easy to understand that he has been invited to the festival this year as well; to do a concert this coming Friday. Because this man burns. He has a burning soul with a strong message. Capital-“X” calls himself The Voice of The Voiceless. He does that after seeing and experiencing what exists of injustice and corruption on both sides of the walls. He grew up in Brooklyn, and had a difficult childhood with parents from Puerto Rico. Capital-“X”’s rap is bloody serious. Neither he nor anyone else should defend crime and criminality, and it is not what this is about neither. It is about the fight for justice and for human rights. Capital-“X” is in other words a political activist. He calls what he does “Raptivism”. It feels good to hear a rapper who doesn’t just brag about himself and talk about all the dope parties, but instead uses his voice in a meaningful battle. It is especially nice to hear that him and his helpers also has a strong grip on the rhythms, the groove and the over-all production. The tracks are through and through strong with lots of fresh intros from different speeches and actions. This long and rich album in over 73 minutes is full of substance and strong vibes. It is almost a little scary to dive down into the substantial depth of this. Try it anyway!
Rune Slyngstad, Fædrelandsvennen, 07.09.2010.
Translated to English by: Kristin Oftebro
SHIPPING & HANDLING INCLUDED!
Booking Capital-”X”
E-mail: 305375@gmail.com
Capital-"X" on the web:
www.reverbnation.com/capitalxaka305375
www.305375.com
www.youtube.com/user/ProjectRevolutionX
www.youtube.com/user/305375
www.capital-x.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/capitalxaka305375
www.twitter.com/CapitalX305375
He has been incarcerated for 13,5 years all together. Yesterday, the activist and rapper Capital-“X” told hundreds of youth about his life and how they can avoid ending up in the same situation.
PROTESTFESTIVALEN
Kristiansand
“Don’t bully other people”. That’s what ruined my life, says the 45 year old rapper and previous convict Capital-“X”. Hundreds of youth at Kristiansand Katedralskole Gimle (KKG) are listening in silence. It is rare that it is so quiet among 500 youth. The students have just got to hear about how bullying and lack of friends made the rapper try marihuana for the first time, 12 years old. How he started selling the drug at 13 and ended up in prison at 17. After only 5 minutes in prison, he witnessed a murder for the first time. A fellow prisoner killed another just a few feet away from him. “It was scary in itself, but what scared me the most was to see how the police was just standing on the outside watching. They didn’t do anything”, says Capital-“X”.
Against the Death Penalty.
The American rapper and activist’s most important message is justice. He talks about how the American prison system, instead of rehabilitating prisoners, makes sure that the prisoners end up back into prison time after time. And he talks about children who are sentenced to the Death Penalty at 13 years old. “They never get a second chance. Humans can make mistakes and change later. In the USA they are way too quick to judge”. In the USA there are over 2,5 million people incarcerated. Only in the one prison alone where Capital-“X” was incarcerated at 17, there are 16000 prisoners. “It was share madness. I came out of the prison and went straight back to my old life. For 25 years I went in and out of prison. I didn’t know any better”, he says. At last he decided to go for a new life. He took an education, and has now dedicated his life to be a voice for the prisoners and to fight against the Death Penalty.
Had no friends.
The most important message he had to the students yesterday was how important it is to make your own choices, Not to follow the stream and not bully others. For him it was the bullying that got him onto the wrong path. When two neighbour kids one day showed up at his house and asked if he had ever smoked marihuana, he said “yes”. He had no friends and drugs became his flight from reality. “Marihuana is not harmless as many seem to think. It destroys your braincells and makes you stupid”, he says. Capital-“X” was a part of the Protestfestival last year as well. He thinks is it great and important to be back this year. “The youth need to know that they can always get another chance. I have done all the wrong things possible and was told that I was a hopeless case. Today I will share all my mistakes with them, so that they won’t have to the same”, said Capital-“X” to Fædrelandsvennen upfront of his meeting with the students.
3 about the meeting with Capital-“X”
Turid Regine Pettersen (18): It was very inspiring. I think it is important to put focus on the USA’s prison politics. The most touching thing he said was when he talked about how lucky we are in Norway for having a unique freedom and being able to walk around wherever we like. I think we take that a little for granted.
Edvard Nygård (17): He has a strong story to tell and it engaged me very much. I also liked his music and the way he used it. The most touching was when he talked about how he was moved from prison to prison when he was young and ended up loosing himself completely.
Verona Ahmetaj (17): He opened our eyes to a different side of the USA: I was in the USA this summer and I got to see a little then as well. You can’t go out when you want and where you want. I think the most touching is that he has gone from the dark and changed himself and now has an important message to us.
PROTESTFESTIVALEN
Kristiansand
“Don’t bully other people”. That’s what ruined my life, says the 45 year old rapper and previous convict Capital-“X”. Hundreds of youth at Kristiansand Katedralskole Gimle (KKG) are listening in silence. It is rare that it is so quiet among 500 youth. The students have just got to hear about how bullying and lack of friends made the rapper try marihuana for the first time, 12 years old. How he started selling the drug at 13 and ended up in prison at 17. After only 5 minutes in prison, he witnessed a murder for the first time. A fellow prisoner killed another just a few feet away from him. “It was scary in itself, but what scared me the most was to see how the police was just standing on the outside watching. They didn’t do anything”, says Capital-“X”.
Against the Death Penalty.
The American rapper and activist’s most important message is justice. He talks about how the American prison system, instead of rehabilitating prisoners, makes sure that the prisoners end up back into prison time after time. And he talks about children who are sentenced to the Death Penalty at 13 years old. “They never get a second chance. Humans can make mistakes and change later. In the USA they are way too quick to judge”. In the USA there are over 2,5 million people incarcerated. Only in the one prison alone where Capital-“X” was incarcerated at 17, there are 16000 prisoners. “It was share madness. I came out of the prison and went straight back to my old life. For 25 years I went in and out of prison. I didn’t know any better”, he says. At last he decided to go for a new life. He took an education, and has now dedicated his life to be a voice for the prisoners and to fight against the Death Penalty.
Had no friends.
The most important message he had to the students yesterday was how important it is to make your own choices, Not to follow the stream and not bully others. For him it was the bullying that got him onto the wrong path. When two neighbour kids one day showed up at his house and asked if he had ever smoked marihuana, he said “yes”. He had no friends and drugs became his flight from reality. “Marihuana is not harmless as many seem to think. It destroys your braincells and makes you stupid”, he says. Capital-“X” was a part of the Protestfestival last year as well. He thinks is it great and important to be back this year. “The youth need to know that they can always get another chance. I have done all the wrong things possible and was told that I was a hopeless case. Today I will share all my mistakes with them, so that they won’t have to the same”, said Capital-“X” to Fædrelandsvennen upfront of his meeting with the students.
3 about the meeting with Capital-“X”
Turid Regine Pettersen (18): It was very inspiring. I think it is important to put focus on the USA’s prison politics. The most touching thing he said was when he talked about how lucky we are in Norway for having a unique freedom and being able to walk around wherever we like. I think we take that a little for granted.
Edvard Nygård (17): He has a strong story to tell and it engaged me very much. I also liked his music and the way he used it. The most touching was when he talked about how he was moved from prison to prison when he was young and ended up loosing himself completely.
Verona Ahmetaj (17): He opened our eyes to a different side of the USA: I was in the USA this summer and I got to see a little then as well. You can’t go out when you want and where you want. I think the most touching is that he has gone from the dark and changed himself and now has an important message to us.
