OVERLORD X
MC• Rapper • Songwriter
Legendary Overlord X was one of the UK’s founding godfathers of hip-hop, helping put his home borough of Hackney firmly on the map. As founder of the pioneering British hip-hop collective X Possee, he helped shape the first wave of British rap.
Overload X played a fundamental role in moulding and influencing the cultural landscape of the British Hip Hop and rap scene throughout the late 1980s and 90s. His timeless, iconic single, "14 Days in May", against capital punishment, remains a landmark release in UK music history.
Why Hackney Matters?
For Overlord X, Hackney was the foundation of his life and his pioneering contribution to British hip-hop. Born Benjamin Balogun, the innovator began rapping and DJing at just 14, quickly evolving into a popular MC and producer. His music was a mirror of his environment, translating his reality as a young Black boy in the borough forging his own unique career as a hip-hop artist in the 1980s into raw and cutting-edge anthems like "Rough in Hackney". His rise to national acclaim reflects Hackney’s vital role in nurturing the foundations of British hip-hop.
Did you know?
Before becoming known as Overlord X, he was known as BJ and was already heavily involved in building Hackney’s early hip hop culture. The Hackney Museum oral history project documents him as the first person on Kingsmead Estate to own Technics SL-1200 turntables and introducing young black youth at the local Wally Foster Community centre to flourishing music genres like electro and hip-hop. Through this he established one of the estate’s early breaking crews called, Technique breakers.