By now you've probably heard the X-ecutioners' smash "It's Going Down," and, if not, it's only a spin of the radio dial away. Making history as the first deejay crew to sign with a major label, the group's Loud/Sony debut, Built from Scratch (in stores Tuesday), is drawing accolades from critics, industry types and fellow artists and has the New York-based quartet seemingly poised for stardom.
In the decade past, deejays have faded into the background as their emcee partners dominated the spotlight. But this turntablist collective vows to, well, turn back the tables.
The X-ecutioners--Roc Raida, Rob Swift, Mista Sinista and Total Eclipse--have captured titles at all the world's top deejay competitions and have pioneered today's standards for scratching and mixing. Previously known as the X-Men (they had to change their name to avoid any superhero legal battles), the foursome has worked with the industry's elite, including the Jungle Brothers, Leftfield, De La Soul, Fat Joe, Herbie Hancock, Common, the Beatnuts and Pharoahe Monch.
Reputation notwithstanding, signing the X-ecutioners was still a bold move for Loud Records (whose roster includes Wu-Tang, Xzibit, Stereomud), considering the group is essentially an instrumental act. The risk appears to be paying off, though, as the crew moves toward "overnight sensation" territory thanks to "It's Going Down," a hit collaboration with 2001's best-selling artist, Linkin Park.
"The X-Ecutioners song 'It's Going Down' has been huge on the phones for us," says Lisa Worden, music director for Los Angeles' influential modern-rock station KROQ. "It sounds amazing on the air and has been instantly reactive."
The "It's Going Down" video debuted on Total Request Live two weeks back, and the video has been an MTV staple ever since.
"We are bridging musical genres," boasts X-ecutioner Swift. "Some people are only into hardcore rock, others into hip-hop, and some are just into mixing and scratching. On 'It's Going Down,' we bridged all the gaps and brought them together."
The pairing of the two groups, which happened well before Linkin Park's commercial explosion with Hybrid Theory, led to other recent hookups. The X-ecutioners backed their hard rock brothers at the 2001 MTV Music Awards, and then Linkin returned the favor when the time came for the X-ecutioners' debut single and video. With Linkin deejay Joseph Hahn directing, the video for "It's Going Down" was shot at the Park Plaza Hotel, the downtown L.A. landmark where Guns N' Roses shot "Welcome to the Jungle." The Park Plaza valets had their hands full that day as the video shoot drew the likes of Adema, Xzibit, hed (p.e.), the Liks, the Beat Junkies, Static-X and many others there to make cameos and give props to the X-ecutioners.
The X-ecutioners also hope to build a following on the road next month with the Adrenaline Theater tour, which includes feature film footage of famous skateboarders, snowboarders and other extreme-sports athletes.
While the buzz over the lead single and video grows, the X-ecutioners will have to wait until next week to see what kind of chart impact Built from Scratch will have, but fans and fellow musicians think the group's future is wide open.
"They are pioneers of deejaying," says Linkin's Joseph Hahn. "As turntabling developed, they were one of the original crews to come up [from the underground]. It's a great honor to work with them because I respect them so much."