Derek W. Murphy (born December 29, 1968), better known as Sadat X, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

, best known as a member of

alternative hip hop Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip-hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip-hop group ...

group Brand Nubian. Originally known as Derek X, Sadat takes his name from former Egyptian president

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...

Early life

Sadat X was born in the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He and DJ Alamo are childhood friends who grew up together in the

, where Sadat and his family lived at Concourse Village. Sadat's father and Alamo's father knew each other and grew up together in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

at Lincoln Projects. At age 11, he and his parents moved to

New Rochelle New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtown Manhattan. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the 7th-largest city and 2 ...

where he met future Brand Nubian bandmates Grand Puba and Lord Jamar. He first started rapping after his father brought him a

turntable A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding phys ...

to DJ. He was known as "DJ D-Rock" and "Kid Paradise". According to Jamar, Sadat's father had an extensive record collection of different genres of music to where Sadat would use for the group's discography of their albums. During his time while attending high school, he became a member of the Five Percent Nation after seeing one his family members and friends being involved as 5 Percenters.

Career

Sadat made his debut with Brand Nubian in 1989, with the release of their debut single "Brand Nubian" b/w "Feels So Good". The group's debut album, '' One For All'', was released on December 4, 1990, featuring the singles "All For One", "Wake Up" and "Slow Down". Sometime around 1995, other members of Brand Nubian split up after releasing two albums, ''

In God We Trust "In God We Trust" (also rendered as "In God we trust") is the United States national motto, official motto of the United States as well as the motto of the U.S. state of Florida, along with the nation of Nicaragua (Spanish language, Spanish: '' ...

'' in 1993 and '' Everything Is Everything'' in 1994, while Sadat continue to make guest appearances and collaborations on albums with Diggin' in the Crates, as well as various artists. He would make an appearance on Biggie's "Come On" song, the original track that was supposed to be on Biggie's first album ''

Ready to Die ''Ready to Die'' is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and distributed by Arista Records. The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean Combs, Sean "Puffy ...

''. The song was produced by

native Lord Finesse. In 1996, Sadat recorded on the

Red Hot Organization ''Red Hot Organization'' (RHO) is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization with goals to promote diversity through equal access to healthcare through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors ...

's compilation CD '' America Is Dying Slowly'', alongside

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer who gained prominence during hip hop's golden age. He was particularly recognized for ...

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of Hip-hop, hip hop group D.I.T.C., Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a sol ...

and others. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was called "a masterpiece" by ''

The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...

''. . He began working on first solo album, '' Wild Cowboys''. The album was released on July 15, 1996, on

Loud Records Loud Records, LLC. (a backronym for Listeners of Urban Dialect) is a record label founded by Steve Rifkind and Rich Isaacson in 1991. Rifkind served as the chief executive officer while Isaacson served as the president of the label. The label si ...

, featuring production work by DJ Ogee, Diamond D,

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

, DJ Alamo, Minnesota,

Da Beatminerz Da Beatminerz are an American hip-hop production team from Bushwick, Brooklyn that is popular with the underground hip-hop scene. History The crew, originally composed of brothers Mr. Walt (born June 2, 1968) and DJ Evil Dee (born May 24, 1971 ...

, Showbiz from Showbiz & A.G., Buckwild, Dante Ross, Ant Greene Father Time and Ali Malek. In 1997, Sadat and Brand Nubian reunited together while recording some material for the group's new project. In 1998, he and Brand Nubian released their fourth album '' Foundation'' In 1999, he collaborated with Chicago-based rapper

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

along with

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

on a

Hi-Tek Tony Louis Cottrell (born May 5, 1976), better known as Hi-Tek, is an American rapper and music producer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band, ...

track-produced song called " One-Nine-Nine-Nine". On October 3, 2006, Female Fun Music released Sadat's third album, '' Black October''. On March 23, 2010, Sadat X released ''Wild Cowboys II'', the sequel to his 1996 solo debut '' Wild Cowboys'', on Fat Beats Records. The album featured guest appearances from Ill Bill,

Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has releas ...

, A.G., Brand Nubian,

Rhymefest Che Armond Smith (born July 6, 1977), known professionally as Rhymefest, is an American rapper and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for his work with fellow Chicago rapper Kanye West, with writing credits on his songs includi ...

and others, with production from

, Diamond D, Buckwild, Sir Jinx, Will Tell and Dub Sonata. On February 23, 2010, he released an EP, containing five songs from the album and complementary instrumentals. The first single from the album was "Turn It Up" which features and is produced by, Pete Rock. In 2015, Sadat appeared in Mya Baker's documentary film ''Afraid of Dark'' which examined the experiences of Black men in America. In 2022, Sadat released his 12th studio album, ''Science of Life''.

Other work

In 2009, Sadat X and music producer Will Tell developed a wine-tasting web series entitled ''True Wine Connoisseurs''. The wine show with a hip hop twist is now in its 5th season. The series was shown on a

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel directed and produced by Tom Calabraro.

Legal issues

On December 22, 2005, Sadat was arrested in Harlem and charged with criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest.

Personal life

Sadat X is involved in teaching children. He has worked as an elementary school teacher in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...

, qualified as a firefighter, and coaches children's basketball for the New York City Basketball League. He also played

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

for the

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

basketball team. He has a daughter.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Wild Cowboys'' (1996) * '' Experience & Education'' (2005) * '' Black October'' (2006) * ''Generation X'' (2008) * '' Brand New Bein''' (2009) * ''Wild Cowboys II'' (2010) * ''No Features'' (2011) * ''Love, Hell or Right'' (2012) * ''Never Left'' (2015) * ''Agua'' (2016) * ''The Sum of a Man'' (2017) * ''Science of Life'' (2022)

Extended plays

* '' The State of New York vs. Derek Murphy'' (2000)

Collaboration albums

* ''XL'' (with El Da Sensei) (2018) * ''The Gods Have Arrived'' (with Agallah) (2020)

Compilation albums

;Various artists original compilations * '' America Is Dying Slowly'' (1996) * ''The Foundation'' (2019)

With Brand Nubian

* '' One for All'' (1990) * ''

'' (1993) * '' Everything Is Everything'' (1994) * '' Foundation'' (1998) * '' Fire in the Hole'' (2004) * '' Time's Runnin' Out'' (2007)

With Trinity

* ''20 In'' (2013)

Guest appearances

* (1991) "Nitty Gritty" from '' Mr. Hood'' by KMD * (1991) "Show Business" from '' The Low End Theory'' by

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

* (1992) "A Day in the Life" from '' Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop'' by Diamond D * (1995) "Play It Cool" from ''

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

'' by Grand Puba * (1995) "What I Wanna Do" from ''V... As In Veronica'' by Veronica * (1996) "Actual Facts" from '' The Awakening'' by Lord Finesse * (1996) "Heart Full of Sorrow" from '' Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again'' by

House of Pain House of Pain was an American hip hop trio that released three albums in the 1990s. The group consisted of DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, and Everlast. They are best known for their 1992 hit single " Jump Around", which reached number 3 in their nati ...

* (1996) "Touch Y'all (Remix)" from '' The Raw Factor'' by Omniscence * (1996) "Wild Cowboys in Bucktown" from '' Da Storm'' by O.G.C. (Originoo Gunn Clappaz) * (1998) "Money (Dollar Bill)" from '' Whitey Ford Sings the Blues'' by

Everlast Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage names Everlast and Whitey Ford, is an American Rapping, rapper, Singing, singer, and songwriter who was the Lead vocalist, frontman for Hip hop music, hip hop group House of Pain. ...

* (1998) "Funky Beat" from '' Whitey Ford Sings the Blues'' by

* (1999) "Static" from '' Black Elvis/Lost in Space'' by

Kool Keith Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), known professionally as Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer known for his surreal, abstract, and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both ...

* (1999) "Come On" from the posthumous album ''

Born Again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

'' by rapper The Notorious B.I.G. * (1999) " One-Nine-Nine-Nine" from album '' Soundbombing II'' by Rawkus Records * (2000) "Games" from the posthumous album '' The Big Picture'' by Big L * (2001) "Don't Get It Twisted" from ''Infectious'' by Jigmastas * (2007) "Da God" from ''Jesus Price Supastar'' by Sean Price * (2008) "Stay In Ya Lane" from ''Operation Take Back Hip Hop'' by Craig G &

Marley Marl Marlon Lu'Ree Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. Marlon grew up in Queensbridge Houses, Queen ...

* (2008) "Keep It Classy" from '' Ja tu tylko sprzątam'' by O.S.T.R. * (2008) "The Return" from '' Clin d'oeil'' by Jazz Liberatorz * (2010) "There Will Be Blood" from '' Nineteen Ninety Now'' by Celph Titled and Buckwild * (2013) "Sam Peckinpah" from '' Legends Never Die'' by R.A. the Rugged Man * (2017) "Música para Planchar" from ''Servicios Ambulatorioz'' by Alcolirykoz * (2018) "Hood Operatic" from Brooklyn rapper Rashid Amir's album ''Graffiti Lips'' * (2018) "Loot" from the album Speakeazy Suave-Ski featuring Sadat X * (2019) "Anti Mumble Rap" DJ Symphony featuring Sadat X & Ceazar * (2020) "Real Hip-Hop" - DJ Symphony featuring

Jeru the Damaja Kendrick Jeru Davis (born February 14, 1971), known as Jeru the Damaja (/'jeiru: ðə ˈdæmɪʤə ''JAY''-roo thuh ''DAM''- ''ih''-juh), is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for his 1993 single " Come Clean" from his debut al ...

, Psycho Les & Sadat X * (2021) "Riot Gear" - Ben Shorr & DJ Boogie Blind featuring Sadat X of Brand Nubian & Edo.G aka Ed O.G. * (2021) "Sadat X's Interlude (Feat. Sadat X)" - Sun Gin featuring Sadat X

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sadat 10 1968 births African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Rappers from the Bronx Five percenters Living people Loud Records artists Tommy Boy Records artists East Coast hip-hop musicians Songwriters from New York (state) African-American songwriters People with speech disorders 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians American male songwriters Brand Nubian members