There’s few hip hop artists in history that can get me hyped as much as DMX could. The dude brought an intensity to his music that worked on every single level– his flow that sounded like gravel dragged through broken glass, his intensely muscular physique, his barking backing vocals courtesy of the Ruff Ryders, and of course his notorious obsession with dogs that permeated both his lyrics and vocal delivery. This theatrical approach to hip hop set him apart from his contemporaries, and made it even more impactful when he would shed the violent mask he often adorned to showcase his spiritual side like on “Prayer”. Or when he took on the guise of Satan’s temptation (“Damien”) before embodying God speaking to himself (“The Convo”), a beautiful contradiction that unearthed all of the layers that made DMX.mIt was this ever-present duality in his music that drove him to commercial heights and made him one of the most original hip hop MC’s of the late 90’s. He was a true original and one-of-a-kind.
There’s no better story of this dichotomy than Jay-Z’s recounting his first tour with DMX and how that performance later elevated his own live show. It’s a great little vignette of what made DMX so memorable and what drew so many people to his music during his lifetime.
It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot is one of those rare debut albums that feels like an artist already operating at their peak.
Standout Songs: “Ruff Ryders Anthem”, “Fuckin’ Wit’ D”, “How’s It Going Down”, “ATF”, “The Convo”
