When DMX was 14 years old, someone he considered a friend and mentor laced a blunt with crack-cocaine and passed it to the unsuspecting youth, unknowingly unleashing a monster. For the next 36 years, DMX’s struggles with addiction would plague an otherwise fruitful career. But even at the height of his Ruff Ryders fame — when both 1998’s It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood dominated the Billboard 200 chart in historic fashion — DMX was wrestling with childhood demons nobody could exorcise, not even X.
That didn’t mean he didn’t try. Stints in rehab and prison would momentarily restrain the beast within, but it would always reemerge with unrelenting tenacity. Sadly, DMX lost the fight on April 9 at White Plains Hospital after suffering a reported drug overdose and subsequent heart attack, leaving behind 15 children, a fiancée and an impenetrable legacy. He’d also finished 99 percent of his inaugural post-prison album, Exodus, which longtime producer Swizz Beatz sewed up with the quickness following X’s sudden death.
During the Exodus album listening party hosted by Swizz Beatz last month, the Verzuz co-founder played each of the project’s 13 songs with a pendulum-like sense of profound sadness and exhilaration, simultaneously illustrating what makes DMX’s music such a Herculean force.
With every word X spit, whether on the angelic anthem “Hold Me Down” with Alicia Keys, unexpected, more pop-friendly collaboration “Skyscrapers” with U2’s Bono or lazer-sharp, Neptunes-esque banger “Dogs Out” featuring Lil Wayne, he wore his heart on his sleeve, a winning formula that took him from the Yonkers School Street Projects to 2001 Grammy Awards. As Swizz Beatz drove home during the event, X was different. X was special. X had a gift for touching people’s lives.
The night Exodus dropped, Twitter couldn’t stop talking about “Bath Salts,” which reunites former foes JAY-Z and Nas for the second time in a month (the first was on DJ Khaled’s April album Khaled Khaled). Over a sparse, drum-focused beat, Hov brings bars such as, “Every girl I see wanna be wifey like that/I’m the King of Zamunda, uh, King of the Summer/Come be my Kardashian, queen of the come up,” while Nas confidently spits, “Make a fool out of yourself for a post on Akademiks/We are not the same, I am a alien.”
Written before DMX’s death, JAY-Z and Nas’ braggadocious musings don’t quite pair up with the more introspective (albeit aggressive) observations from the Dog who closes out the song. Although X may be a little rusty after his nine-year hiatus, he still manages to fire off lines like, “We don’t play around here, n-gga, we grown/Start applying the pressure, give a dog a bone/I’m taking half, it’s just that simple/Or I can start poppin’ n-ggas like pimples.”
While the boastful rapitty raps are par for the course for an artist of DMX’s tenure, he shines even brighter on the more broodingly beautiful “Walking In The Rain,” which features another appearance from Nas. Coupled with vocals from DMX’s 6-year-old son Exodus Simmons, it’s another emotive moment on the album that makes it difficult to reckon with his death. At 50, DMX still had so much life ahead of him and a young child who still needed his father, as evidenced on the “Exodus (Skit).”
But perhaps one day, the violin-laden “Letter To My Son (Call Your Father”) will bring comfort to him, even though it’s directed toward DMX’s eldest son Xavier Simmons, who’s said to have had a complicated relationship with his late father — mostly due to X’s drug addiction. It’s knowing this that makes the track so much harder to digest. X was painfully aware of his shortcomings and the damage he caused to those who loved him as he pleads for Xavier to take the necessary steps to heal old wounds.
“Be a man about it, we can admit when we’re wrong,” he raps in part. “Come on! Get off that kid shit you on … And I don’t know what you thought about my use of drugs/But it taught you enough to not use them drugs/When you were a kid, you play with toys, OK/But you a man, put them toys away/What I’m saying is stop thinkin’ like a child/’Cause what if it’s when I’m gone (Damn).”
Words like that are enough to bring anyone to tears now that DMX is, in fact, gone (if only just in the physical sense).
DMX Has Died At 50 Following A Week In White Plains Hospital ICU
And while Exodus opens with the explosive “That’s My Dog” featuring fellow New York rap royalty The LOX, it closes with the soft yet magically powerful whisper of “Prayer,” which finds DMX delivering one of his famous biblical sermons acapella style with production help from Kanye West, once again providing a lifeline for so many others who are likely stumbling through life the same way X did.
Not every song seems to fit on the project though — “Money Money Money” featuring an odd placement from Moneybagg Yo stands out like a sore thumb (the sole song Swizz says was completed after DMX’s death), while the Griselda crew did their best on “Hood Blues” but fails to really capture the essence of X’s vulnerability on the mic, therefore creating a disjointed, inauthentic hiccup about midway through the album.
And of course, Snoop Dogg is a legend, but even he sounded a bit misaligned on the misogyny-laced “Take Control.” (Seriously, how many times do we really need to hear about his dick?)
Overall, Exodus isn’t perfect, but it’s indisputably his best project since 2003’s Grand Champ — a 18-year progression that didn’t come easy. It also shows a man who was determined to dust the cobwebs off and give it another try with a renewed sense of urgency, 23 years after he initially topped the charts. As he raps on “Skyscrapers” with Bono, “I just want to be heard/fuck the fame,” but the world was listening, always has been.
R.I.P. Dark Man X.
Repeat Me:
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DMX forever
Album sounded dope to me. Not his best work, but it was dope. This whole article is just someone’s opinion. I think people listen too hard to music sometimes, and try to find something to complain about, rather than something to appreciate. Typical milenial mindset. Music wasnt meant to be analyzed. It was meant to be enjoyed.
Uh when it’s literally a website’s job to do so, sorry, it gets analyzed. Music can be enjoyed and dissected at the same time.
I listened to each track read comments from fans who complained about the mixing and beats being C-. They were 1000% correct,but the blasphemous part about it was Swizz and Charlemagne on the breakfast club saying this is the X best album ever. I guess his first 2 classic albums DON’T EXIST. This was just bad overall,x growls sounded good but flow and lyrics were way off
I have listened to this album several times to get myself a fair judgement of it. Its very very average at best for me. DMX is in my top 10 but this album just feels so unfinished and malnourished. We barely get any X on there and not enough material on it considering its a couple skits, a prayer and 10 songs. Not sure if they should have waited longer or they decided to ride the wave of his death hoping for numbers. Numbers doesn’t mean quality to me, even if it sold just 10,000 but had more enjoyable material, I would be all for it . Just leaves you starving for more when you expect there to an abundance of X all over this
Listened to it twice and most of the production is unlistenable for me, not enough X on it either and I don’t know wtf that Moneybagg Ho is but he doesn’t have any place on an X album, dude is straight trash! #RIPDARKMANX
Buuuuulllllllshit!!!! This album is horrible and a disgrace to his legacy … grade school bars hidden behind a legendary vocal sound …. the beats?!?!? Some of the worst beats I’ve ever heard on a mainstreams artist’s album … Swizz Beatz literally has been recycling the same beats for 20 yrs … even when his beats were not recycled … they are just a bunch of noises slammed together … I’d say I’m surprised by the high rating but this website co-signs trash on the daily
In reality this project is a flawed 3 or 3.5 out of 5. It’s very over hated but has plenty of well deserved criticisms. And no matter what Swizz says, this project was NOT done before X’s death.
Yea, because i’m sure you know more then he does, dumbass. DMX literally named every feature that was on his album prior to his death.
3 out of 5
Vocals didn’t sound right.
Dmx, is an icon and we as individuals know this man was apart of our of lives. How ever, this isn’t an X album it’s an industry album. Swizz, killed X and he sucks as a producer. This album, sucks it’s total trash. What a terrible way, to send off an icon.
” my nlgga TP creep with me….. why every move I make turn out to be a bad one, where’s my guardian angel wish I had one, I’m right here shorty what you need”
that’s that classic it’d Dark and hell is hot album yall don’t know nothing about
This is not a good album. X sounds terrible; you could tell he hadn’t been in the studio in a minute or his health impacted his breath control and flow.
Similar to Sean P’s last mixtape before he passed except his flow and cadence were still sharp.
It’s a shame this is the 1st project to drop since his passing; it will get underserved praise. I’ll just play “It’s Dark…” and hold on to the memories.
The album was garbage only 4 good songs
Why do ya’ll always pick the weakest lines to highlight? “We don’t play around here, n-gga, we grown/Start applying the pressure, give a dog a bone/I’m taking half, it’s just that simple/Or I can start poppin’ n-ggas like pimples.” is NOT fire at all. I know he passed, I loved X like any hiphop fan, but making that line sound like it’s better than anything Nas said on that song is just a lie…
It was from his heart…. that’s the point some real shit not like Nas trying.to act cool and shit with slick words none of his material is relevant, just talking about how rich and successful he is who cares?
What else should Nas be talking about other than his life right now? Besides that, the content isn’t the problem it’s the execution. We all heard X rap better than that, but they use those lines as an example of him still having it? FOH
This album is criminally underrated. Zoomers who listen to Lil Nas X and other homo mumble rap won’t understand it so their opinions don’t matter lol
Was it Dark Is Hell Is Hot? No. Was it Flesh Of My Flesh. no. But was it solid? Yes. Bath Salts , Hold Me Down, Skyscrapers, Hood Blues , Walking in The Rain all hold up to me. All this garbage trap music and everyone wants to complain about this album I will never understand this newer generation ?
Love the dog, love swizz, but anyone thinking this album was good is allowing their love for X and the fact that he passed cloud their judgment.
There are decent songs. I count 5, the jawns with the Lox, ans Griselda, along with the songs with A.Keys, Bono and Usher. Love Hov and Nas, but that song was so outta place on this album.
I get what Swizz was trying to do, but the songs with Wayne, Moneybagg Yo, and Snoop were terrible.
As golden Era of hip hop guy, it takes a lot to impress me, but I wanna root for and support artists like X. I just can’t on this jawn.
Albums is getting a bit too much hate..personally the later half of the album was better then the 1st half..Deanun Porter (D12) on the hook of “walking in the Rain” was Dope…Bono did did his thing on “sky scrapers” an usher Finessed the vocals on “Letter to my son” beautiful instrumental …I do agree with the swizz beats issue ..I mean the first 3 tracks ..I thought “did swizz really just start the album with 3 recycled an reused beats ..not to mentioned the recent reused instrumental “special delivery “ which he just reused for Wayne’s Carter 5 single” out of 10 tracks (3 are skits) at least 5 or 6 are good an 2 ok..but for this to get the overwhelming amount of hate it has is blasphemy.. short albums with half the tracks being good is not considered trash …not if it was in the standards of back then with 18-20 tracks then I could agree..but this here is underserving. 3.7 at least
Barely a 3.. Love dmx but some of these songs were really subpar, and features from Wayne and Snoop didn’t belong on this album
Love X but the album is not that good. Pretty mediocre production and X was not on top of his game. Dogs Out may be the best song. This song got a good beat and it looks like Wayne and X had good chemistry together. And he is the only one that gave X a shoutout on this album
i know we have to respect the dogg and his legacy/passing, but you know this album was not good-anyone else saying it was is a liar..it is barely a 3…
I did not like but one song. One song is decent – the one with the LOX only because it has the LOX on it. Brrrrrr song seems out of place and is boring too. Everything else on this record is awful. X lyrics plain stupid, with delivery energy of a 100yo gradpa. Swizz Beatz adlibs, hooks and beats is so annoying, Puff Daddy level annoying. Unbelivable.
Album is meh
Exodus Simmons is actually 4 years old, and Bath Salts is reportedly an old song, recorded in 2012 for Nas’s “Life is Good” album, but failed to make the final cut. If you notice X even sounds a little clearer and not as rusty as on the rest of the project. Aside from those minor inaccuracies, review is solid and aligns with my thoughts on the album. It really does sound like he was catching his second wind and his next project was going to be spectacular but alas we shall never know…
WTF it sure as hell isnt a fuckin 4.1 outta five ass album. It sucks greatly. Even Rolling STone said so, gave it just three outta five. At least they were honest in their review, you just saying it’s a 4.1 album since he’s dead. FOH.
Not a fan of this album. At least I have Banks album to look forward to. #PLK
Should’ve had Em Dre Pharrell Or Kanye mix the vocals and tweak the production
If you were an X fan the album was great. Especially if you understood his trials and tribulations. If you never listened to X before this album will go over your head
Walking in the rain the only joint I still bump
I liked the album, it was something different…the more i listen, the more it’s growing on me !
If you were looking for “It’s dark and hell is hot” you were extremely mistaken to confuse the old DMX to current! This album was great compared to the new “rappers” dropping albums now days! Perfect album to see the GOAT out! RIP X!!!!
What a classic ??
Give control
STOP DROP OPENUP THE SHOP
Wished at least one track was just him. still great.
This album is really good. It’s so sad he didn’t get to see it come out.RIP DMX
LOVE AND MISSS YOU SSSSOOO MUCH!! IT DOES IT FEEL REAL THAT YOURE NOT HERE. ALL OF YOUR FANS FEEL LIKE WE KNEW YOU PERSONALLY.
King 4eva!?
5/5
5/5 word up
5/5 ; every song has a small piece of DMX’s soul, the best of the best. His legacy is untouchable!!!!!
Wack review. The Griselda joint and the Snoop Marvin Gaye joint are two of the only joints that bang on this album. X’s second verse on the Marvin Gaye track is probably the most classic X sounding verse by far – reminiscent of How It’s Going Down.
I HAVE QUITE A FEW CRITICISMS FOR THIS ALBUM, SUCH AS THE LACK OF X VERSES, AND SOME RUSTY PERFORMANCES FROM THE DOG, BUT EVEN WITH THESE FLAWS ITS A PRETTY GOOD LISTEN OVERALL. THE ALBUM IS SHORT AND SWEET, AND HIGH ON REPLAY VALUE. LOT OF DOPE MOMENTS ON HERE TOO. R.I.P. DARK MAN 4/5
This doesn’t sound like X was involved in the making of most of this. The Alicia track shows X at his best and what could of been a really great comeback album for him. This feels like a lower quality version of Pop Smoke’s album. Maybe it’s the Swizz EP power over the album that sucks it soul, but it sounds like a missed opportunity.