|
|
||
DMX Album Reviews Album - 'It's Dark And Hell Is Hot' Release Date -19/05/1998
DMX is an MC whose time has come. After an ""Unsigned Hype"" column in the Source way back in '91, an aborted record deal with Columbia, a recent string of high-profile guest spots, and a bona fide underground smash in the form of ""Get At Me Dog"" featuring Sheek of The Lox, DMX sets out to show why he's the livest out of a whole bunch of live MCs coming out in '98, including Canibus, Big Pun, and Noreaga. Like Wu-Tang Clan's 36 Chambers, It's Dark and Hell is Hot is raw and mysterious, but in a very different way; where 36 Chambers draws upon '70s kung fu flicks to establish a vibe, DMX's struggle on wax loosely evokes Kurt Russell's Snake Plisken in Escape From New York. But even this comparison falls short of defining the scope of this record. Lately, the economics of rap have gotten in the way of hip-hop as an art form. DMX takes a refreshing approach to the subject on ""Stop Being Greedy,"" casting himself as a man of the people, pointing out that ""Y'all been eating long enough now stop being greedy/let's keep it real partner, give to the needy/Ribs is touching so don't make me wait/F*** around and I'm a bite you and snatch the plate."" Stopping short of passing judgment, DMX only wants his piece of the pie. What he's gonna do with it is anybody's guess. Chances are, however, whatever DMX does with his newfound prosperity, he's not likely to forget those less fortunate who helped him get to where he is today. From the over-the-top barking on ""Get At Me Dog"" to the stripped- down groove behind ""Crime Story,"" DMX ties all 19 tracks together with a rugged, stoic vibe. As a dark, moody record that takes you to hell and back, It's Dark and Hell is Hot is a remarkably cohesive record. Rather than a collection of disparate ""tracks,"" It's Dark and Hell is Hot is an album with a message about good and evil from a frustrated man who's lived on the edge.
Album - 'Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood' Release Date -22/12/1998
Album - 'And Then There Was X' Release Date -21/12/1998
Fear not. With X, DMX avoids the sophomore slump again, handily and deliciously. Now that his underlings, Ruff Ryders, have ridden his gravy train to Platinum City, DMX, less concerned with leading the Ruff Ryders to the financial promised land, is free to discover his own artistic Mecca. Though most established rap cats litter music media with follow-up album promises about as credible as infomercial testimonials (""I stepped the game up!,"" ""I took it to the next level this time!""), DMX actually does progress as an artist here. X is that rare follow-up album that reveals more dimensions of the artist than the debut. For example, DMX is actually a good storyteller. The charging, chanting ""One More Road to Cross"" paints DMX's vivid heist account: ""I got four people on the inside, one stay in the back/Two stock boys, one at the register but he count the stacks."" The blue ""Here We Go Again"" recounts DMX's reluctance to murder a traitorous associate. Earl Simmons' last albums cast him in perpetual struggle with the god and devil inside, personified as DMX and Damien, respectively. X grays this black-and-white conflict and we appreciate X's conflicts as more complex than dichotomous: ""I'm gon' make it work, twenty-eight and tryin' to get, baptized… I'ma leave a mark, and it won't be the mark of the devil."" His images of futility and emptiness are sharp and biting: ""I'm robbin' cats just as broke as myself;"" ""I reached out for love and what came back was thirst ;"" ""why must Earl Simmons, swim in dirt?"" And his staccato shoots over the tracks like a barrage of bullets. The production team, including regulars Swizz Beats and Dame Grease, fashion a full, amped-up soundscape. ""Party Up"" is a bustling club anthem du jour. Grease returns to Hot glory on the posse-cut ""D-X-L"" (check Jadakiss' classic verse). But Ruff Ryders' P. Killer Trackz brewed the best track. ""Make a Move"" is dizzying, elaborate, and marvelously eccentric with its ""Money, Cash, Hoes""-style runaway keyboard. Flesh ended with his prayer, and so should have X. The two tracks that follow ""Prayer III,"" ""Angel"" and ""Good Girls, Bad Guys,"" are sonically one-dimensional and incongruous with the rest of this great album. X is indeed DMX's moment of truth. And his hour of glory.
Album - 'The Great Depression' Release Date -21/10/2001
|
Homepage |
![]()
|
|