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DMX hails from Yonkers, NY. His debut album on Def Jam "It's Dark And Hell Is Hot" is set to be released May 19th across the U.S. DMX right now is the hottest rapper out. He's done cameos for rappers such as LL Cool J, Mase, Mic Geronimo, The Lox, Ice Cube, Cam'ron and Onyx. He also has a joint coming out with Jay-Z. His current hit single "Get At Me Dog" has been on top selling Maxi-Single on Billboards Dance chart for 11 weeks (February 21st-May 2nd). He's also going to play the lead role of Tommy, who's a Queens based hustler. The film also features Nas and Method Man. But things weren't always loooking bright for DMX. After getting a profile in 1991 in THE SOURCE's "Unsigned Hype" column, DMX dropped an indie single called "Born Loser" in 1992. After a conference, the single was picked up by Columbia/Ruffhouse, who would distribute the single. But they put the song too far back on their release charts, so DMX got out of his contract. He also dropped another indie single in 1994 called "Make a Move", but DMX wasn't being heard until his explosive verse on LL Cool J's 4, 3, 2, 1. That set the scene for what would be the current DMX craze. He'd go on to do cuts with The Lox, Mase, Mic Geronimo, Onyx and others, establishing himself as the hypest rapper around. And believe the hype, he ain't no passing phase.
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If there was one defining characteristic to hip hop in 1997, it was the jiggy factor- an aesthetic of unapologetic flash, fashion and glamour that ruled everything around us and made hip hop life nice and organized. Of course, for each movement there always exists a counter-movement; for each yin there is a yang; and for each designer-label clad champagne sipper, there must be an uncompromised figure lurking in the shadows, ready and willing to reclaim rap from the penthouse to the pavement. Embracing this return to the anarchy, enraged and raw, Def Jam Records presents 1998 as the Year of Pandemonium. The human embodiment of such exhilarating and unadulterated chaos exists in none other than Ruff Ryders/Def Jam's very latest lyrical sensation, DMX."I love to write rhymes," says the Yonkers-born MC. "I love to express what real niggas feel, what street niggas feel. They need to be heard. They need to know there is a voice that speaks for them, and I am that voice." Within the tumultuous annals of hip hop's dog-eat-dog history, second chance opportunities are few and far between. However, every now and then the experienced and distinguished bark of a particularly cagey canine re-emerges from rap's chaotic kennels, representing the triumph and perseverance inherent in true greatness. Winner of The Source magazine's prestigious "Unsigned Hype" award for January of 1991, the native of Yonkers, New York has recently crashed the airwaves and mix tape circuit with a number of unforgettable guest appearances (LL Cool J's "4,3,2,1," Mase's "24 Hours to Live," Mic Geronimo's "Usual Suspects," The Lox's "Money, Power and Respect," Ice Cube's "We Be Clubbin' (Remix)" and Onyx's "Shut 'em Down",) inducing a fever pitch buzz for the release of his kinetic debut single for Ruff Ryders/Def Jam, "Get At Me Dog."
Despite all the excitement that currently surrounds him, only a select, informed crew of heads may recall DMX’s first go around (with the 1992 promotional single, "Born Loser") for Columbia Records. Like many talented MC’s signed to their first deal, X was left in the unfortunate scenario of languishing while other artists on the label’s roster prospered.
"Columbia tried to put me behind other groups," DMX reflects of the situation. "They were like, 'Well, we're gonna put out Kriss Kross, then we're gonna put out Cypress Hill and then we're gonna put you out.' And I was like, 'Well I'm better than all of them niggas.' So I didn't wanna wait. They let me out of the contract and I'm glad that they did." "I always knew there would be a point when someone would say, 'Somebody needs to make money off this nigga cus he's hot'. That's when Irv Gotti brought me to Lyor Cohen at Def Jam. I guess it's that point now. I guess the world wasn't ready for the gutter until now. Now they ready for the gutter shit, so now they get the fuckin' gutter.
Having originally earned his name by way of his human beat boxing expertise, DMX later experimented with other acronyms true to his evolving, revolutionary vocal steez (Divine Master of the Unknown) while honing his skills around his home in Yonkers' School Street Projects. Along the way, he bumped heads and built long-lasting friendships with fellow Y-O residents and Bad Boy Recording artists, The Lox. "Those are the pups," DMX says of Bad Boy's latest rising stars. "I trained 'em, raised 'em, they doin' their thing and I'm proud of them. I didn't teach I em everything they knew cuz they were doin' it before me, but I influenced them." With the entire Yonkers crew helping out onIt's Dark And Hell Is Hot, on the smoldering "Niggaz Done Started Something," the bonds obviously remain strong. The Album's additional sterling guest spots include Brooklyn's finest, Jay-Z, adding his acid-tongued wit and wisdom to the downtempo stinger, "Murdergram," along-side Ja who makes an impactful debut. But ultimately it's the range, cleverness and fierceness of DMX's solo showcases that truly distinguishes It's Dark And Hell Is Hot from the remainder of the rap hordes. A startling descending string line provides a dramatic backdrop for "Stop Being Greedy's," philosophies of rap economic opportunity. "Crime Story," produced by Irv Gotti, finds DMX dropping a compelling heist-and-duck narrative over a slinky, Blaxploitation flick-style bassline-and-congas rhythm track. In the tradition of lyrical giants like Slick Rick and Biggie Smalls, "Damien," finds our hero trading verses with himself in the character of a fake friend with evil intentions. Meanwhile, "How's It Goin' Down?" displays the male and female scenario of this dog's persona via a romantic episode without your typical sappy-ass ending. All of which re-affirms DMX's role as one of hip hop's most exciting "new" voices. If the uncompromising nature of It's Dark And Hell Is Hot, musical menu isn't enough to intrigue the fickle minds of rap fanatics, leave it to this human pitbull's own description of his newest creations to cut right to the heart of matters: "It's the same shit they been gettin', man: Raw dog, no condom, straight in the ass, real" This dog's day has arrived. Get at DMX.


It's Dark And Hell Is Hot


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