Music - http://maxpages.com/hophopworld/DMX

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." Utilizing a classic, tension-filled BT Express guitar sample, the single's keen balance of street grit and dance floor bounce provides the perfect backdrop for the Dark Man X's unshakably aggressive vocal delivery; one whose distinctively hoarse timbre is but the table setter for his main course of irrepressible rhyme:

What must I go through to show you shit is real And I ain't never really gave a f**k how n*ggas feel I rob and I steal Not cuz I want to, cuz I have to And don't make me show you what the mac do If you don't know by now you slippin' I'm on some bullsh*t that's got me jackin' n*ggas, flippin' Let my man and them stay pretty, but I'm a stay shitty Cruddy, it's all for the money Is you with me?

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 n*ggas.' 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 sh*t, so now they get the f**kin' 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 on It's Dark And Hell Is Hot, on the smoldering "N*ggaz 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-a$$ 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 sh*t they been gettin', man: Raw dog, no condom, straight in the a$$, real"

This dog's day has arrived. Get at DMX.

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Page Updated Mon Mar 29, 1999 9:07pm EST