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 fuck how niggas 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 bullshit that's got me jackin'
niggas,
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 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 on It'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.
