It also produced his biggest hit single since “Get at Me Dog,” “Party Up (Up in Here),” which became his first Top Ten hit on the R&B charts. Toward the end of 1999, DMX released his third album, …And Then There Was X, which became his third straight album to debut at number one. 1 debuted at number one in the spring of 1999, further cementing DMX’s Midas touch. With contributions from DMX, as well as Eve, the LOX, and multiple guests, Ryde or Die, Vol. In 1999, the Ruff Ryders posse - of which DMX was a core, founding member - released a showcase compilation, Ryde or Die, Vol. Featuring a controversial cover photo of the rapper covered in blood, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood entered the charts at number one and eventually went triple platinum. Produced mostly by Swizz Beatz, who rode the album’s success to a lucrative career of his own, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot earned DMX numerous comparisons to 2Pac for his booming, aggressive presence on the mike, and went on to sell over four million copies.īefore the end of 1998, DMX completed his second album, and a pending buyout of Def Jam pushed the record into stores that December. In 1997, he earned a second major-label shot with Def Jam, and made a galvanizing guest appearance on LL Cool J’s “ 4, 3, 2, 1.” Further guest spots on Mase’s “24 Hours to Live” and fellow Yonkers MCs the LOX’s “Money, Power & Respect” created an even stronger buzz, and in early 1998, he released his debut Def Jam single, “Get at Me Dog.” The song was a gold-selling smash on the rap and dance charts and paved the way for DMX’s full-length debut, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, to debut at number one on the pop charts. Columbia subsidiary Ruffhouse signed him to a deal the following year and released his debut single, “Born Loser.” However, a surplus of talent on the Ruffhouse roster left DMX underpromoted, and the label agreed to release him from his contract.ĭMX began to rebuild his career with an appearance on one of DJ Clue?’s underground mixtapes.
He made a name for himself on the freestyle battle scene and was written up in The Source magazine’s Unsigned Hype column in 1991. He found his saving grace in Hip Hop, starting out as a DJ and human beatbox, and later moved into rapping for a greater share of the spotlight, taking his name from the DMX digital drum machine (though it’s also been reinterpreted to mean “Dark Man X”). A troubled and abusive childhood turned him violent, and he spent a great deal of time living in group homes and surviving on the streets via robbery, which led to several run-ins with the law. He moved with part of his family to the New York City suburb of Yonkers while still a young child. The results were compelling enough to make DMX the first artist ever to have his first five albums enter the charts at number one.ĭMX was born Earl Simmons in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 18, 1970. He could move from spiritual anguish one minute to a narrative about the sins of the streets the next, yet keep it all part of the same complex character, sort of like a Hip Hop Johnny Cash. Plus, there was substance behind the style much of his work was tied together by a fascination with the split between the sacred and the profane. Everything about DMX was unremittingly intense, from his muscular, tattooed physique to his gruff, barking delivery, which made a perfect match for his trademark lyrical obsession with dogs. His rapid ascent to stardom was actually almost a decade in the making, which gave him a chance to develop the theatrical image that made him one of rap’s most distinctive personalities during his heyday. He was that rare commodity: a commercial powerhouse with artistic and street credibility to spare. Ranking DMX’s Albums: Following the deaths of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., DMX took over as the undisputed reigning king of hardcore rap.
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