DMX
..And Then There Was X
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DMX
..And Then There Was X
Def Jam, 2000
RiYL: K-Solo, Jay-Z, Noreaga, Nas |
A rare rapper who talks the street talk with sincerity and even humility without mutating into some silly caricature (Mobb Deep, Ja Rule, M.O.P., post-It Was Written Nas, etc.), he's nevertheless become hip-hop's unfortunate definition of oversaturation, even more than the Wu-Tang Clan or weak Cash Money or No Limit crews since they at least have multiple personalities and voices. Instead of condensing this and 1998's Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood to one solid record, every amazing track ("Here We Go Again," "Make A Move," "What's My Name?") is sandwiched by two or more forgettable ones.
With his 1998 breakthrough song "Get At Me Dog," DMX didn't just try to get his foot in the door, he kicked it open like a one-man S.W.A.T. team. Tupac and Biggie were gone, Lauryn Hill went from rapper to diva and the Wu-Tang Clan and Dr. Dre were virtually unheard from (for their standards), so when DMX came out of nowhere, he instantly became gangster rap's new poster MC.
The ballad "How's It Goin' Down" was the crossover, but the fact his third single "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" shared "TRL" space with Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys and Kid Rock was truly amazing. Besides Rage Against The Machine's appearances, no song on that countdown was ever as threatening or violent. And though most of the lyrics had to be censored, you could see an awkward and nervous Carson Daly cringe when it topped the chart.
Few MCs can touch DMX at his best, with his pit bull snarls and loyalty vs. get-that-money flow, but only a few new songs have a beat worthy of them. The usually one-dimensional and melodramatic producer Irv Gotti (see The Murderers) merits praise for the tough first single "What's My Name?" with its hard piano and thumping bass, but it's still a less lyrical and overall weaker version of "Ruff Ryders' Anthem." Unflinching verses such as, "What was that look for / when I walked in the door / oh you thought you was raw / boom (gunshot), not anymore / cuz now you on the floor / wishin' you never saw / me walk through that door / with that .44" have been replaced with an effectively yelled but oversimplified, "I'm not a nice person."
"One More Road To Cross," "The Professional" and "Fame" are catchy and danceable though strangely underwhelming, but the slow, brooding "Here We Go Again" is his most vivid song since last year's big hit "Slippin'." Over a poppy yet dark, piano-led beat, DMX's vocals are so layered and at times even frail above a simple story of letting a backstabbing thug go only to eventually kill him. Of course, that's followed immediately by Swizz Beat's embarrassing "Party Up."
Unlike most solo rap records, ...And Then There Was X is for better or worse, relatively guest-free. While Queen Ruff Ryder Eve (who could have done wonders) is noticeably absent, Dyme and Sisqo do their best to ruin "Good Girls, Bad Guys" and "What These Bitches Want," respectively. Like "Wild Wild West," Sisqo's background moans are theatrically synthetic, but are gladly accepted if I never have to hear "Thong Song" again. Worthless new albums from the Lox and Drag-On will surely go platinum, but their verses on "D-X-L" are criminally (though predictably) trite and sleepy, because unlike DMX, when the characters aren't believable, their words can never be.
ROB BERNSTEN |