DMX - It's Dark And Hell Is Hot (Album Review)
What up one & all. Sky Bento here on the check-in. BIG BENTO ENERGY is in full effect.
Hope you and yours are doing great. It’s been a hell of a year so far in more ways than one. Of course, this is also coming off a year that was pretty hellish. Pretty dark. So before I get into anything, I just want to preface this with a reminder to take care of your mental health and check on your loved ones while they still here. Especially touch base with those who wear their hearts (and their sins) on their sleeves like an arm-length tattoo. Sometimes, although they may smile and seem like everything is cool, they might be battling demons the likes of which you may have never even considered.
It’s been amazing watching Earl Simmons (known professionally as DMX) throughout the past year. Between the Verzuz battle with Snoop Dogg, his appearances on N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN’s Drink Champs, and The People’s Party with Talib Kweli, there have been plenty of reasons to celebrate the dog’s legacy. In all of these moments, he appeared healthy and happy - a stark contrast to his on-wax persona. As such a big part of my childhood, I couldn’t help but be happy for the man. So like everybody else on the planet I was devastated to receive the news of DMX’s heart attack, and eventual passing. And I mean devastated. I was fighting tears at work trying to process that X was actually gone. It really hit me, as I’m sure it has hit us all.
With all of this, I took the opportunity to revisit his catalog and reflect on his legacy. I wanted to share this experience with you, through the lens of a fellow artist myself. So ride with me, as we take a journey through his game-changing 1998 debut, “It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot”.
1. Intro - First of all, it is impossible for me to separate this record from Def Jam Vendetta. From the first gong hit at the top of the track and the bells that follow, you know you’re in for something special. It feels like a horror movie. I ain’t even going to hold you. I love Dreams & Nightmares, Tuscan Leather, and The Dynasty Intro but this is my favorite intro of all time. It’s probably the reason I hate intros with the title “Intro”. Nothing compares to this for me. Those string synths just hit you in the right places. Never mind the beat though; do you hear the pain and promise in X’s voice? You should know from this that the rest of the record is going to make you feel. And feel you will.
2. Ruff Ryder’s Anthem - STOP! DROP! SHUT ‘EM DOWN, OPEN UP SHOP! DOG. Come on. This could be considered X’s signature song, in a legendary career full of signature songs. This hook is legendary, and the flow of the verses with the “what” after every bar… it just feels like you’re either riding with the Ruff Ryders or getting rolled over. I remember hearing X say that he hates how simple the flow was on this record, but that’s what makes it so impeccable. It’s simple boss-talk and intimidation. The sound is in-your-face, like his entire style. The way he weaves more syllables into the same flow is remarkable. Again: come on, it’s “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem”.
3. F***in’ wit’ D - This is 90’s New York street talk at its most grimy. A real MC-style record. DMX is just establishing his dominance so effortlessly. The imposing sample (especially when it comes in looped every few bars) feels like the Jaws theme. This track shows you’re in trouble if you’re ever on this man’s bad side.
4. The Storm (Skit) - “You ain’t never rich in this world.” I think that sums up the whole reason this skit was included. DMX’s come-up in the streets will forever be a part of him. It scarred him. It fundamentally changed him and he will always carry that burden in some way.
5. Look Thru My Eyes - Now we get into the emotional meat of the album. The cold, chilling beat you think would suit a smooth laid-back flow, which X hints at with the hook. That’s not DMX though. He has had to steal and scramble to survive and you can feel that with the scattered flow he throws into his verses on this track. Add in the detail in his verses and you really get a good look into what has made him who he is. “I bear my soul. N****s wouldn’t dare. My role? Give a n**** a heart of gold, but with a hole.” The third verse on this really goes so crazy and shows you the cold world that has molded him.
6. Get At Me Dog (feat. Sheek Louch) - “What must I go through to show you sh*t is real?” Coming off the last track, these bars hit especially hard. He’s back to showing what these mean streets have turned him into. I’ve always felt weird about him mentioning Optimus Prime but then saying “I’ll form the head”, clearly confusing Transformers with Voltron. That’s just the nerd in me though. I’m sure with all the time spent robbing and stealing, the few moments of peace he spent watching TV all blend together. There are many more important things on this man’s brain like how he’s getting his next meal.
Fun fact: the end of the last verse was taken from a 2Pac diss he once spit. It’s funny to me because the way he says “I thought you n****s was killers?” always felt like Pac reincarnated to me. X as a whole always felt like the second coming of 2Pac, and all the pain and bravado in this record clearly demonstrates why.
7. Let Me Fly - I recently saw Lil Wayne mentioning DMX as a legend and in the hook of this song it’s clear he was an influence on him early in his career. Even the beat itself feels like a gloomier version of early Cash Money records. That sample of José José’s Lo Dudo was masterfully flipped to provide a chilling atmosphere. It’s reminiscent of the little beepy thing next to a hospital bed. The bass in this song is so warm and unsettling at the same time. If he don’t fly, he’s going to die anyway. That hurts to hear, considering the current circumstances. I’m thankful he got to fly first.
8. X Is Coming - I love the Freddy Krueger flip. X really leans into his horror movie bag very often on this album, both sonically and lyrically, so it’s cool that he took an exact reference from the genre. “Find you with your back open, and your legs cut off.” Real serial killer flow. Again, this is another display of how this cold world has made X even colder. It’s hurt or be hurt. Kill or be killed. Eminem and Tyler, the Creator honestly owe a lot to DMX. The amazing thing about this album is you never question how a man could be so deranged and twisted. He shows you all sides and makes it clear.
9. Damien - One of the dog’s best concepts. This is a conversation with the metaphorical devil on his shoulder. Earl Simmons is literally walking you through his sins. “Sounds good to me, f*ck it. What I got to lose? Hmm… Nothing I could think of.” This a man who really feels he has no choice and he’s making his humanity clear as day throughout this record. The “that’s my man!” callback to the intro is also really chilling when you think about it. In the intro, he’s talking about the Ruff Ryders of course, but now he’s claiming the literal devil as a friend, a homie, a confidant. He’s accepted that the only way to get ahead is doing all the wrong things. This is the epitome of life in the streets. You do what you feel like you have to do to survive until you see that isn’t enough. You get addicted to this lifestyle and you just want more and more out of it. I remember hearing this in high school and my mind was blown. DMX is so poetically potent due to his ability to lay it all out there, just like on this record.
10. How’s It Goin’ Down - Give a dog a bone. This album is so riddled with sin that even the record for the ladies is about an affair. This record really is something special. So special that Drake interpolated it on “Views” despite the dog’s well-known disdain for the Canadian rapper (at the time). Unlike most MCs who would just brag about smashing somebody’s baby momma, DMX at least admits it’d be wrong of him to keep her all to himself. What a gentleman, yo. Can we talk about the versatility this record displays? DMX is known for his signature gruff voice and off-the-wall street antics but one of the best records he ever made contains virtually none of that. This one just has that timeless 90’s-R&B-cookout-type vibe. This the one you could approach a chick at the function with and just rap along to the chorus to get her number, as long as you ain’t forget your pen and paper in your other Starter jacket pocket.
11. Mickey (Skit) - Damn. RIP Mickey.
12. Crime Story - One smooth beat after another. You don’t expect to hear beats like these if all you ever heard was the DMX street singles. X’s storytelling ability really shines on this record as he floats over bongos and snaps like it’s a poetry slam. Again, showing you exactly how he’s had to live his life. A highlight for me is when he throws the cops off his trail by saying “It’s just me here and I’m not dressed. And that guy sounds kind of dangerous, I hope you make an arrest”.
13. Stop Being Greedy - The perfect song to follow “Crime Story”. The sequencing on this album is top tier. I’ve always loved how he flips back-and-forth between his more humane-sounding voice over spooky strings and his signature rough vocal tone over Dracula-esque organs. It really shows the duality of a man trapped in the streets. He makes the title of the song sound like both a request and a gun-in-your-face-money-in-the-bag demand. It’s that level of honesty that makes DMX easier to empathize with than most of his peers. And if you ask me, the barks on this record just hit different compared to every other time he’s used the signature ad-lib. This is peak late 90’s New York street rap. I know I could say that about the majority of Dark Man X’s early discography, but everything about this just feels on-the-nose.
14. ATF - A dog is on the run. The alarm-sounding synths convey that as soon as they drop. Another storytelling joint. If you don’t understand where X is coming from by now, I doubt you ever will. And that’s honestly your loss, exactly because of records like this. “All I can think of is what about my kids?”
15. For My Dogs (feat. Drag-On, Loose, Big Stan & Kasino) - It’s crazy how antiquated yet timeless this beat sounds at the same time. I’m sure that NBA Youngboy could hop on a recreation of this beat today with very little changes. Rattling hi-hats and handclaps alternating with snares… Did DMX invent Trap?
Anyways, this album is very light on features, and I think that’s for the best. X is determined to take you directly into the psyche of a man damaged by the world around him. You feel that as soon as the posse cut subsides to make way for the man we all came to see. They aren’t bad features, but you can feel something is different as soon as X enters. Even the instrumental itself moves out of the way for DMX to say “My people show love, and haven’t left me stranded yet. Although I have a death wish that ain’t been granted yet.” He really feels like a pastor on this joint. This isn’t just a verse, it’s a sermon. A sermon for his dogs.
16. I Can Feel It - It’s impossible to make a bad song with this sample I’m convinced. Fat shouts out to Phil Collins for making such an enduring record.
But yeah, this is the perfect sample for someone like DMX, whose harsh vocals inject so much life into the space of a beat. It really feels like church when this man raps. “Some of us may do the winning, but we all do the losing. It’s just who does the choosing.” I will remember those lyrics forever. Nobody is exempt from the lows of life. We all will feel pain. Even if you somehow are granted a perfect life with no pain firsthand, if you’ve ever heard a DMX song you’ve felt his pain. You can feel it.
17. Prayer (Skit) - Despite all of the sins on display, DMX has included a prayer on every album he released in his lifetime. I don’t have anything else to say about this. Just listen to it, even if your religious beliefs do not align with his. Just hear the humanity. “If it takes for me to suffer for my brother to see the light, give me pain until I die but please Lord treat him right.”
18. The Convo - “Thou shalt not steal, but I will to eat.” Following the prayer, DMX makes a full record out of a conversation with God. It really wraps up all of the themes of the entire album. This is basically the flip side of the “Damien” record. He knows he’s not perfect. He’s only done what he felt he had to do, due to his surroundings. It’s moving. Behind all of the horror movie sounds and psychotic gory imagery lies the soul of a broken man who just wanted to find a way. Rather than continue to feed into his sin, he strives to be better beyond his circumstances. Even the production shows the duality as DMX plays the part of God himself over more open sections of the beat (similar to “Stop Being Greedy”). DMX admits all of his best moments and his own survival are due to his faith in God himself. It is a powerful closer to an impactful album.
19. N****z Done Started Something (feat. The LOX & Mase) - I can’t find evidence of this anywhere, but to me, this is a bonus track. Another posse cut featuring fellow God-fearing MC, Mase, and fellow Ruff Ryders, The LOX. I guess in a way it symbolizes that even after all of the talks with God, the dog goes right back to his old ways in his old environment with fellow victims of the same circumstances - all of whom have moved wildly beyond their birthplaces. The early Jadakiss verse specifically is a highlight. I don’t think it’s a “Top 5 Dead or Alive” level highlight like he loves to claim, but you can’t deny that this was “for the listeners and prisoners and them jealous rap cats who prefer dissing us”. Of course, the highlight is the dog himself, because as he says “when he wets sh*t, he deads sh*t, like abortion”. I also personally love the “f*ck what you heard, this what you hearing” that he’d later use as the intro to “X Gon Give It To Ya”. What a verse, on a record full of them.
I guess the outro of the last joint does officially make it a part of the full story. The story of a man left without choices beyond the most important choice of all - life or death. DMX didn’t just choose life, he chose to live to the fullest. He chose to outgrow his harsh environment and put his pain on wax - helping millions face their own demons. The stories and videos of DMX that have taken over Twitter since his passing are clear proof of that. Whether it’s the videos of him dancing at an Albanian wedding or singing to classics (my absolute favorite is THIS ONE), or the stories of him supporting the hustle of the girl scouts, it’s clear to see that this was a man that truly tried his absolute hardest to love his life and create a life for himself that he could love. That’s the lesson I got from DMX and it’s ever-present throughout the album. It all starts with a little faith. Faith that things could be better. Faith that this isn’t the end for you.
Thank you, Earl Simmons, for your contributions to the universe. May your soul rest in peace. We love you forever.
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