This was DMX’s second release following his great debut It’s dark and hell is hot. Again he paints dark pictures due to his rough upbringing from Yonkers, New York.
1. My Niggas Skit
DMX begins the album with shouting out about his “Niggas”. A beat starts which is very electronic and X does this little rhyme about his Niggas and what he and they would do for each other and what they wouldn’t do. The beat isn’t my type of beat. JUST AN INTRO/SKIT!
2. Bring your whole crew
The beat is good on this one, it a nice one it has that typical Ruff ryders sound which is nice you know the rapid uptempo beat normally used by X and some of the other Ruff Ryders, I especially like the bass. DMX starts of on fire here with dark lyrics such as “I got blood on my hands and there’s no remorse/I got blood on my dick coz I *****ed a corpse” one of my favourite lines from X. In all its threats and what x could have done to you. The hook is nice and quite additive but Very very simple. In all don’t ***** with X!!! The beat lets it down from being the gem I could be.
3. Pac Man Skit
JUST A SKIT! Some “fake ass nigga” I suppose trying to hang with some “real niggas” and gets shot. Very lame skit.
4. Ain’t No Way
The beat is nice but isn’t better than the one before (number 2). It has that Ruff ryders feel which gets you hyped for shit with guitar loops. The lyrics are his typical stuff. The hook is nice.
5. We Don’t Give A *****
This is better than the last two songs in my opinion. The beat is a nice one with synthesizers which gives this is dark feel in my opinion. The hook I nice and is a typical “thought you was my dog but you a *****” which is over played in hip hop but is nicely delivered by Lox member Jadakiss. X spits about some backstabber while spitting his dark lyrics to sort if out. Styles P delivers a nice verse maybe a better one than X.
6. Keep your shit the hardest
The beat is pretty bad on this one I don’t really like it that much but the lyrics make it up. The beat is a very uptempo one which is the typical Swizz beat beat so I wernt expecting much because he doesn’t make Great beats more than half the time. It’s bearable. The lyrics are about keeping it real and DMX spits nice and I really like his first one. The hook is pretty simple and isn’t the best one from X.
7. Coming from Feat Mary J Blige
This really starts to pick up a very dope beat! The beat is made up of a really odd sounding piano, it sounds too sharp and sounds freaky and Mary gives it a more eerie feel. DMX spits about his life and what his gone through, you know the typical rapper bragging. A very dope beat in all.
8. It’s all good
Arhh A *****es song which I don’t like in hip-hop its so played out now days. The beat is alright which has a nice baseline and the beat is quite catchy and nicely organized. The hook is alright. Unlike on It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot the beat is really quite dope and holds it above average this isn’t catchy enough. Weakest song on the album in my opinion.
9. The Omen
To begin with you hear a women crying over her about to lose someone and she can hear death coming and then you hear a flatline and a scream. The beat starts to slowly starts to rise and its pretty eerie and dark which I love! Then they start rapping. Who? DMX and Damien, That’s who! The thing is a success on his last album and it’s bigger this time. They talk about their *****ed up relationship and in most places you really hear the devil coming out in Damien’s voice with Random outburst. Also DMX supplies us with of Irony saying “With you I know the devil can’t win”. The Hook is supplied by Marilyn Manson Which is dope but the same as the last one. This is dope in all
10. Slippin’
Alright this is one of X’s biggest and most loved songs and you can see why. A nice calm slow beat which is really relaxing from his adrenaline pumped aggressive songs .Lyrics are dope but one flaw. Why the hell is it Edited????? On my cover it says Parental Advisory Explicit Content yet no swear words?? That’s the only thing wrong with this track as the “Woo” and “Arhh” things that DMX does on his unexplicit songs. The lyrics are deep and meaningful abouthis upbringing which sounds rough yet his optimistic.
11. No love 4 Me Feat Swizz Beats + Drag-On
To begin with DMX spits that little thing he always does over a rapid guitar which sounds incredibly hard to keep up with but all 2 does it nicely. It obvious it is a swizz beat creation. The hook is alright sounds like another and any other DMX hook which is delivered by DMX. Lyrics are about how much love they don’t have and all that stuff if you couldn’t tell. Average song in my opinion
12. Dogs for Life
To begin with there is a skit which I don’t like it always should be at the end, a number of there own or not on at all. The beat is pretty good I like the bass def and the pianos. The lyrics are about the love he has for his dawgs and compares them to the animal. The hook is nice.
13. Blackout Feat. Jay-z The LOX
Alright this has the LOX on and like the last album song Niggaz gone startin something they come up real nice they really come up average. This si a battle/gun rap type of sound where they brag about stuff they can do to you. Jay-z comes off even worse when he starts bragging about possessions. DMX is easily the bet on this. The lyric bring down the good beat. No hook just verses.
14. Flesh Of My Flesh Blood Of My Blood
The beat has the typical Swizz beat but its real dope especially at the hook which is nice and the outro which is nicer. DMX spits dark matter also some bragging about his selling record. Nice song no big cons
15. Heat
The hook is pretty weird but I like it. The beat is rapid as you could tell it is a Swizz Beat beat. It a dark storytelling track were he does some robbery or something like that which is dope. You can really tell DMX is ruthless with the lyrics he is using and you can see his style.
16. Ready to meet him
A very long Prayer skit to begin but the wait is worth with a dope beat with the guitar loops and the singing echoing in the background. Like the convo in his last one where he spits to god and he answers his questions but god this time asks DMX what he learnt like a switch in roles. The hook is dope. What a way to end this pretty dope CD!
In all this gets a 4/5 out of 5 and is his 2nd best Cd after It’s dark and Hell is Hot.
This album was a great thing to listen to from back to end. In both lyrical and Beat wise there are some dope songs and some really average songs, not due to overall but either the beat was dope and the lyrics were wack or average or vice versa. DMX is one of the 1st artist’s ever checked out and he still remains one of them after about 1- 2 years of experimenting with all type of different styles. He may not be the greatest lyricists with punchlines, wordplay ETC but his entertaining, he can spit good rhymes, has a style of his own, bring up new topics and normally good beats behind him which he helps bring them alive with his raps.
Recommendation: I would def buy this album if you like DMX or if its cheap or many other reasons you may buy it. If you want his best or a first time buyer then buy his debut. If you got both I def recommend And then there was X which is also a 4/5. Grand champ I would recommend if you like DMX 3.5/5 and The great Depression if you own all of them and you like X which I would rate his lowest but yet its god but average at a 3/5 rating.