DMX’s Posthumous Album ‘Exodus’ Is A Flawed But Fitting Final Testament

The best song on DMX’s recently released, posthumous album Exodus is “Bath Salts.” It’s the song that best summarizes the album’s purpose, that gives us the best glimpse of DMX as an artist hitting middle age, taking stock, and quietly contemplating the future while celebrating his accomplishments. It’s probably no coincidence that the featured guests are Jay-Z and Nas at their absolute best, as the three rappers have been peers, rivals, friends, and the rear guard of hip-hop’s turn-of-the-millennium boom era, three of the last men standing.

It’s hard to say whether the rest of the album clears the high bar set by just its second track because it’s been so long since DMX released new music on his own accord that there’s no telling whether the rest of his guest features are the result of natural evolution or algorithmic calculation. I don’t know that the DMX would have especially wanted to work with someone like Bono on “Skyscrapers” or Moneybagg Yo on “Money Money Money.” In fact, in a recent interview, the album’s executive producer Swizz Beatz even admitted the latter was a replacement choice after the desired Pop Smoke verse turned out to be unavailable.

Swizz is as much responsible for the album’s direction as anyone, the navigator to X’s driver. There are times when it feels like Swizz’s desires dictate the sound and collaborators as much as X’s did — like in Goofy Movie when Max changes Goofy’s map so he can attend the Powerline concert instead of visiting his pop’s sacred fishing hole. When Alicia Keys pops up — bless her — it smells strongly of Swizz doing favors for people in his circle. It’s a circle that had grown to include pop-favorite multi-millionaire R&B stars like Usher, but not so much the purveyors of the gritty street sounds that informed Swizz and X’s earliest work.

And yet, there are allusions to that work all over the album, making it feel less like the slapdash, stream-baiting efforts on other posthumous releases that have come out over the past few years — way too many. Way. Way. Too. Many — and more like a DMX album proper — maybe a more mellow Grand Champ. Swizz certainly sets things off properly with “That’s My Dog,” which features X’s Ruff Ryders compatriots The LOX, each member in rare form. Then, there’s the aforementioned “Bath Salts,” on which Nas makes a rock-solid case that Swizz Beatz should absolutely executive produce as many of the next albums the Queens icon cares to make (seriously, they are batting like .800 in the past few years, why hasn’t this happened yet?).

DMX proves he can still hang with his contemporaries lyrically, and his flow, despite being worn by time, still connects like an aging NBA player polishing his finesse game as time robs him of his explosiveness. It’s when he tries to get it back that the seams begin to show. Of course, again, it’s difficult to pinpoint the issue on the missteps. The yell-raps on “Money Money Money” and the Griselda Records- featuring “Hood Blues” sound rushed and off-kilter — is this intentional? Is it the result of rust? Did DMX have trouble adjusting to these beats, which are a bit unusual in his catalog as they feature Swizz’s more recently developed swing-style drums? Or is it Swizz and his engineers being in too big a hurry to finish this project before the spotlight swung away, flying vocals onto mismatched production to take advantage of the name recognition of guests?

It certainly feels like this on the pop reaches, “Hold Me Down” and “Skyscrapers.” Fortunately, another Ruff Ryders appearance — this time from oft-overlooked members Cross and Infrared on a hilarious, hyperviolent skit — sets things right, setting the stage for the more confessional, emotive back half of the album, featuring the songs that X most likely had more of a hand in. His flow, subject matter, and voice certainly seem better suited to “Walking In The Rain” — the fact he performs the hook himself suggests that it was certainly one of the songs he finished before he passed. It’s classic DMX, a ruminative track that looks inward and backward, with X and Nas reflecting on life changes.

Likewise, on “Letter To My Son,” DMX speaks to the titular Exodus from the perspective of an elder addressing his son on the cusp of manhood — an opportunity robbed from him by his addiction. It’s a sobering thought, that X could foresee a world in which he wouldn’t have the chance to have the grown man chat with his son. Moments like this album closer suggest that maybe X wanted to use this project to say all the things he wouldn’t get a chance to say. Perhaps if he had been alive to see it finished, little would have changed from the product that ultimately came. That’s always the tragedy, isn’t it?

It’s funny; for all the dog imagery DMX has embraced throughout his life and career, he resembles nothing here so much as an old lion. He’s battle-scarred, he’s tired — but he’s no less noble and beautiful for it. He has the authority and lived experience that his advice rings true, yet he has little interest in holding the throne. Leave that for the cubs. He’s earned his place, he’s left his legacy. The only thing left is to say goodbye. The fiery father figure somehow found a way to do that, leaving behind a flawed but fitting testament to a flawed man.

Exodus is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.

Swizz Beatz Explained Why Pop Smoke Did Not Appear On DMX’s Posthumous Album

DMX’s posthumous album, Exodus, arrived more than a month after the rapper’s tragic death. It was his most collaborative effort to date, featuring some of the most popular names from past and present, including Jay-Z, Nas, Usher, The Lox, and Griselda. One person missing was Pop Smoke. But in a recent interview with The Breakfast Club, Swizz Beatz, who executive produced the album, explained why was the late rapper was not featured on Exodus.

“They used the verse already. I know X wouldn’t want an old verse,” Swizz said. “We fought for it,” adding that the verse was “out of nowhere.” Pop Smoke was set to appear on “Money Money Money” but Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo eventually replaced him. Swizz continued, “It was two verses and both of them was used. We went to get another verse and it was used.” The famed producer then explained why he selected the Memphis native for the song.

“I just put Moneybagg on the song,” he said. “Not that they the same energy, but they the same demographic. X wanted to touch that part too.” He added, “I’m not mad at it. I like Moneybagg verse better anyway.”

You can watch the full interview in the video above.

Exodus is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.

Swizz Beatz Discusses The Possibility Of A Second Posthumous DMX Album

DMX’s Exodus, arrived on Friday. It’s the final album the rapper completed before his death, minus some last-minute loose ends that were tied up posthumously. Swizz Beatz executive produced the album and he’s also taken charge of promoting it, including an appearance on The Breakfast Club, in which he spoke about the possibility of a second posthumous DMX album.

“He’s got a lot of music,” Swizz says around the 23:00 mark of the interview. “But, for me it’s like, he just worked so hard on this record that I don’t really want to tamper with things unless it can be better than this record. I don’t want to just put things out, and even with the footage, we recorded the whole process of the album, and we could’ve been putting that footage out right now leading up to the album.”

He added, “But I’m like, ‘let’s do something masterful with it. Let’s treat it as art and curate it to where it adds to his legacy and is not just a blip of a moment that seems like it works, but you still don’t understand the whole story.’” So this almost certainly isn’t the last you’ll hear from DMX.

You can watch the full The Breakfast Club interview above.

DMX’s ‘EXODUS’ First-Week Sales Projections Revealed

Late Def Jam icon DMX’s EXODUS album is going to have zip-zero problem landing onto the sales chart. The hip-hop veteran’s posthumous project is slated to sell up to 32,000 copies in its first week of availability. DMX’s ‘EXODUS’ First-Week Sales Projections According to early estimates, the project will easily land on the BillBoard Top […]

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Jay-Z Says He Boycotted The 1999 Grammys After DMX Was Snubbed At The Award Show

Competition in hip-hop has always been a major factor in hip-hop. It’s something Jay-Z knows all too well, having had spats with acts like Nas and Drake. But sometimes rappers need to put aside their differences for the greater good. During a recent appearance with Bad Bunny on LeBron James’ HBO show The Shop, the legendary musician spoke about once siding with the late DMX after the Grammys failed to nominate him at their 1999 show.

“The first time I boycotted the Grammys was for him,” he said. “We both came out that year. He didn’t get nominated. He dropped two No. 1 albums in the same year and they didn’t even nominate him.” The two albums Jay-Z is referring to are 1998’s It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot and Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood. The 1999 award show is also where Jay-Z earned his first Grammy, winning in the Best Rap Album category for Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life. He added, “I wasn’t even in the building because I boycotted it for him. There was a competitive thing, but it was big love.”

Jay-Z then dove into the pugilistic nature of his relationship with DMX, recalling a time when the late rapper called him out at a show. “He got on stage: ‘JAY-Z, where you at!?’ I was like, ‘This guy is nuts!’ He was just all passion,” he said. During the episode of The Shop, Jay also explained why DMX was an impossible act to follow at live shows.

Swizz Beatz Revealed DMX Believed ‘Exodus’ Would Be His Last Album, Saying, ‘X Was Tired’

On Friday DMX’s posthumous album, Exodus was released. Fans of the late rapper can rest assure knowing that the final body of work was completed before DMX tragically passed. Swizz Beatz, who executive produced Exdous, also revealed that a bulk of the project was completed after DMX and Snoop Dogg’s Verzuz battle last summer. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Swizz spoke about the energy DMX had while he recorded the album — or lack thereof.

“We’d been talking about this record for a long time, but after we did Verzuz [in July 2020], he was ready,” Swizz said during the interview. “He saw that the people were showing him love and the fans were ready.” He added, “X was tired. The whole time we were doing the album, he was excited, but he was like, ‘I think this is going to be my last album.’ I was just like, ‘Let’s get through this and then let’s see; let’s judge it later, let’s not judge it now.’”

Swizz concluded, “I just tried keeping him in the now spirit, instead of thinking about what he’s not gonna do. But obviously, he knew something we didn’t.”

The famed hip-hop producer also shared his own feelings about the album now that it’s out. “I can at least listen to a song now without breaking down,” Swizz said. “I’m making it look strong, but I’m crushed, I’m destroyed, I’m hurt. But I had to pull this through for him and his family and for his legacy.”

You can read the full Rolling Stone interview here.

Exodus is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.

Jay-Z Explains Exactly Why DMX Was An Impossible Act To Follow As A Live Performer

In the wake of the late DMX’s tragic, untimely death, his fans and peers have been sharing their memories and stories that reveal just what made him such a formidable force in the hip-hop world. Who better to testify to X’s power as a live performer than one of the best and most influential New York rappers in the game, Jay-Z. As the clip below shows, in a recent episode of LeBron James’ show, The Shop on HBO, even Jay-Z found X a tough act to follow. Just as he showed his fallibility in a recent episode by admitting he sometimes forgets his own lyrics, Jay let James and crew know that following up a DMX set was no easy feat.

“X is about to go on, and I’m like, you know, I wanna see,” he begins. “X is going before me. And then he goes (growls), and the f*cking arena goes crazy. First of all, it’s deafening… and I’m like oh sh*t.” Jay goes on to explain the other elements of X’s set that get the crowd hype, including ripping his shirt off halfway through his set, and then, of course, leading the entire crowd in prayer as a closing act. Then, after all that, it’s time for Jay-Z to take the stage — a tough act to follow indeed. Check out his retelling of the set above, it showcases exactly why Jay is such a successful figure in pop culture in the first place, he’s a great storyteller. And if you’re craving more DMX, check out the posthumous Exodus album his label released this past Friday.