Today In Hip Hop History: DMX Dropped His Third LP ‘…And Then There Was X’ 24 Years Ago

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On this date in 1999, rap phenomenon DMX released his third studio effort entitled …And Then There Was X on the Def Jam/Ruff Ryders imprint. With production from the likes of Harlem trendsetter Dame Grease, Swizz Beatz, and of course the Ruff Ryders’ generals Dee and Waah, this timeless classic went five-time platinum within a year and received a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album in 2001. It has been X’s best-selling album to date.

The sophomore single, which eventually catapulted to the album’s lead single, “Party Up (Up In Here), received the most acclaim, peaking at #27 on Billboard Hot 100, and was featured in several silver screen classics such as How High, Gone In 60 Seconds and Ghostbusters. The third, R&B-driven track, “What These Bitches Want?” featuring Sisqo, was one of the biggest hits in DMX’s career, which was a true-to-life confession of the women in his life.

Shout out to X, Dee, Waah, Swizz, Dame Grease, and the rest of Ruff Ryders squad who came together to bring us this piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: DMX Dropped His Third LP ‘…And Then There Was X’ 24 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: DMX Dropped His Third LP ‘…And Then There Was X’ 24 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Turn The “Party Up” On What Would’ve Been DMX’s 53rd Birthday: Stream

The hip-hop world is a place where untimely deaths are tragically common, whether they be a result of gun violence or substance abuse. One of the most heartbreaking losses to fall into the latter category in recent years was DMX, who died in 2021 after a heart attack that came following a cocaine overdose. He was just 50 years old at the time, leaving behind an astounding 17 children and a musical legacy like no other.

Obviously, one of X’s best-known titles is the Swizz Beatz-produced “Party Up,” an anthem known to make any function rowdy. Not only is the beat sure to get a crowd dancing and jumping, but the late lyricist’s ferocious bars will also incite hunger in others too. “Off the chain, I leave ni**as soft in the brain / ‘Cause ni**as still want the fame off the name,” he spits on the second verse. “First of all, you ain’t rapped long enough / To be f**king with me, and you, you ain’t strong enough,” the New Yorker says afterward as his confidence grows.

Read More: DMX’s Son Plays “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” On Piano For Rapper’s Birthday: Watch

Happy Heavenly Birthday to DMX

Today (December 18) marks what would’ve been DMX’s 53rd birthday. Many of his children are posting about their late father on social media to keep his memory alive. Meanwhile, we’re playing throwbacks and looking back on all the insightful knowledge the Belly actor dropped on us throughout his prolific life.

Revisit some of DMX’s most famous bars from “Party Up” in the visual above. If the throwback isn’t already a staple in your workout playlist, make sure to add it on Spotify/Apple Music. For more HNHH release recommendations, check out our favourites from this past weekend on our Fire Emoji update at the link below.

Read More: Bas & J. Cole Are Far From “Home Alone” On Our New Fire Emoji Playlist Update

Quotable Lyrics:

Off the chain, I leave ni**as soft in the brain
‘Cause ni**as still want the fame off the name
First of all, you ain’t rapped long enough
To be f**king with me, and you, you ain’t strong enough

[Via]

The post Turn The “Party Up” On What Would’ve Been DMX’s 53rd Birthday: Stream appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Swizz Beatz Thinks He Has Enough Unreleased DMX Material For A Posthumous Album

Very few deaths have rocked the hip-hop world in recent memory like DMX. The legendary rapper passed away in April of 2021 and while many of the circumstances surrounding his death at the time were unclear, that didn’t stop many in the rap community from showing him love. Shortly after his death, an album he was working on at the time of his passing was finished. The album is called Exodus and sports numerous high-profile features. Jay-Z, Nas, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Swizz Beatz and Usher are just a few of the artists who contributed to the album.

Swizz Beatz worked on Exodus quite a bit and he recently mused on the idea of creating another posthumous DMX effort. When asked in an interview by HipHopDX if he had enough material for another album he responded “for sure.” But the question of whether or not he will actually make one is still up for debate. “Will I make another X album? I don’t know. It has to feel good,” he answered. Check out his responses and the entire interview.

Read More: Jermaine Dupri Recalls DMX Allegedly Robbing A Reporter For “The Source”

Swizz Beatz On Another Posthumous DMX Album

Recently, DMX came up on an episode of Ma$e and Cam’Ron’s podcast It Is What It Is. The segment turned controversial when both hosts agreed that they would take him over Tupac in a best rapper debate. That sparked all kinds of controversy online as fans debated DMX’s legacy and where he stands all-time among the best rappers ever.

Earlier this year, DMX and Tupac were linked for an entirely different reason. An AI-generated song meant to sound like a collaboration between the two made the rounds online. Fans pointed out how much they enjoyed the quality of the song and how accurately it mimicked the styles of both artists. It also served as part of a greater debate on AI music that has been raging all year. Do you think Swizz Beatz should make a second posthumous DMX album? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: What Is DMX’s Best-Selling Album?

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The post Swizz Beatz Thinks He Has Enough Unreleased DMX Material For A Posthumous Album appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Cam’ron And Mase Thought DMX Was A Better Rapper Than Tupac And Here’s Why

Cam’ron and Mase recently appeared on the Million Dollaz Worth Of Game podcast, where they were asked, “Who was better: DMX or Tupac?”

Despite seeing the bait for what it was, both Cam and Mase dove in with thoughtful answers as both agreed that DMX was better.

However, rather than being driven by East/West Coast rivalries or their personal feelings about either man, Cam said his decision was based on getting to see X’s come up personally. As he put it, “I got see… from when he was in the tenement rappin’ to sellin’ ten, twenty, however millions of records he sold.”

Meanwhile, Mase pointed to how whole arenas would recite DMX’s lyrics, noting, “I think a lot of times, because you learn the flaws of n****s, you forget how great n****s really were.” You can check out a clip of them talking about the debate below.

Ever since Cam and Mase squashed their long-running feud last year, the two Harlem natives have proven to be utterly captivating podcast partners, whether on their own show talking about NBA rumors, or as guests on other shows addressing their long and storied careers. It was Cam’ron who first broke the news that Mase had gotten his publishing from Diddy, and they’ve teased new music to come.

You can watch their full interview above.

Swizz Beatz Recalls The Making Of “Party Up” With DMX: “It’s The Biggest Song We Ever Made”

When you think of the cream of the crop when it comes to hip-hop producers, who do you think of? Metro Boomin, The Alchemist, Scott Storch, Dr. Dre? There are plenty that belong in the hierarchy. One of those names that must be in the thick of it is Swizz Beatz. The Bronx, New York mainstay has given us countless classics by bringing his own flare. He has worked with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake, and other icons in the genre. With all of his experience, he knows how to bring the best out of others, including DMX.

HipHopDX reported that Swizz and up-and-coming Afrobeat artist, Rema, had a chat hosted by Rolling Stone. The Musicians on Musicians series has been producing some interesting content with older and newer generation artists. For example, Snoop Dogg and Latto have been a part of this too. Swizz spoke with Rema on the creation of one of the biggest party rap songs of all time, “Party Up” by DMX.

Read More: Majid Jordan & Ne-Yo Usher In Winter Nights On Our New “R&B Season” Playlist Update

Rema And Swizz Beatz Have A One-On-One Conversation

Swizz mentioned how reading the room and the vibe of the artist as soon as they step into the booth is critical in making a hit. However, things were a little different with DMX. If you have heard the song, you know how rowdy the beat is. Swizz revealed what was unique about this song. “It worked for DMX one time with “Party Up.” But if you listen to [it], he does everything against the track. Like, you could tell he didn’t want to do the song. But I forced him because we was on a deadline.” Another reason for the track’s success was due to DMX wanting to prove the doubters wrong. This was from a GQ interview back in 2019. “I was the only artist in history that had their first two albums debut at No. 1, and have two platinum albums in one year! So I’m like, ‘I gotta do it again!’ Aight, like, muthaf****s think it’s a joke?! Aight, Ima show you somethin’!”

What are your initial thoughts on Swizz Beatz revealing how he made the beat for “Party Up” with DMX? Do you think Swizz is the best producer of all time? Is this the greatest beat he had ever made? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest breaking news around Swizz Beatz and DMX, as well as everything else going on around the music world.

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The post Swizz Beatz Recalls The Making Of “Party Up” With DMX: “It’s The Biggest Song We Ever Made” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

[WATCH] Memphis Bleek Claims DMX Chased Mase And Threatened Him in Miami

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Memphis Bleek shared a number of never heard before stories about his time under the Roc-A-Fella umbrella on his recent visit to Drink Champs, including a funny encounter with Jay-Z, when he asked Hov for tickets to a Beyoncé concert and his response had Drink Cham;s hosts DJ EFN and N.O.R.E. in stitiches.

Bleek also spoke about his time around late Hip Hop icon DMX and the first time he met Ruff Ryders’ premier artist. The 534 emcee spoke about X, saying, “This is the first day I met X. Diddy and Bad Boy, and them are all riding down on the beach. Here come Ma$e on a scooter. That n***a X jumped out the car and started chasing Ma$e. ‘Yo! Get back here! Wait ’til I catch you, n***a!’”

Bleek continued, “So I’m in the back seat, like, ‘Yo! What the fuck happened between him and Ma$e?’ And nobody in the n***a crew was running behind him, trying to stop him. So I said, ‘Whoever this n***a is, he’s official.’”

The post [WATCH] Memphis Bleek Claims DMX Chased Mase And Threatened Him in Miami first appeared on The Source.

The post [WATCH] Memphis Bleek Claims DMX Chased Mase And Threatened Him in Miami appeared first on The Source.

Irv Gotti Explains Why The Jay-Z, DMX, Ja Rule Collab Album Never Happened

One of the hip-hop urban legends is a major collaborative project between Jay-Z, DMX, and Ja Rule when the trio were all near their peak. After decades of speculation on the album and what prevented it from ever seeing the light of day. Now Irv Gotti, who has often been able to explain the facts behind various hip-hop stories is once again clarifying. During an episode of Drink Champs he explained that Jay was the one who kept things from moving forward.

He explained why doing the album didn’t make much sense for him at the time. “Do I want to make a whole album with these n*ggas coming at me? And if I’m Jay-Z, there’s a slight chance that, what is n*ggas gonna say I’m not the nicest n*gga?” Fans in the comments were surprised to hear about that concern coming from Hov. “Jay smoked them niggas on everything he on with them even both murdagrams ‼” one of the top comments reads. “ay Z is and was a 10x better RAPPER than DMX and Ja Rule , they just had better energy if we being honest , as a lyricist jay wasn’t afraid of nothing,” agrees another.

Read More: Fat Joe’s Past Feud With Jay-Z Left Him Out Of A Reebok Sneaker Deal

Jay-Z Held Back DMX Ja Rule Collab Album

Other fans in the comments just flat out didn’t believe Irv Gotti. “ut Jay did Reservoir Dogs with a line up of killers !!! Naw Jay wasn’t scared of X or Ja, he just didn’t wanna do it … end of story,” one comment suggests. “Maybe DMX I Doubt He cared about Ja Rule lol,” another agrees.

Earlier this week Jay made a brand new Instagram account. He did so in order to promote a movie that he executive producer by sharing a video of the film’s trailer. The movie is called The Book Of Clarence and drops early next year. What do you think of Jay-Z worrying about being out-rapped by DMX and Ja Rule? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: LL Cool J Might Have Called Out Jay-Z While Calling Out Veteran Rappers

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The post Irv Gotti Explains Why The Jay-Z, DMX, Ja Rule Collab Album Never Happened appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

[WATCH] DMX’s Son, Exodus, Tributes His Dad by Playing “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” on Piano

Swizz Beatz Says DMX Losing a Bet Led to "Ruff Ryders' Anthem"

It’s rest in peace to DMX forever. The late legend’s son, Exodus, was on the Instagram of his fiancée, Desiree Lindstrom, and paid tribute to his father with a piano rendition of the “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” After delivering the performance, Exodus said “I love you, daddy.”

We all know the greatness of “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” Would you believe that DMX ended up on the single as a result of a bet?

Swizz Beatz pulled up on Sirius XM’s Hip-Hop Nation and revealed the beat didn’t specifically thrill the rapper, but he found his way on it due to losing a bet.

“X lost a bet or I wouldn’t even been on that album,” Swizz said. “That song ended up changing all of our lives. So he technically won the bet for my Uncle D and you know that just changed all of our lives. So it was just enough to do what it needed to do.”

You can hear the full story from Swizz Beatz below.

The post [WATCH] DMX’s Son, Exodus, Tributes His Dad by Playing “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” on Piano appeared first on The Source.

Boosie Badazz Says DMX Made Him Cry

In a recent interview with Shade 45, Boosie Badazz opened up about his experience seeing DMX perform live on his “Hard Knock Life” tour. He revealed that the show was his first major concert, sharing that the performance even made him and his cousin get emotional. He also called the show the best performance he has ever seen live.

In the interview, Boosie reveals that he was only 14-years-old when he saw the artist live. “Jay-Z opened up for him,” he recalls, “in Jacksonville, Florida.” He went on to share that he was staying with family at the time, and his uncle brought him along to the show. “DMX made me cry bro,” he revealed, “when he said that prayer at the end bro? Me and my cousin [were] holding hands.” Boosie laughs, “man, we was holding hands crying.” He went on to say, “I had never seen nothing like that in my life.”

Read More: Boosie Badazz Explains Feuding With McDonald’s Over A Drive-Through Encounter

Boosie Calls DMX The Best Live Show He’s Seen

Boosie revealed another emotional experience he had recently, when his son told him he didn’t want a Boosie fade. He shared the tragedy with The Breakfast Club earlier this month, saying, “This is my time, bro. When you go back to school, when you go back out of town, you do what you want. But this is my time. When you get 18, do what the f*ck you want.” He continued, “But when you come for the summer – my two months – have enough respect for me to come as you are. Show your daddy that respect for what I put into this f*cking family. Bro, I cried. When I saw his hair, I cried. It hurt me so bad, bro.”

Boosie Badazz got vulnerable again recently, when he spoke to VladTV about masturbating on a plane. “It was a long plane ride. My d*ck get hard on the plane too,” he revealed, “Go jack off in the bathroom. I dun did it before. Go jack off in the bathroom. F*cking right I did.”

Read More: Boosie Badazz Says Pimp C Got Him Out Of Jail As A Teenager

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Swizz Beatz Thinks DMX Sent Scar Lip To Him

Swizz Beatz is having some interesting encounters with the spirit of DMX recently. During an interview with The Breakfast Club last month, Swizz recounted a powerful dream he had. In it, he felt the presence of his late friend and iconic rapper. Prior to sharing this extraordinary experience, Swizz expressed that it didn’t feel like DMX was truly gone, but rather just temporarily absent. He described feeling a sense that the rapper was somewhere relaxed and at ease. However, when significant anniversaries related to the DMX approach, Swizz is struck with a profound realization of his friend’s physical absence.

Swizz went on to describe his dream about the late rapper. “But the thing that make me feel easy about it is he came to me,” he continued. “I seen him in my dream. He came to me. And this was, like, super quick too. And he let me know he was good. I’m the person that be like, ‘He ain’t come to see you, what you talkin’ about?’ I seen him. I felt him.” However, that isn’t the only thing that DMX is doing for Swizz Beatz. In fact, he says he feels like the late icon sent up-and-coming rapper Scar Lip to him.

Swizz Thinks Scar Lip Has The Same Great Heart As DMX

According to Swizz Beatz, he believes that DMX played a spiritual role in connecting him with Scar Lip. The rapper is an emerging star out of New York. Recently, Swizz has taken on the role of mentor for the young artist. During an interview with Audacy’s Hip-Hop Made, the renowned “Ruff Ryders Anthem” producer shared that the connection to Scar Lip was initiated by the spirit of DMX. Apparently, DMX’s fiancée Desiree Lindstrom urged him to collaborate with the new, talented artist from the Bronx.

“I honestly feel like DMX sent Scar Lip my way because she’s too much of his energy,” Swizz said. “Like I’ve never seen an artist that just naturally have what I know DMX have. And they two different artists, two different levels, yes. But I’m not talking about that. You know, like, that sister’s been through a lot, like Dog been through a lot. That sister, you know, is when you sit with her, she’s amazing and have a great heart the same way X had a great heart.” What do you think about Swizz’s words on Scar Lip and DMX sending her to him? Let us know in the comments!