Only two years ago, the world was forced to mourn the loss of one of arguably New York’s most popular, prolific, troubled hip-hop artists—Earl Simmons, aka DMX. On April 2, 2021, DMX was rushed to White Plains Hospital in an emergency that left the rapper unresponsive. He remained for seven days, though in a vegetative state, until he passed away on April 9. Upon investigation, his cause of death was revealed to be a massive heart attack brought on by a cocaine overdose that halted the flow of oxygen to his brain.
While his life was cut tragically short at 50, the legacy of music that he left behind will last lifetimes. He was a legend’s legend—a harbinger of the New York hip-hop scene in the late ’90s. Drill Rap owes more to DMX than he ever gets credit for—but that’s another story. On top of his lyrical prowess, DMX’s unique delivery and cadence were often imitated (I’m looking at you, Ja) but never duplicated. He was methodical when it came to the music he created.
Coming up on the anniversary of his passing, I’m running back through his entire catalog. The albums I had on repeat, the ones I blatantly skipped, and everything in between—ranking them from top to bottom. Since he has studio albums, mixtapes, soundtracks, and compilations, I will only look at studio albums.
8. Undisputed (2012)
This was the first album of X’s I purposely didn’t listen to when it came out. It was his first album after dissolving the relationship with Ruff Ryders. I assumed the album would suffer from it, not because of X’s talent, but because it wouldn’t feel the same. After listening to the album a few times, I feel vindicated. The split from the label and the impact it had was fairly obvious.
It’s a decent album. However, the production and features lack the signature grit and aggression you came to expect from him. It had more tracks I skipped than I listened to, and the streams online seem to back up my sentiments as one of his least-played albums.
7. Year of the Dog…Again (2006)
If Undisputed didn’t feel the same because it was the first album after his split from Ruff Ryders, Year of the Dog… Again didn’t because he was still with the Ruff Ryders. Never one to shy away from making his feelings known, X openly discussed his problems with the label. Unhappy about money, the energy came across in the music, just not in the best way. It was the first album in almost a decade of his career that didn’t land at a No. 1 spot on the charts. The album features the signature production of Swizz Beatz and one of the head hitmakers of the time, Scott Storch. It had features from Jadakiss, Styles P, and Busta Rhymes. However, it didn’t evolve as you would have thought after a decade of making music . Hip-hop was changing, and this album felt like X struggled to keep up.
6. Grand Champ (2003)
Grand Champ was the last album DMX had that went certified platinum. However, it seemed to be a struggle for it to do so. It might not have done as well were it not for the lead single, “Where the Hood At,” which felt like a nostalgic grab at the success of the blunt, staggered delivery of his breakthrough hit “Ruff Ryders Anthem.” Originally this album would have had an additional smash hit, “X Gon’ Give it to Ya.” Yet, while X was filming Cradle to the Grave, the director heard the song and claimed it for the hit soundtrack.
This album, to me, always felt like a sequel. That means it tried, but not that hard because it didn’t have to. Maybe it was the bravado of always landing at No. 1, or maybe the label forced him into a role they typecast him in. Either way, this album tried to include singles-ready tracks and only ended up with one.
5. The Great Depression (2001)
His fourth album in less than three years, The Great Depression, followed the albums that came before it. The album landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Music charts, and it was backed up by two strong singles that kept it anchored in the charts. The production from Just Blaze, Dame Grease, and DMX felt like the last time we heard the rapper represented on an album. It felt like the sound and energy we’d grown accustomed to, but it wasn’t as forced as later albums would be. It was a solid mid-grade album and was the last I remember buying from X.
4. Exodus (2021)
Exodus was released posthumously about a month and a half after DMX passed. In the wake of his death, Exodus fell under the radar in terms of what it could have been stream-wise. However, I think this is one of his best albums when it comes to the way you could feel the evolution of X. He went from this young 20-something that came out ready for war to the OG who attempted to reflect and find faith in something other than the version of himself that had the most success.
This album was introspective and cut a lot deeper than his others in terms of the struggles he had gone through. I’m unclear if any of that sentiment is influenced by the fact that he died before it was released. It could be a bit of a bias, a ‘don’t know what you got til it’s gone’ type vibe. However, I think it was because this album was far superior to some of his chart-topping projects. It brought us features from The Lox, which felt even more critical considering DMX’s death. Further, New York heavy hitters Nas and Jay-Z, among others, also make appearances. In fact, “Bath Salts” earned X his first Grammy nomination in 20 years.
3. …And Then There Was X (1999)
This was the best-selling album in X’s decades-long career and spent the most time on the charts, peaking at No. 1 right out of the gate. …And Then There Was X was an album that still featured a fresh, new-to-the-fame version of X. The version of him that somehow still held on to his hunger, despite album sales reaching into the millions. It was the X that still carried the hopes of the boroughs on his back while seamlessly combining more radio-friendly hits into the rotation without it feeling forced.
“What These Bitches Want” featuring Sisqo and “What’s My Name” were both instant hits. However, the single that came sandwiched between those two, “Party Up (Up in Here),” earned him his highest charting single. Other than Sisqo and a few choice features, the album was predominantly DMX showing off his ability to make massive hits appear out of songs that wouldn’t seem to make sense for the radio. It’s still one of his most popular albums of all time.
2. Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1998)
In what has to be considered one of the most iconic hip-hop album covers ever, DMX dropped Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood in 1998. Appearing shirtless on a stark white background, X is featured front and center, dripping blood down his torso and offering his hands to you as if he can’t give you any more. Released less than a year after his studio debut, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot—an unheard-of act in the days before Soundcloud rappers—the album debuted at No. 1 and featured an eclectic list of heavy-hitting features ranging from Mary J. Blige to Marilyn Manson.
This album is dark. The kind of dark you didn’t see a lot of mainstream (or at least mainstream successful) rappers touch on. I mentioned earlier that drill music probably owes a lot more to DMX than he gets credit for. Yet, the Horrorcore hip-hop genre owes this man some flowers, too. He spoke of demons in his head on a tangible level, along with murders, depression, and the struggles he inevitably succumbed to. This was peak DMX and still maintains a place on my listening station. This is weird because this one barely had singles when it came to plays. It wasn’t a radio hit, but none of that mattered. The magic of X translated without it.
1. It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot (1998)
I can’t say enough about how good this album is. It was everything the ’90s didn’t know they needed until DMX released it in 1998. It was violent and hard AF. The album featured the signature growl that continued to back the listener into a proverbial corner from fear every time the adlib dropped. This was an opus. An actual story being told in the form of a hip-hop album, it felt like it was filled with metaphors and allegories hidden under veiled truths.
The truth was that this was the album that took over hip-hop. It allowed listeners to funnel their aggression and rage through X, the music, and out into the world. It took you into the darkness of his mind in the same way, Being John Malkovich took you deep into the psyche of Malkovich’s madness. It’s Dark and Hell is Hot is a masterclass in hip hop. It’s a non-stop playthrough. More than 25 years later, I still don’t pass a single song when I go back to listen to this. While you could certainly make an argument that Flesh of My Flesh is an equally essential and powerful album, this was the one that made X who he was and who he always will be to hip-hop heads. One of the greatest. RIP X.