Since I just bought this album on vinyl for the first time yesterday, I figured now was the best possible time to give it a review, what with me going back through it and such. And so, here I present my first review on a certain Earl Simmons, more often known as Dark Man X (RIP).
Having grown up in the streets of New York, being incredibly poor and also abused, frequently finding himself sleeping out in the cold air of a night, Earl Simmons was in a fairly dark place as he entered the 1990s as an adult who still depended on robbing and sometimes killing in order to gain food and other such necessities. The only good thing about this, if a situation so heinous could ever be considered "good", was that Earl was filled with tonnes of pent up rage and aggression, which made him the perfect voice for an aspiring rapper. Having perfected his craft for a short while, X signed a deal with Ruffhouse Records, label home of the Fugees, and released a single, titled "Born Loser". Inevitably, no-one heard it, but no matter - at least he had now made his mark on the game, if a very small mark at that. Having left that label, DMX came into contact with a certain Mic Geronimo, featuring on tracks with him in 1995 and then 1997, before then hooking up with Ma$e of all people to contribute verses to his no. 1 album Harlem World. These guest appearances were considered to be very promising, and since he had now appeared alongside Jay-Z a couple of times, X was quickly bought into the Def Jam offices, where he was finally able to begin working on a proper debut album. And, against all odds, the album debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling, ridiculously, 4x platinum, catapulting X into the spotlight and beginning what would be one of the most impressive runs in hip-hop and music history: thanks to his prolific output, X became the first artist ever to have his first five solo studio albums debut at no. 1. What an accomplishment. And that album is the subject of today's post: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot.
For his first album, X clearly had a hell of a lot to say, with there being 19 tracks and about 70 minutes of music, and yet only three of these songs had guest appearances, and one of those appearances (Sheek on "Get At Me Dog") was relegated to a small appearance on the hook. Given his upbringing, it was no surprise that Earl would be able to carry the album on his own, but one would think that Def Jam would have stuck a couple of their own artists on the project. But no. As for producers, they were almost all unknown as well. Swizz Beatz gained his first major production credit here, with the infamous "Ruff Ryder's Anthem", but contrary to what most people seem to believe, that was his only contribution. Most of this album was handled by X's in-house producer friends Dame Grease and PK (also known as P Killer Trackz), with a couple of beats provided by more well-known duo Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob. So, this album wasn't exactly brimming with Jay-Zs and The Notorious B.I.G.s and Puff Daddys, and yet it still went no. 1 and became one of the top 10 fastest selling hip-hop albums of 1998. And how did it do this?
Well, by being absolutely phenomenal.
(That's probably not the actual reason by the way, but I'd like to think of it that way nonetheless)
1. Intro (prod. Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob)
After a short intro skit that one may feel inclined to believe is all this track is made of, given the title, a dramatic, entrance type-beat comes in and you can hear X softly whispering in the background. The build-up here is nothing short of enticing, but when the actual song starts, that's when you know that things are about to go down. DMX absolutely destroys this haunting and horrorcore beat with a venom never before seen in the hip-hop world. And apparently K-Solo thought X stole his style! Well, if K-Solo can make a song anything close to this, then maybe we'll reconsider his statements. The final line of "that nigga DMX is a motherfuckin' problem, aight?!" is easily one of my favourite moments on the whole LP. This opening track is phenomenal, and it's just an intro! What??
2. Ruff Ryders' Anthem (prod. Swizz)
The aforementioned track that stands as the only Swizz beat on the album, and it's also easily the most notorious song here, which is a shame, as it is, in my opinion at least, one of the weakest. Throughout this album, one of the things that makes X so good is his random but calculated flow, that goes randomly from fast to slow with no warning whatsoever of when things might be about to switch up. However, here his flow is quite formulaic, and even though his bars are memorable, and the hook is iconic, that beat is rather annoying, and doesn't give off the energy it most certainly should. This ain't bad by a long shot, but it shouldn't be anyone's first introduction to X.
3. Fuckin' Wit' D (prod. PK, add-prod. Dame Grease)
Feels more of an interlude than an actual song, but it's still good. The chaotic instrumental teamed with X's incredible flow and voice make this easily one of the most fun and mindless songs on the album, even if that really isn't saying much. The line "When niggas hear that dog bark, they'd better run. When police hear that dog bark, they'd better come" is hilarious in how non-threatening it is. This is good, but would have been more effective if it hadn't abruptly cut off at the end.
4. The Storm (Skit) (prod. Dame Grease & PK, add-prod. Waah & Mad Man)
Of course, there couldn't be a '90s rap album without a skit! What sort of wonderful skit-less world do you live in? This skit is actually rather unnecessary as well, but I suppose that should come as no surprise. And why so many producers for a conversation with no musical backing?
5. Look Thru My Eyes (prod. PK, co-prod. Dame Grease)
Besides the infuriatingly misspelled title, this song easily stands as the best track since the intro. The beat is dark and melancholy, with the piano melody being so depressing you'll just want to fall slowly off a cliff while listening to this song, yet not in a bad way, if that's possible. DMX brings his all on here, with his erratic changes between thoughtful and angry being as manic as ever, and his singing voice being surprisingly wonderful. The final lines on here of "feel the pain, feel the joy, of a man who was never a boy, for real" are truly painful to listen to. This is one of my favourite DMX songs, and one of the most powerful of all time.
6. Get At Me Dog (feat. Sheek from The Lox) (prod. Dame Grease, add-prod. PK)
7. Let Me Fly (prod. Dame Grease, add-prod. Young Lord)
It seems that X's choice of song order is similar to his flow, going from aggressive and violent on one song to reflective and often depressed on the next. Given the content of the last track, X really is trying his luck with God here - I don't know if he sends those that leave people "dead from the waist down" a pass to heaven, but maybe I'm wrong. This song is still incredibly powerful, with it being basically a slightly more spiritual version of "Look Thru My Eyes", at least in terms of the music and the fact that X is doing some rather melodic singing on the hook. Knowing that X is now sadly gone makes this that much more powerful and heartbreaking, and the production, wavy bass and all, is some of the best of the late '90s. Incredible track.
8. X-Is Coming (prod. PK)
On what is easily the most violent track of the hour, X takes us on a tour through his demented mind, rattling off various tales of gruesome violence over this beat that sounds like it was taken directly from a 1970s horror movie, and then just had some hip-hop drums chucked on top of it. The threats on here range from killing us and our whole family, to fucking raping our daughter, in a line that was surely slipped past the Def Jam censoring office in an impenetrable suitcase of some kind. How the hell did they let that part slide?? The threats on here are legitimate and appalling, which is exactly what Earl was aiming for, and the prospect of playing this in front of anyone is about as ridiculous as attempting to fit the entire CD case inside your own mouth. Shame about the horrifically bad hook, though.
9. Damien (prod. Dame Grease)
Put simply, the best back-and-forth track a rapper has done with himself ever. On here, X tells the tale of meeting this lad Damien, who is also played by X, a man who gave him fame, glory, and everything else he wanted, but in exchange for doing some terrible things. Damien of course represents the devil, and really doesn't exist, but I get the feeling that the events that take place in this song really represent what was going on in X's mind during the years leading up to this album. The beat is also bloody incredible - it's a shame X gravitated more towards the often mediocre Swizz Beatz for subsequent releases, as the beatmakers on here are doing a bloody fine job, it must be said.
10. How's It Goin' Down (prod. PK)
11. Mickey (Skit) (prod. PK, Waah & Rajah Winn)
Unusual for a skit in that this is actually pretty bloody hilarious. Still a skit, though.
12. Crime Story (prod. Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob)
Over a weirdly subdued instrumental that sounds nothing like the other Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob beat on here (that would be "Intro"), DMX kicks his third storytelling track in a row, telling his tale of hiding out from the cops after becoming a wanted man, only to (spoiler alert) turn himself in at the end of the song by walking into the police station with a bomb vest on. Now that's gangsta! This beat may be questionable to some people, but I think it just makes the story easier to follow. Great track.
13. Stop Being Greedy (prod. PK, add-prod. Dame Grease)
14. ATF (prod. Dame Grease)
X kicks a fairly similar tale to that told on "Crime Story", only he gets through it much quicker, and does it over a better beat that is very intense, with the violins in the background adding the perfect atmosphere. Great little song.
15. For My Dogs (feat. Big Stan, Loose, Kasino & Drag-On) (prod. Dame Grease)
Apparently Def Jam were so confident in DMX that they gave him four so-called "dogs" to hang out with whenever he was in the studio. This track has a great beat, what with the church bells and everything, but my main problem with this is that I want to hear DMX on this album, and not a bunch of rappers that no-one has ever heard of before, and I'm being serious there. Outside of Drag-On, who would do a few more Ruff Ryders features in the future, these guys have never really been heard from again. This track is still good, though, and I love DMX's verse. The hook is a bit too repetitive, though.
16. I Can Feel It (prod. Dame Grease)
The hook, that samples Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" for some godforsaken reason, is off-putting, but that said I still like this song, if only for the DMX verses. His lines on here are powerful, and give me goosebumps every time, and the beat helps, being spacey and melancholy. That bloody hook needs to get outta here, though - did anyone really think that was a good idea??
17. Prayer (Skit) (prod. Dame Grease)
If any skit deserved to be labelled as an "interlude", it's this one, but alas not. This theme of X delivering a prayer with no musical backing would continue throughout each subsequent album, but I'm alright with that for now, as this is actually very powerful. The scream of "give me pain 'til I die!" at the end is also worthy of a tear or two, especially knowing the frequent trials X would deal with leading up to his death. One of the best "skits" I've heard in a while.
18. The Convo (prod. Dame Grease)
Starting the third running theme for X's albums (the others being "Prayer" and "Damien"), this track features X talking to God, only God is played by himself. This beat is haunting and harrowing, and the first couple of verses are certainly powerful, but it's that final verse that really makes this one of the best songs on the album. The repetition of "it was you" getting louder and more uncontrollable is an incredible thing, and the short break after this verse before the beat comes back in sounds beautiful as well. Absolutely fantastic song.
19. Niggaz Done Started Something (feat. The Lox & Mase) (prod. Dame Grease)
If you ask me, it was a terrible idea to end the evening with this posse cut track, but I guess it does give us an amount of time to let our minds process what the fuck just went down on this album. This is still good, mind you, and X's show stealing final verse is definitely impressive, if not one of his best like a lot of people seem to think it is. I loved the little "Ruff Ryders... Grrrrr....." at the end as well - what a way to finish the evening. This track still feels a bit out of place, though, and I still don't like Ma$e. The beat was nice, though.
Overall, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is not a perfect album, but that's perhaps what makes it, to me at least, the best hip-hop album of all time (yep, you read that right). It's just so human. DMX's show of personality and his ability to simultaneously craft himself as a maniacal killer and a spiritual man who just wants to do right is nothing short of marvellous, and the vibes that the beats on this album give off is just astonishing, with the creepy violins, church bells and synths crafting this unique feel. The beats don't feel like boom-bap for the most part, and instead just feel like nothing else ever done in the history of hip-hop. DMX's flow on here sounds like nothing else as well, with his manic delivery being intense and powerful. This album, to me, is the epitome of rap, with X opening up to us for half of it, and giving us hard street bangers for the rest of the time. This project is simply incredible, and easily worth a listen. If you don't like this album, then I wouldn't be entirely surprised, as some of the lyrics are a little hard to stomach, but for me this is one of the most touching experiences ever put onto wax. Rest In Peace, Dark Man X - you are truly missed.
Best Tracks: This album needs to be listened to the way through, so with that in mind I'd say all of them.
Worst Tracks: Well, I didn't like the Phil Collins sample, but otherwise refer to above.
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