DMX: The Heart and Soul of Hip Hop
‘X gon’ give it to ya, gon’ give it to ya; X gon’ give it to ya, gon’ give it to ya’. These are the lyrics that we often associate with the legendary rapper known as DMX. Upon hearing the news of his death on Friday, I decided to take a deep dive into the legacy that the rapper has left in the world of hip hop. In a life loaded with controversy and misunderstanding, DMX was able to carve a path to having one of the most unique and influential rap careers of all time that still holds its relevance to this day. Now let's get right to it.
Earl Simmons was born on December 18th, 1970 in Mount Vernon, New York. His childhood was shrouded with many hardships which ranged from physical abuse, being sent to group homes and dealing with drug addiction at a young age. His less than ideal environment at the time presented him with an outlet to vent his frustrations and escape his harsh reality, rap. This is where you sense such raw emotion that DMX would present in almost all of his musical work.
DMX made his presence known early in his career. In 1991 he started to gain respect in the underground hip hop scene where he released a couple of singles and took part in many rap battles, most notably in 1993 where he battled a young Jay-Z. He would gain mainstream fame from being featured in songs from notable rap stars at the time such as Canibus, Mase, and The LOX and from that point on he never looked back.
Signing with Def Jam Records in 1998, he would give us two timeless records that I and many fans of DMX associate with the most, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot and Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood. Both of these records contained many of X’s most hard-hitting and recognizable tracks that we have come to enjoy to this day. These two records alone sold 4.8 million and 3.5 million copies in the US respectively and helped solidify his place in rap during a time when rap fans were still mourning the loss of Biggie and Tupac. His raw nature and pitbull-like attitude were what fans appreciated the most from DMX.
In his songs he was brash, arrogant, in your face, and was not afraid to tell you how it is, even if it meant he would get into some controversy along the way. You felt the pain in his voice when he was speaking about sensitive subject matter and got the sense that he was soul searching, looking for peace and to heal from his dark past. Just read what he had to say about his platinum-selling record Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood
“I want 'Flesh Of My Flesh' to be like my connection to the community, I want to say what's on my peoples' minds, soak up all their pain. I've learned that when I take it all in, I can make one brotha's pain be understood by the world.”
- DMX
DMX was more than just a gangsta rapper, he was very versatile and could cover a wide range of topics with ease. One song of his can make you want to turn up at a club while another song can make you into a preacher. DMX was that talented in his prime and not a lot of rappers could touch him. He represented the grit that was street culture and many fans could relate to the subject matter that he was talking about.
With his illustrious career came a lot of controversy. After the release of his third album titled And There Was X, the New York rapper would get into run-ins with the law. A string of marijuana, weapons charges, moving violations and an animal cruelty case would tarnish his career. Despite coming back from said cases, his behaviour only seemed to become more erratic and unpredictable. These included more trouble involving the police and most recently serving one year in prison for federal tax evasion in 2019.
One thing that was extremely concerning however was his continued use of substances that has hampered him ever since he was introduced to a laced blunt at the age of 14. It was clear that his struggles were becoming more public but in reality, they’ve existed for decades. But unfortunately for DMX, the music and Hollywood industries were less than willing to give him the help that he needed before it was too late. The rapper was not one to back down and constantly called those industries out for how they treated the people who were working for said industries. If there was anybody that neglected the help and care that they desperately needed to help themselves heal from decades of mistreatment and neglect, it was DMX. That same respect that he was giving to the public was the same amount of respect that he wanted back from the same people, especially in the industry and it can be embodied in this quote.
“I'm a King. Regardless of what I've been through and what I've done, I present myself as a King. And I get that respect from people, from everybody I deal with. I worked my whole life to establish that respect and make sure I get that respect.
- DMX
Despite all of the controversy surrounding the rapper, DMX has left behind a legacy that embodied passion, intensity, grittiness, and emotional connections that very few rappers out there right now and in the past can eclipse. His anti-commercial approach perfectly resembled the type of rapper he was as well as the subject matter that he was talking about in his songs. With his musical work selling over 15 million copies in the US and being the only rapper to have his first 5 albums debut at number 1 and have two albums go platinum in the same year, DMX will go down as one of the most successful and influential rappers of all time and is in my opinion the heart and soul of hip hop as we know it. He will be missed dearly by his peers and fans alike.
