Years Of The Dog: DMX’s Influence on The Culture
I was too young to know the impact the Dark Man himself, Earl Simmons had on the Hip Hop world when he emerged. That didn’t stop the "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" from thundering through my Sony radio in 1998 at the age of five though. DMX’s debut album 'It’s Dark and Hell is Hot' is my first recollection of a Rap album. The cover. The cuts. The aggression. The barking.
Hmm. 1998 huh? The flamboyant era was still going strong when X’s raw style and aphotic themes broke him through the shiny suits and flashy rhymes that dominated the airwaves. He went on to make history, dropping 'Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood' later that year, making him the only living rapper to have had debuted on the Billboard album chart twice at the number 1 spot in the same year. That’s impressive for anyone to do, let alone a new artist on the scene.
While the eerie "Let Me Fly" and "Damien" had my attention, I’m still oblivious to how the hell I missed "How’s It Going Down" growing up. But I did. I have zero remembrance of ever hearing that song before 2012. Truly insane. That was around the time that I began the first half of my Youtube adventures, digging up songs that completely passed me by.
The music video for the thugged out ballad is just as fly as the song. Maybe one of the best damn depictions of a New York love story that has ever been drawn. X hollering at shorty on 125th Street. The sex scenes. The panning of him and his clique posted up on one of those Summer days as Faith Evans (who doesn’t appear in the video) sends us those chill-giving 90’s vibes that are exclusive to the vocals of that beautiful time period. For anyone who is unfamiliar or has any doubts about how this man moved a crowd, I have only one thing to say: Woodstock.
The X Man lit up the East stage July 23rd, 1999. Red overalls. Voice never went out. And the highlight of the performance? Well the Double R anthem of course. It was a perfect example of what cult followings Hip Hop artists (particularly the 90’s) had. The Dark Man had everyone tap into their inner thug, not just that day but also what seemed like every day after.
As a Hip Hop Head, one of the beautiful moments for the culture was the backstage battle between DMX and Jay-Z on the Hard Knock Life Tour. It’s one thing to watch this on the internet. Another to have been there. Not so much to have say on who you thought one, but this is Hip Hop and these were two Top-Dogs.
Legend has it the two battled in a Bronx pool hall. Before Ruff Ryders and the R-O-C. Before the #1 albums. Now if I had to choose between which battle I would have attended, I would have to go with that one. Needless to say, there was a different aura there, a forcefield between two hungry soon to be giants in their baggy clothes. (Oh, how I miss those man). Who won? Depends on who you ask.
Something to remember also was his closeness to our late Queen Aaliyah. They both starred in "Romeo Must Die" and gave us the duet "Back in One Piece" for the film. Their chemistry in the video probably had you trying to reenact their mean mugs and clothes. When she passed The X man spoke some heartfelt words in the beginning of the Aaliyah tribute "Miss You". He lost more than just a fellow artist in the industry, he had lost a close friend. Another collaboration or two from them is something our playlists could have all used.
The fact that he was able to give us these get-hype street anthems, depressing reflections on life and still go on to be commercially successful with his radio hits that didn’t have to sound all pop well into the 2000s allowed his rarity to be noticed and loved. Whether it was his film debut in the Hood Classic, Belly or being the nucleus of the Ruff Ryders conglomerate you could already tell X was going to be a name spray-painted on the walls of the Hip Hop Hall of Fame. He just had it. In this game influence is king.