Ready to Meet Him

redentertainment.com

The date is May 11, 1998. Like most Mondays, a 15 year old boy and his friends walk into the local music shop on the way home from school. You see back in the day new albums came out on Tuesdays, but at Uncle Phil's, release date was Mondays. "Can I get the new X album?" "Yeah, it's right here. It's got a bonus disc with some Def Jam shit on it." The boy hands over a 20 and gets 5 back. No coins, no tax, that’s just how he rolled. "See ya next week" And there my love for DMX began.

I don’t know what it is about sad moments these days, but all I want to do is write and get my feelings on paper (err…on screen). If you’re reading this, there is a good chance you too are mourning the loss of a man that was so troubled, yet so endearing at the same time. X hit the scene just as I was coming of age. These are especially influential times in a person’s life and DMX played a huge role in mine. In 1996, when 2Pac died, a void was created inside myself, and HipHop in general. Biggie died the following year and rappers seemed to be an endangered species. Enter DMX. From the moment we heard his verse on LL Cool J’s 4,3,2,1, it was clear that this man was special. His seemingly limitless energy was contagious. You couldn’t help but get caught up in the whirlwind, reciting lyrics with an enthusiasm that you never felt before. You couldn’t passively listen to X, he wouldn’t let you. You know the feeling. First you’re nodding your head, next thing you know, you’re literally barking like a dog. Not in a silly way, but in a relentlessly carefree manner. The music brought something out of you that you never knew was there. That was his gift; he had the uncanny ability to transmit his energy right through your body.

 Independent.co.uk

Unlike the slow buildup of the greatest Intro in the history of rap on It’s Dark and Hell is Hot, his impact in the culture felt sudden. I know he had worked his ass off for years before he hit mainstream, but he seemingly came out of nowhere and had an effect nobody had had before, or since. I would argue, no rapper in history has debuted and had such a large impact in such a short period of time. His first appearance on a major song was the aforementioned 4,3,2,1 feature in December of 1997; and by December of 1998 when he released his second platinum album in seven months, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood,  he owned HipHop. DMX was the first rapper to have his debut and sophomore albums release at No. 1 in the same year. While he had an immediate impact, it was not short lived as he was also the first rapper to have his first five albums debut at No. 1. His influence was immeasurable.

One of the most beautiful things about music is it allows you relive memories. As my boy Sam Ballah and I discussed, those first two albums will always bring us back to the layup lines before a basketball game. You best believe the energy of DMX was an effective pre-game hype soundtrack. I remember on December 21, 1999 Christmas came early when …And Then There Was X was released the very same day as 2Pac + Outlawz – Still I Rise; my personal favorite day in HipHop history. I can still almost sense the feeling I had a few weeks later when I initially got bass in my trunk and the first song I played was X’s What's My Name. With my back window shaking in the rearview mirror, I sat in that West Haverstraw parking lot rapping along with an intensity that can only be accomplished while listening to Dark Man X. I can remember through a sun and “milk and cookies” induced haze, finally seeing DMX live at the Rock The Bells festival. He was the headliner of numerous legends that night…and he killed. And then further down the line, I reminisce speeding down the highway rapping Get At Me Dog with my later-to-be fiancé Khalilah. And believe it or not, that was the moment I knew she was the one.

therooflesschurch.com

I could write forever about his accomplishments, I didn't even mention the acting. I could talk about how his songs will always be a staple at sporting events. Or I could delve into his extremely difficult childhood and the demons that haunted him into his adult life. I could talk about how he had an amazing knack of showing vulnerability without being soft. About how there was a prayer on every single album that showed a depth we rarely get to see from rappers. But you have the music for that and if you’re interested I highly recommend E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX. Maya Angelou once said “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Thank you Earl Simmons, may you finally be at peace.

Shout out to the Sources:
Cleveland.com
DailyRapFacts.com  
Forbes.com
Wikipedia.org