Details

Track Listing 1. Intro 2. Ruff Ryders Anthem 3. Fuckin Wit D 4. Storm, The (Skit) 5. Look Thru My Eyes 6. Get at Me Dog 7. Let Me Fly 8. X-Is Comin 9. Damien 10. How's It Goin Down 11. Mickey (Skit) 12. Crime Story 13. Stop Being Greedy 14. Atf 15. For My Dogs 16. I Can Feel It 17. Prayer (Skit) 18. Convo, The 19. Niggaz Done Started Something 20. Ruff Ryders Anthem - (live)
| Details | | Contributing artists: | Mase, The Lox | | Distributor: | Phantom Import Distributi | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes Personnel: DMX, Sheek, Big Stan, Loose, Kasino, Dragon, The Lox, Mase (rap vocals); Nardo (vocals). Producers include: Irv Gotti, Lil' Rob, Swizz, PK, Dame Grease. Engineers include: Patrick Viala, Justice Johnson, Rich Keller. Producers include: Irv Gotti, Lil' Rob, Swizz, PK, Dame Grease. Engineers include: Patrick Viala, Justice Johnson, Rich Keller. Collaborating with producers Swizz Beatz and Dame Grease, DMX took gangsta rap to a new level. Instead of unrestrained bling, DMX rapped about inner fortitude and morality, and musically, the beats were less sampled than synthesized, giving him a distinctive sound. This 20-track disc from 2001, IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT, is a seminal work in the genre. German edition with one bonus (live) track. In 1998, DMX brings new energy to a laid-back hip-hop scene. While various MCs have been busy partying and dancing, DMX has been amping himself up for a powerful debut. IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT is the first full-length release from the rapper, despite an attempt to break through in 1993. It wasn't until legendary rap label Def Jam got a hold of him that DMX's career began to take off. While being featured on a number of blazing posse cuts, DMX took hip-hoppers to the next level with his smash single, "Get At Me Dog." With tight production and lyrical gymnastics, DMX puts the hardcore back into hip-hop.
Industry Reviews 3 Stars (out of 5) - ...relies heavily on pop-y, verse-chorus-verse song structures more common with commercial rappers than with roughneck MCs. DMX sidesteps the potential banality of this radio-ready format...with a ferocious delivery reminiscent of vintage L.L. Cool J...
4 stars out of 5 - ...Hard-as-nails multi-platinum 1998 debut complete with wall-to-wall cursing, booming beats and - scariest of all - Phil Collins' 'In The Air Tonight' being given a good slapping... Q (08/01/2000)
6 (out of 10) - ...a psychotic concept album that celebrates bloody style over creative substance....DMX never shares a worldview not seen from the inside of a prison or from behind a blue-steel trigger... Spin (08/01/1998)
4 Mics (out of 5) - ...DMX raps as if he's about to explode....IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT is a mind-gripping opus that fully encompasses the appeal of one of rap's newest sensations... The Source (07/01/1998)
|