It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
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| It's Dark and Hell is Hot | |||||
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| Studio album by DMX | |||||
| Released | May 19, 1998 | ||||
| Recorded | 1997-1998 | ||||
| Genre | Hardcore hip hop, East Coast hip hop | ||||
| Length | 65:15 | ||||
| Label | Ruff Ryders/Def Jam | ||||
| Producer | Damon Blackman Irv Gotti P.K. Swizz Beatz |
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| Professional reviews | |||||
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| DMX chronology | |||||
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It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is the debut album of rapper DMX, released May 19, 1998 on Def Jam subsidiary Ruff Ryders Records.[1] The album featured four singles with music videos, "Get at Me Dog", "Stop Being Greedy", "How's It Goin' Down" and the "Ruff Ryders Anthem". The album is widely considered a hip hop classic by numerous hip hop fans and critics, mainly due to its revitalization of the hardcore rap mainstream scene, after Puff Daddy and Bad Boy Entertainment briefly dominated the charts with their pop-orientated and sample-reliant songs.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Music
[edit] Style
Before the album was coming out DMX had Irv Gotti, P.K., Dame Grease, and Swizz Beatz as his producers. Each producers had their own music style while creating instrumentals for the album. It's Dark and Hell Is Hot usually features horrorcore influenced instrumentals and it was created mostly by P.K. with DMX rapping mostly about violence. Compared to most rappers, DMX is usually known for his rare, rough, tough voice when he is rapping on songs. DMX also features "dog barks" and "dog growls" on some songs. The album is also very different compared to other DMX's album considering his most gothic album by the producers' instrumentals. Majority of the songs on It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is usually focused on dark beats with harsh lyrics and showing anticipation of violence. Songs like "Ruff Ryders' Anthem", "How's It Goin' Down" shows a different background compared to his aggressive songs like "Intro" and the album even feautures more introspective or less harsher side with tracks like "Let Me Fly", "For My Dogs", and more.
[edit] Lyrical themes
The lyrics of It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is known for featuring very extreme lyrics about violence with songs like "Intro","X-Is Coming", and a lot more. The album is still know for DMX's painful past life when he was more younger which is known on "Look Thru My Eyes" and "Let Me Fly". More topics are included like love, rage, stories, and God. Unlike many hip hop albums DMX features prayers which are dialogues with him and God.
Rolling Stone critic, Miles Marshall Lewis, talked about the lyrics in "X-Is Coming" and he quoted these lines from the song: "If you got a daughter older than fifteen, I'm a rape her/Take her on the living-room floor, right there in fronta you/Then ask you seriously, 'What you wanna do?'". In his response for his reaction to the extreme violent writing ability of DMX, he answered: "Even within the context of a hardcore rap album, DMX goes beyond the pale".[3]
[edit] Reception
Critic reviews are positive.
Allmusic says that "Unlike so many other hardcore rappers who are more rhetorical than physical, DMX commands an aggressive aura without even speaking a word".[4] Sputnikmusic lauds that "(DMX's) music flows perfectly, with little to no redundancy. This is an excellent trait, and something more hip-hop albums should feature." "Leading Hip Hop Magazine, The Source, described the album as "a mind-gripping opus that fully encompasses the appeal of one of rap's newest sensations".[5]
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Producers | Featured Guest(s) | Time | Sample(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" | Irv Gotti and Lil' Rob | 4:09 | • Contains a sample of "Beyond Forever", as performed by Mtume • Contains audio excerpts from the film "Tales from the Hood" |
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| 2 | "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" | Swizz Beatz | 3:34 | ||
| 3 | "Fuckin' wit' D" | P.K. and Dame Grease | 2:18 | • Contains a sample of "Shifting Gears", as performed by John Hammond | |
| 4 | "The Storm (Skit)" | 1:00 | |||
| 5 | "Look thru My Eyes" | P.K. and Dame Grease | 3:50 | ||
| 6 | "Get at Me Dog" | Dame Grease and P.K | Sheek of The L.O.X. | 4:03 | • Contains a sample of "Everything Good To You (Ain't Always Good For You)", as performed by B.T. Express • Contains a sample of "Will They Die 4 U?", as performed by Mase featuring Puff Daddy and Lil' Kim |
| 7 | "Let Me Fly" | Dame Grease and Young Lord | 4:12 | • Contains a sample of "Lo Dudo", as performed by Jose Jose |
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| 8 | "X-Is Coming" | P.K. | 4:18 | • Contains a sample of theme song "Freddy's Coming For You" |
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| 9 | "Damien" | Dame Grease | 3:42 | ||
| 10 | "How's It Goin' Down" | P.K. | 4:42 | ||
| 11 | "Mickey" (Skit) | 0:25 | |||
| 12 | "Crime Story" | Irv Gotti and Lil' Rob | 3:47 | • Contains a sample of "Easin In", as performed by Edwin Starr |
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| 13 | "Stop Being Greedy" | P.K. and Dame Grease | 3:37 | • Contains a sample of "My Hero Is a Gun", as performed by Diana Ross |
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| 14 | "ATF" | Dame Grease | 1:56 | ||
| 15 | "For My Dogs" | Dame Grease | Drag-On, Big Stan, Loose & Kasino | 4:12 | |
| 16 | "I Can Feel It" | Dame Grease | Nardo | 4:13 | • Contains a sample of "In The Air Tonight", as performed by Phil Collins |
| 17 | "Prayer (Skit)" | 2:31 | |||
| 18 | "The Convo" | Dame Grease | 3:33 | • Contains a sample of "Nights on Broadway", as performed by The Bee Gees |
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| 19 | "Niggaz Done Started Something" | Dame Grease | The L.O.X. & Mase | 5:09 | |
| * | "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" [Live] (German Bonus Track) | Swizz Beatz | 2:57 |
[edit] Sales
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 1 |
The album debuted at #1 on The Billboard 200, and sold 251,000 copies in it's first week. It has certified as 4x Multi-Platinum by RIAA on December 18, 2000.[6]
| Preceded by The Limited Series by Garth Brooks |
Billboard 200 number-one album June 6 - June 12, 1998 |
Succeeded by City of Angels (soundtrack) by Various artists |
[edit] References
- ^ DMX - discographyallmusic. Accessed October 25, 2008.
- ^ Henry Adaso DMX on Top 50 MCs of Our Timeabout.com. Accessed October 26, 2008
- ^ Miles Marshall It's Dark and Hell Is Hot review & interviewRolling Stone Accessed October 26, 2008
- ^ Jason Birchmeirer 'It's Dark and Hell Is Hot review'allmusic. Accessed October 26, 2008
- ^ It's Dark and Hell Is Hot review & user reviewSputnikmusic. Accessed October 26, 2008
- ^ DMX gold&platinum dataRIAA. Accessed October 26, 2008
