He released his sophomore album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, that same year, which reached the same success.
We did a deep dive into DMX’s career and found some accolades that you may not know-from the origin of his stage name to the year he broke records with two multi-platinum albums.ĭMX’s debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot hit the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 charts in 1998. It’s been over 20 years since his debut, but DMX’s influence on hip-hop endures. His success also built the foundation of Ruff Ryders, a collective that managed him and launched the careers of other notable artists like Swizz Beatz and Jadakiss. Even today’s biggest artists are influenced by DMX-one of Drake’s producers credits him for inspiring Drizzy’s early music. He walked so 2000s legends like 50 Cent could run. He was the first artist to see commercial success with a hard-hitting style of rap and he paved the way for others to succeed with a similar sound. You don’t have to be a hip-hop head to recognize the booming voice that raps ”X gon’ give it to ya” and “Y’all gon’ make me lose my mind.” His sound was groundbreaking for hip-hop he rapped with intense energy about his tough life experiences and in doing so, gave a voice to his community. But one of the greatest of all time to ever touch a mic is DMX.
When you think of hip-hop in the ‘90s, a few names immediately come to mind Tupac and Biggie for example.