DMX - It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
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Rolling Stone Rating: 3
New York-spawned rapper DMX has been priming listeners for his debut for months, reciting scene-stealing stanzas on releases by L.L. Cool J, Ice Cube and Mase, among others. And now that his moment is here, he's making the most of it: His Def Jam opus, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, 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, however, by mixing the storytelling prowess of veteran label mate Slick Rick with a ferocious delivery reminiscent of vintage L.L. Cool J.DMX sets himself apart with a dog theme, spicing his tracks ("Get at Me Dog," "For My Dogs") with barks and canine imagery. His other trademark is his unique lyrical flow, which alternates sedate, raspy-rhymed verses with rapid-tempo, hypercharged ones; it's an initially impressive style that seems a bit affected by the album's midpoint. And just around then, as his mannered delivery is wearing thin, DMX drops these deeply disturbing lines on "X-Is Coming"; "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?'" Even within the context of a hardcore rap album, DMX goes beyond the pale.The album does boast stark, rousing grooves, provided mainly by newcomers PK and Dame Grease; one highlight is "Niggaz Done Started Something," a stirring tag-team effort with Mase and the...
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