When I first heard “Get at Me Dog” in 1998 by first thought was “Def Jam was back.” The label, which had been home base to LL Cool J, Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys, had become an also ran in the hip hop wars. The Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons founded label had been bypassed, first by West Coast gangsta rap, the “bling bling” of Diddy’s Bad Boy and the rise of the South. Like Cold Chillin’, Uptown and Tommy Boy, Def Jam seemed ready to be another once important New York rap music enterprise slated for irrelevance.
DMX’s debut single on the label sounded like a Def Jam record — loud and aggressive, both in sound and vocals. But the Yonkers MC was both more street and, ultimately, more spiritual than any act previously on the label. Sponsored by the family Ruff Ryders label and signed by rising a&r guru Irv Gotti, DMX not only introduced himself as a force, but a slew of cutting edge talent (Eve, the Lox) from his area and gave Def Jam a shot of artistic credibility that foreshadowed a new era of hit artists that gave it a second wind, one that was redefined the label and hip hop.
DMX, whether produced by Dame Grease or Swizz Beats, had the ability to craft anthems that were the hip hop equivalent of arena rock — huge, chant-like choruses with rough and rugged lead vocals and easy to understand, yet distinctive verses. And that voice! So instantly identifiable all you needed to hear was his growl and you knew it was Dark Man X. As a performer he was one par with the greatest to step on a stage. His charisma, commitment and ability to connect with an audience was unique. Watch his performance at Woodstock ‘99 before 200,000 and see a solo MC rock as hard as any heavy metal band.
On a boat circling Manhattan in the early ‘00s I ended up at a table filled with black culture icons. Sitting at the head was Jay-Z who was, not surprisingly, dominating the conversation. 50 Cent, who Jay had toured with, was hot at the time and someone asked Jay how hard it was to follow him. Jay replied [and I paraphrase], “I toured with DMX.” He went on to talk about hearing DMX in the stadium’s hallway before he went on, barking like a dog in the dog into a microphone, hyping the crowd before attacking the stage with a slew of high energy hits. Then DMX ended his set with one of the prayerful reflections that was a trademark of his career. “And then I had to come onstage with ‘Hard Knock’ life,” said Jay-Z. This was in no way an admission of defeat by the Brooklyn MC. Hardly, Jay-Z made it clear he more than held his own. But it was an acknowledgement of what a force DMX had been in the game.
In 2013 I served as an associate producer on the Chris Rock directed comedy ‘Top Five.’ In every version of the script Chris had a scene with DMX in every draft. I worried that the rapper-actor, who had once had a promising career in movies, couldn’t be relied on to appear. Chris persisted and, on the day of his cameo, DMX showed up along with children, relatives and friends. Chris’ dream was to have DMX perform Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” from inside a jail cell. Using a cell phone Chris showed DMX the lyrics which he was already a bit familiar with. DMX nailed the scene in a couple of takes, bringing his drama and humor to the piece. It’s a classic moment in a very funny movie.
What wasn’t in the film was moment I’ll never forget. We shot at an actual jail in Queens. During a break in the filmming DMX and one of his small daughters (I don’t remember which) walked into one of the cell’s we were utilizing. She was a small, fair skinned girl who held her father’s hand. He said to her, “Sometimes when Daddy’s away I’m in a place like this.” It was a moment both sweet and sad, since it spoke to a father trying to explain his life to his child and the reality of the detours from success that marked that life.
Dying at age 50 is way too young for anyone, much less the father of 15 who was such an incredible life force. Songs like “Party Up (Up in Here),” “Ruff Ryders Anthem” and “Stop Being Greedy,” and performances in ‘Belly’ and the underseen gem ‘Never Die Alone',’ give a glimpse of a profound talent. #ripDMX