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DMX is one of the biggest stars in US hip-hop, having the unique distinction of entering at number one on the billboard charts with his first five albums. In the news more for his reported problems with drugs and the law for the past couple of years he has returned with an album that is typically DMX.
Known for his distinctive dog growls, massive dog tattoos and gritty street anthems it is somewhat suprising, to me anyway, that DMX has achieved the massive worldwide sales he has since the mid 90’s. Fiercely loyal to his crew, the once mighty now barely heard Ruff Ryders and again their production lynchpin Swizz Beatz is behind the boards here. Swizz went through a period over the past five years where all his beats were the same boring formula over and over again, thankfully he has stepped out of his comfort zone and the production here is some of his best in a long time. The beats are particularly impressive when DMX gets rowdy, tracks like We In Here, I Run Shit &Give Em What They Want are up beat yet moody the type of track to pump in your car and more than likely to see the club torn up if dropped. Tracks like these are DMX’s bread and butter and he still has few peers in this style, his gruff voice and call to arms hooks force your head to bob or your arms to raise, I’m not to underground to admit they would have me heading for the dance floor. The other really impressive tracks are a couple of hot collaborations, X teams up with Busta Rhymes, incidentally sounding refreshed and dope, for Come Thru and joined by Ruff Ryding partners in crime D-Block for the angry joint It’s Personal my album highlight.
Sadly it isn’t all good on Year Of The Dog….Again, DMX has always tried to reach out on the emotional tip, but when the majority of your lyrics are dedicated to guns, drugs and beating people down tracks like Dog Love seem lame, especially when following a track dissing women in Baby Mutha. The album also loses all it’s momentum in its closing sector, Life Be My Song leading into the now obligatory The Prayer VI, a feature on every album, before the sin repenting Lord Give Me A Sign, it’s one thing to pour out your heart, it’s another to do it for the sake of a few extra contradictory tracks.
Dope in parts, really disappointing in others, I guess the contradictions of DMX are not limited to his lyrical subject matter.
