Review Summary: Ready to meet Him.
Hip-hop has been decimated by death, especially in the last year. Up-and-comers like Pop Smoke, and celebrated legends like MF Doom alike; taken away too soon. It delved salt deeper in the wound, when another great, a figure who further brought the genre to mainstream superstardom, was lost. Yonkers' DMX, bears a legacy that is of the genre's finest. First to five straight number one albums, and with one of the all-time great performances, in front of 400,000 at Woodstock '99, a coronation of rap’s full-fledged ascent to superstardom. X's rawness, fused alongside raspy, gritty ad-libs, is signature. He was to make a furious comeback, reuniting with Def Jam, to see his final project, dubbed "Exodus", through. In passing, it now only makes his return, all the more bittersweet.
X's journey hasn't been easy, stressed and scarred by his inner demons. We've seen it before, showcased by the depressive, somber "Slippin'". Glimpses of his struggle is reflected with tear-jerkers like "Hold Me Down", with Alicia Keys, providing an inside look into X's battles. Layered by melancholy piano, and Keys' vocal grace, it is undoubtedly the final voyage's highlight. Hardened verses like "Man, it hurts when people that I love don't want me, then think they can judge me", aches of wishes of acceptance, and that to not define him of his past. It's no "Slippin'", but it's quite the follow-up. Another is the album's exodus, an apology letter to his son, in the bleak, "Letter To My Son (Call Your Father)". Pulsated by dejecting strings, and melodic piano, you can hear that X’s clearly tired, aged by the stress and regret of his past sins.
Another touch to this last chapter, is reuniting with the producer crucial to X's success, hip-hop figure, Swizz Beatz. X's exodus is curated by Swizz, every song stamped of his blueprint, and completed long before DMX’s passing. Boom-bap throwbacks, such as the grandiose, elegant "Bath Salts", yell NY hip-hop tenfold. It also helps to have two of New York's best, Nas and Jay-Z, completing this prideful victory lap with X. Further injected with the ode to grimy New York hip-hop, is the moody "Hood Blues" that features another NY rap institution in Griselda Records. Stimulated by signature roars of Griselda and DMX ad-libs, and vintage, nostalgic horns; it is an excellent blend of old and new, hitting heads to deliver a intimidating, gloomy piece.
While there are some real head-scratchers on X's departure, like the wonky "Money, Money, Money", with a bizzare Moneybagg Yo verse, or the just cringy "Skyscrapers" with U2's Bono, DMX's last hurrah in "Exodus" closes his storied career on a positive note. Unlike many forced posthumous projects, it was carefully controlled by Swizz's versatile sound, and doing him justice for the stature that X brought to the game. It closes the story of one of the genre's most unique, who elevated the game with grit, and sheer toughness. It's time for X to rest, he is now ready to meet Him.
