“Damien” plays out much like the story of Jesus in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, however, X gives in to the devil on a few occasions and gets led down the wrong path. Then we arrive at “Damien,” an unforgettable record where DMX reveals the force behind all of his evil-doing, Satan himself. What else would he be referring to? If you continue listening, he affirms this theme as the album continues. Now I could be wrong, but I’ve always interpreted this as meaning that he was a slave to Christ or sin. “Yo I’m a slave til my home is the grave.” After X gets done recounting a robbery he committed, he declares: However, even in those types of songs X peppers in some spiritual gems. He emphasizes his pain and talks about the life he led before superstardom as a thief and thug unapologetically, and from a competitive hip-hop perspective. He raps from an authentic perspective with unmatched aggression and realism. Unlike traditional Christian rappers, DMX doesn’t sugar coat anything. But at the end of the I hit them with a prayer,” said DMX around the 30-minute mark. Where my n***a at? Where my b****s at? But the note you end them on that’s what they walk away with. X described a similar format that he uses at his shows during a 2016 interview with The Breakfast Club. The soul-bearing writing on the project kicks off a theme that DMX continued up until his last album in 2012 that of a tortured soul caught up in a life of crime and promiscuity that calls out for God at the end for his redemption. While remembering the late emcee and his legacy, I’d like to dig deeper and highlight what I consider his Christian rap catalog and how it kicked off back in 1998.ĭMX’s debut, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, is considered a rap classic by many and propelled the gruff emcee into the upper echelon of the music industry.
But if you dig deeper into X’s catalog, you’ll find that he was a profound gospel songwriter and crafted some of the finest biblically-centered hip-hop the mainstream has ever heard. Earl “DMX” Simmons, a professing Christian, had one of the greatest runs in hip-hop history and solidified his place in the genre’s Mount Rushmore with his gritty realism and unique aggression fueled by years of abuse and trauma.Īt first listen, most of his popular hits like “Ruff Ryders Anthem” and “ Party Up ” might scare off those looking for spiritually encouraging music.
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