''Exodus'' (also known as ''EXODUS 1:7'') is the eighth and final studio album
by American rapper
DMX. It was released on May 28, 2021, through
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
The l ...
. It is DMX's first studio album in nine years since ''
Undisputed
Undisputed may refer to:
Film
* ''Undisputed'' (film), a 2002 action-thriller-drama film
** ''Undisputed'' (soundtrack), the soundtrack to the film
* Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, a 2006 American martial arts film
* Undisputed III: Redempt ...
'' (2012), as well as his first posthumous and final studio album released after his death in April that year, and also his first with Def Jam since ''
Grand Champ'' (2003).
"Bath Salts" featuring
Jay-Z and
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for
Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...
.
Background
![DMX](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/DMX.rapper_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On April 2, 2021, at approximately 11:00 pm, DMX was rushed to
White Plains Hospital
White Plains Hospital is a general medical and surgical, non-profit hospital located in White Plains, New York. In addition to providing general care to patients, it also operates a number of specialized programs, such as its cancer center. The ho ...
, where he was reported to be in critical condition following a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
at his home possibly resulting from a
drug overdose. The next day, his attorney Murray Richman confirmed Simmons was on
life support. That same night, Simmons suffered
cerebral hypoxia
Cerebral hypoxia is a form of hypoxia (reduced supply of oxygen), specifically involving the brain; when the brain is completely deprived of oxygen, it is called ''cerebral anoxia''. There are four categories of cerebral hypoxia; they are, in o ...
(oxygen deprivation to his brain) as
paramedics
A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research.
Not all ambulance personnel are p ...
attempted to resuscitate him for 30 minutes. Simmons' former manager, Nakia Walker, said he was in a "
vegetative state
A persistent vegetative state (PVS) or post-coma unresponsiveness (PCU) is a disorder of consciousness in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness. After four weeks in a vegetative stat ...
" with "lung and brain failure and no current brain activity". His manager,
Steve Rifkind, stated Simmons was
comatose and that he was set to undergo tests to determine his brain's functionality and his family would "determine what's best from there".
Work had commenced on ''Exodus'' prior to the death of DMX.
He recorded ''Exodus'' in American rapper
Snoop Dogg's studio, in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...
is the executive producer of the album.
During the recording of the album, DMX would only record in the daytime, according to Swizz Beatz.
Musicians
Bono,
Griselda, and
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
, as well as DMX's daughter, Sonovah appear on the album. Late rapper
Pop Smoke was set to appear on the album, but his verse ended up being used in a
different song.
Following DMX's death, his
Instagram account released a post with the caption "5/28 The Legacy continues....#ExodusAlbum". The album shares its title with DMX's son and its cover was shot by photographer
Jonathan Mannion.
Its track listing was revealed on May 14, 2021, by Swizz Beatz on Instagram.
Release
On April 9, 2021, the day of DMX's death, the song "X Moves" was released. On April 16, the song "Been to War" by DMX along with Swizz Beatz and
French Montana was released as part of the soundtrack for the television series ''
Godfather of Harlem
''Godfather of Harlem'' is an American crime drama television series which premiered on September 29, 2019, on Epix. The series is written by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, and stars Forest Whitaker as 1960s New York City gangster Bumpy Johns ...
''. On May 25, the album's first official single, "Hood Blues" was released, which contains features from New York rappers
Westside Gunn
Alvin Lamar Worthy (born July 27, 1982), known professionally as Westside Gunn, is an American rapper. He is a co-founder of independent hip-hop label Griselda Records. He is the brother of rapper Conway The Machine and cousin of rapper Benny the ...
,
Benny the Butcher
Jeremie Damon Pennick (born November 27, 1984), known professionally as Benny the Butcher or simply Benny, is an American rapper. He is part of the hip hop collective Griselda with frequent collaborators and first-cousins Westside Gunn and Co ...
, and
Conway the Machine
Demond Price (born February 16, 1982), known professionally as Conway the Machine (or simply Conway), is an American rapper. Alongside his paternal half-brother Westside Gunn and cousin Benny the Butcher, Conway was a member of Griselda Record ...
, credited as
Griselda. ''Exodus'' was released on May 28, 2021.
Critical reception
''Exodus'' received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a
normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a
mean
There are several kinds of mean in mathematics, especially in statistics. Each mean serves to summarize a given group of data, often to better understand the overall value (magnitude and sign) of a given data set.
For a data set, the '' ari ...
score of 71 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Alexis Petridis gave ''Exodus'' a positive review, remarking that the album "feels far more like a bold restatement of core values than an attempt to follow trends". However, he criticized certain parts of the album for being "strangely bleak".
Will Lavin of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' gave the album another positive review, calling it "a wonderful tribute record loaded with stellar individual moments", although he criticized the album for being "a little unfinished at times".
Robin Murray of ''
Clash'' praised the album, calling it "an unbearably poignant listen at times, with meditations on loss and allegories for death at every corner".
Jeff Ihaza of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' gave ''Exodus'' a mixed response. He gave positive remarks on DMX's rapping and the production by Swizz Beatz, calling the latter the "most dynamic...of his career". On the contrary, he noted that the album "can't escape the reality it exists in" due to the fact that it was completed before the death of DMX. Providing an example, Ihaza said that it was "hard to listen to a song like 'Bath Salts'—featuring Jay-Z and Nas rapping about being successful billionaires" without feeling a tinge of despair over the death of DMX.
Commercial performance
''Exodus'' debuted at number eight on the US
''Billboard'' 200 with 32,000 album-equivalent units. It marks DMX's eighth top 10 album on the chart. The album received over 22 million on-demand streams in its first week.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies a co-producer
* signifies an additional producer
Sample credits
* "Take Control" contains a sample from "
Sexual Healing
"Sexual Healing" is a song recorded by American singer Marvin Gaye from his seventeenth and final studio album, '' Midnight Love'' (1982). It was his first single since his exit from his long-term record label Motown earlier in the year, followi ...
" performed by
Marvin Gaye.
* "Hood Blues" contains a sample from "Shady Blues" performed by Lee Mason & His Orchestra.
* "That's My Dog" contains a sample from "Serious" performed by
Joe Budden
Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...
and
Joell Ortiz.
[
]
Charts
References
{{DMX
2021 albums
Albums published posthumously
Albums produced by AraabMuzik
Albums produced by Jerry Duplessis
Albums produced by Kanye West
Albums produced by Mr. Porter
Albums produced by Swizz Beatz
Def Jam Recordings albums
DMX (rapper) albums