"How's It Goin' Down" is a song by American
rapper DMX
Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album ''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' in 1998, to both critical acclaim ...
, released as the fourth single from his first album, ''
It's Dark and Hell Is Hot''. The song features R&B singer
Faith Evans and was released to radio on June 9, 1998. The song was a modest hit, peaking at No. 70 on the
Billboard Hot 100. It contains a sample of "God Make Me Funky" by
the Headhunters from the 1975 album, ''
Survival of the Fittest
"Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. The biological concept of fitness is defined as reproductive success. In Darwinian terms, th ...
''.
Music video
Directed by
Hype Williams, the music video provides a visual depiction of the song's story, detailing DMX's affair with the a woman named Tenika who is already in a relationship with the father of her two children. It features cameos by then-unknown artists
Eve,
Ja Rule,
Drag-On and
Irv Gotti, all of whom would rise to prominence in the following year.
Interpolations and samples
Canadian rapper and singer
Drake incorporated the lyrics to the chorus of "How's It Goin' Down" in his own song, "U with Me?" from the album ''
Views''. American rapper
Moneybagg Yo
DeMario DeWayne White Jr. (born September 22, 1991), known professionally as Moneybagg Yo, is an American rapper. He is signed to fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label, Collective Music Group (CMG), in a joint venture deal with Interscope ...
sampled "How's It Goin' Down" in his song "
Scorpio".
Charts
Certifications
References
1998 singles
1998 songs
DMX (rapper) songs
Faith Evans songs
Ruff Ryders Entertainment singles
Def Jam Recordings singles
Music videos directed by Hype Williams
Dirty rap songs
Songs written by DMX (rapper)
{{1990s-US-single-stub