''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' is the debut
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American rapper
DMX. It was released on May 19, 1998, by
Def Jam Recordings and
Ruff Ryders Entertainment. It was supported by four
singles—"
Get at Me Dog", "
Stop Being Greedy", "
Ruff Ryders' Anthem
"Ruff Ryders' Anthem" is a song by American rapper DMX, released on May 5, 1998, as the third single from his debut studio album '' It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' (1998). In 2008, the song was ranked at number 79 on ''VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of ...
" and "
How's It Goin' Down", in order of release—and their accompanying music videos.
It primarily includes production from
Dame Grease (13 tracks) and PK (8 tracks), in addition to production from
Irv Gotti and Lil Rob (2 tracks),
Younglord (1 track; add.), and
Swizz Beatz (1 track). The album is widely considered a classic among
hip-hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
fans and critics.
Critical reception
''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' was met with positive reviews from music critics.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
commented that "Unlike so many other hardcore rappers who are more rhetorical than physical, DMX commands an aggressive aura without even speaking a word."
[ Leading hip-hop magazine '' The Source'' described the album as "a mind-gripping opus that fully encompasses the appeal of one of rap's newest sensations."][
]
Commercial performance
''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 251,000 copies in its first week, the first DMX number one debut on the chart. On December 18, 2000, the album was certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for shipments of four million copies in the US.
Legacy
Andrew R. Chow from ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' published an article about the album on the day of DMX's passing (April 9, 2021) saying, "Then 27-year-old Earl Simmons, better known as DMX, released his debut album ''It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot'', and everything changed. The album was full of violent nihilism, hair-raising tales of betrayal and revenge, and his emulations of dogs barking and whining; the beats were rugged and skeletal. Rather than being rejected or pigeonholed, the album immediately skyrocketed to the top of the charts, selling 251,000 copies in its first week in the U.S as songs like “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” rang out of every car stereo in New York City and beyond." He also wrote the album was catalyst for American producer Swizz Beatz's career and influenced artists later on like American rapper Denzel Curry, who listed it as one of his favorite albums. 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 (S ...
reminisced in 2013, “that was the year DMX took over the world."
In 2015, ''Pitchfork'' wrote, "The debut album from DMX is the Dante’s Inferno of rap. His infamous stage presence and aggression gave a voice to the voiceless in the streets of New York and overnight changed the course of hip-hop." In 2022, ''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.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked the album twenty-second on their list of "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time".
Canadian recording artist Drake interpolated “ How’s It Going Down” on his 2016 song “ U With Me". He personally asked DMX for his permission.
Track listing
; Notes
* Track listing and credits from album booklet.
* "X-Is Coming" features additional vocals by Jamie, Warren and Randy.
* "How's It Goin' Down" features additional vocals by Lovey Ford and Schamika Grant.
* "I Can Feel It" features additional vocals by Nardo.
; Sample credits
* "Intro" contains a sample of "Beyond Forever" performed by James Mtume.
* "Fuckin' wit' D" contains a sample of "Shifting Gears" performed by Johnny "Hammond" Smith
John Robert "Johnny Hammond" Smith (December 16, 1933 – June 4, 1997) was an American soul jazz and hard bop organist. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he was a renowned player of the Hammond B-3 organ so earning "Hammond" as a nickname, wh ...
.
* "Get At Me Dog" contains a sample of "Everything Good to You" performed by B. T. Express.
* "Let Me Fly" contains a sample of "Lo Dudo" performed by José José.
* "Damien" contains a sample of "Slow Dance" performed by Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fus ...
.
* "How's It Going Down" contains a sample of "God Made Me Funky" performed by The Headhunters.
* "Crime Story" contains a sample of "Easin' In" performed by Edwin Starr
Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. He is best remembered for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the num ...
.
* "Stop Being Greedy" contains a sample of "My Hero Is a Gun" performed by Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...
.
* "I Can Feel It" contains a sample of "In the Air Tonight
"In the Air Tonight" is the debut solo single by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released as the lead single from Collins's debut solo album, ''Face Value (album), Face Value'', in January 1981. It was selected as the s ...
" performed by Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
.
* "The Convo" contains a sample of "Nights on Broadway
"Nights on Broadway" is a song by the Bee Gees from the ''Main Course'' album released in 1975. The second single released from the album, it immediately followed their number-one hit "Jive Talkin'". This track was credited to Barry, Robin an ...
" performed by The Bee Gees
''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...
, and an interpolation of " Somebody's Knockin'" performed by Terri Gibbs.
* "Niggaz Done Start Something" contains a sample of "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)" performed by Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...
.
;Courtesies
* The Lox and Mase appear courtesy of Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American independent record label. The label was founded in 1993 by rapper and record producer Sean Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip-hop and contemporary R&B, R&B a ...
.
* Big Stan, Loose and Drag-On appears courtesy of Ruff Ryders Entertainment.
* Kasino appears courtesy of Jive Records
Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
* List of number-one albums of 1998 (U.S.)
* List of number-one R&B albums of 1998 (U.S.)
References
{{Authority control
1998 debut albums
DMX albums
Def Jam Recordings albums
PolyGram albums
Ruff Ryders Entertainment albums
Albums produced by Dame Grease
Albums produced by Irv Gotti
Albums produced by Swizz Beatz
Albums recorded at Chung King Studios
Horrorcore albums