Exodus (DMX album) explained

Exodus
Type:studio
Artist:DMX
Cover:DMX - Exodus.png
Recorded:September 2020–January 2021
Studio:
Genre:
Length:39:43
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Undisputed
Prev Year:2012

Exodus (also known as EXODUS 1:7) is the eighth and final studio album[3] [4] by American rapper DMX. It was released on May 28, 2021, through Ruff Ryders Entertainment, Bloodline Records, and Def Jam Recordings. It is DMX's first studio album in nine years since Undisputed (2012), and is also his only posthumous project released.[5] The album's track "Bath Salts" featuring Jay-Z and Nas was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song.[6]

Background

On April 2, 2021, at approximately 11:00 pm,[7] DMX was rushed to White Plains Hospital, where he was reported to be in critical condition following a heart attack at his home possibly resulting from a drug overdose.[8] [9] The next day, his attorney Murray Richman confirmed Simmons was on life support.[10] [11] [12] That same night, Simmons suffered cerebral hypoxia (oxygen deprivation to his brain) as paramedics attempted to resuscitate him for 30 minutes.[13] [14] [15] Simmons's former manager, Nakia Walker, said he was in a "vegetative state" with "lung and brain failure and no current brain activity".[16] [17] 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".[18] [19]

Work had commenced on Exodus prior to the death of DMX.[20] He recorded Exodus in American rapper Snoop Dogg's studio, in Los Angeles, California.[21] Swizz Beatz is the executive producer of the album. During the recording of the album, DMX would only record in the daytime, according to Swizz Beatz.[22]

Musicians Bono, Griselda, and Lil Wayne, as well as DMX's daughter, Sonovah, appear on the album.[23] 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".[24] 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.[25]

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. On May 25, the album's first official single, "Hood Blues" was released, which contains features from New York rappers Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and Conway the Machine, credited as Griselda.[26] [27] 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 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".[28] Will Lavin of NME 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".[29] 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".[30]

Jeff Ihaza of Rolling Stone 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.[31]

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.[32] [33]

Track listing

Notes

Sample credits

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Moorwood . Victoria . DMX recorded his album at Snoop Dogg's studio after their Verzuz battle . REVOLT . en . 2021-04-23.
  2. News: Corradetti . Alex . 'DMX really loved Nashville,' Tennessee music producer speaks to rapper's legacy . 29 May 2021 . WKRN News 2 . 2021-04-09.
  3. Web site: Swizz Beatz And Ruff Ryders Announce New DMX Studio Album, 'Exodus'. May 10, 2021. Will. Schube. uDiscoverMusic. May 16, 2021.
  4. Web site: DMX's Posthumous Album, 'Exodus,' Features Guests Jay-Z, Nas, Bono, More. May 14, 2021. A. D.. Amorosi. Variety. May 16, 2021.
  5. Web site: DMX's 'Exodus 1:7 Album Tracklist Revealed. May 14, 2021. Rap-Up. May 16, 2021.
  6. Web site: Nas, DMX & J. Cole Are 2022 Hip-Hop Grammy Nominees. November 23, 2021.
  7. News: Ly. Laura. April 3, 2021. Rapper DMX is hospitalized and on life support following heart attack, longtime lawyer says. CNN. live. April 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210404022039/https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/03/us/dmx-hospitalized-life-support-heart-attack/index.html. April 4, 2021.
  8. News: Treisman. Rachel. April 4, 2021. Rapper DMX On Life Support Following Heart Attack. NPR. live. April 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210404142832/https://www.npr.org/2021/04/04/984133546/rapper-dmx-on-life-support-following-heart-attack. April 4, 2021.
  9. News: April 3, 2021. Rapper DMX in hospital after heart attack. BBC News. live. April 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210403224207/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56627823. April 3, 2021.
  10. News: Collins. Dave. Landrum. Jonathan Jr.. April 3, 2021. Rapper DMX on life support after heart attack, lawyer says. Associated Press. live. April 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210404020827/https://apnews.com/article/new-york-white-plains-hip-hop-and-rap-music-dmx-9e2162cbbaae2ade1ef3131fbab55667. April 4, 2021.
  11. News: Kreps. Daniel. April 3, 2021. DMX on Life Support Following Heart Attack. Rolling Stone. live. April 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210404020743/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dmx-hospitalized-new-york-1150828/. April 4, 2021.
  12. News: Hoell. Rob. Cook. Lauren. Pittman. Ava. Lepore. Stephen M.. April 3, 2021. DMX hospitalized after heart attack amid reports of overdose: lawyer. WPIX. live. April 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210404024725/https://pix11.com/entertainment/dmx-hospitalized-after-drug-overdose-heart-attack-reports/. April 4, 2021.
  13. News: Shafer. Ellise. Aswad. Jem. April 3, 2021. DMX Hospitalized After Suffering Heart Attack. Variety. live. April 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210404062045/https://variety.com/2021/music/news/dmx-drug-overdose-1234943647/. April 4, 2021.
  14. News: Alter. Rebecca. April 3, 2021. DMX Remains On Life Support Following Overdose. Vulture. live. April 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210404001849/https://www.vulture.com/2021/04/dmx-is-in-critical-care-after-suffering-an-overdose.html. April 4, 2021.
  15. News: April 3, 2021. Prognosis 'Not Looking Good' after OD. TMZ. live. April 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210404055001/https://www.tmz.com/2021/04/03/dmx-suffers-od-overdose-hospital-grave-condition/. April 4, 2021.
  16. News: Jiménez. Jesus. April 4, 2021. DMX on Life Support in 'Vegetative State,' Manager Says. The New York Times. live. April 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210404211503/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/04/arts/dmx-hospitalized.html. April 4, 2021.
  17. News: Dahir. Ikran. April 4, 2021. DMX Has Been Hospitalized And Is Unresponsive, His Former Manager Says. BuzzFeed News. live. April 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210405000914/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ikrd/dmx-hospital-unresponsive-life-support. April 5, 2021.
  18. News: Burke. Minyvonne. Dasrath. Diana. April 7, 2021. DMX Remains in Coma, Will Undergo Brain Function Tests: Manager. NBC News. live. April 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210407161853/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/doctors-perform-brain-function-tests-rapper-dmx-remains-life-support-n1263294. April 7, 2021.
  19. News: Cramer. Maria. April 7, 2021. DMX, in a Coma, Is Set to Undergo Brain Function Tests. The New York Times. live. limited. April 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210407191633/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/arts/music/dmx-life-support.html. April 7, 2021.
  20. Web site: DMX's posthumous album Exodus is out this month. May 12, 2021. The FADER. en.
  21. Web site: Snoop Dogg Recalls Memorable DMX Moment, Says Late Rapper Recorded New Album at His Studio in L.A.. May 12, 2021. Complex. en.
  22. News: Coscarelli. Joe. 2021-05-28. DMX Wanted a New Beginning. Swizz Beatz Is Seeing It Through.. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-05-28. 0362-4331.
  23. News: Harris. Christopher. May 9, 2021. DMX's daughter to be featured on rapper's posthumous album. Revolt.
  24. Web site: Saint-Vil. Sweenie. May 10, 2021. Release date for DMX's posthumous album has been announced. May 12, 2021. REVOLT. en. May 12, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210512023035/https://www.revolt.tv/news/2021/5/10/22428997/dmx-exodus-release-date. dead.
  25. News: DMX's Posthumous Album 'Exodus' to Feature Jay-Z, Nas & Bono: Full Tracklist Revealed. May 15, 2021. Mitchell. Peters. Billboard. May 16, 2021.
  26. Blistein. Jon. May 25, 2021. Hear DMX's Posthumous 'Hood Blues' With Buffalo Rap Crew Griselda. May 26, 2021. Rolling Stone. en-US.
  27. Web site: May 25, 2021. Listen to DMX's new posthumous single 'Hood Blues'. May 26, 2021. NME. en-GB.
  28. Web site: 2021-05-27. DMX: Exodus review – a bold and bleak posthumous finale. 2021-05-28. The Guardian. en.
  29. Web site: 2021-05-28. DMX - 'Exodus' album review: a reminder of the late rapper's impact. 2021-05-29. NME. en-GB.
  30. Web site: DMX - Exodus. 2021-05-29. Clash. May 28, 2021 . en.
  31. Ihaza. Jeff. 2021-05-28. DMX Becomes Posthumous Product With 'Exodus'. 2021-05-28. Rolling Stone. en-US.
  32. Taylor Swift's 'Evermore' Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart. 2021-06-09. Billboard. June 6, 2021. en.
  33. Web site: 2021-06-06. DMX's 1st Posthumous Album 'Exodus' Makes Billboard 200 Debut. 2021-06-09. HipHopDX.
  34. Web site: DMX feat. The Lox and Swizz Beatz's 'That's My Dog' - Discover the Sample Source. 2021-06-22. WhoSampled. en.

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