With the barking dog snippets and that haunted house organ running throughout, DMX managed to sneak a hardcore hip-hop Jekyll-and-Hyde tale onto the Hot 100 with вЂњStop Being Greedy.вЂќ DMX oscillates between delivering lines like вЂњI donвЂ™t like drama, so I stay to myselfвЂќ in a measured tone and growling threats like вЂњIвЂ™ma bash his head wide open / BegginвЂ™ me to stop, but at least he died hopin'вЂќ in that trademark rasp. вЂњStop Being GreedyвЂќ ( ItвЂ™s Dark and Hell Is Hot, 1998) XвЂ™s gritty street singles were what made him a sensation, but his ability to connect on this more tender level was what made him a superstar. вЂњHowвЂ™s It GoinвЂ™ DownвЂќ ( ItвЂ™s Dark and Hell Is Hot, 1998)ДЇor an entire generation of hip-hop fans, nothing will be as instantly transportive to the summer of 1998 than the fat bass and smooth electric keys hitting on the intro to вЂњHowвЂ™s It GoinвЂ™ Down.вЂќ The song isnвЂ™t exactly as sentimental as its groove would perhaps imply, but the tumultuous relationship at its core still canвЂ™t help sound sweetly romantic over that production, and DMXвЂ™s gruffly crooned chorus (вЂњWhat type of games is beinвЂ™ played/ HowвЂ™s it goinвЂ™ down?/ ItвЂ™s on вЂ™til itвЂ™s gone, then I gots to know nowвЂќ) was still the stuff of countless young dramas. вЂњThereвЂ™s at least a thousand of us like me mobbing the street,вЂќ he forecasts on the song five straight platinum albums later it was pretty clear he was underselling. Not many MCs couldвЂ™ve corralled that beat, but DMX was born for it, growling and slithering and (of course) barking his way through three verses and an unforgettable hook like the gameвЂ™s apex predator. In a GQ oral history of DMXвЂ™s ItвЂ™s Dark and Hell Is Hot debut, producer Dame Grease boasted that he helmed both the final song of the вЂњshiny suit eraвЂќ (with The LOXвЂ™s вЂњIf You Think IвЂ™m JiggyвЂќ) and the first song of the вЂњbring it back to the streets eraвЂќ with вЂњGet at Me Dog.вЂќ That was the kind of hard reset that вЂњDogвЂќ marked in late-вЂ™90s hip-hop - a relentless breakthrough single with an absolutely irrepressible livewire energy, thanks to an inspired BT Express sample that actually sounded more electric when slowed down by Dame Grease.

вЂњGet At Me DogвЂќ ( ItвЂ™s Dark and Hell Is Hot, 1998) From juggling topics such as money-hungry women on вЂњWhat These B-ches WantвЂќ to battling his demons on вЂњSlippinвЂ™,вЂќ X never shortchanged the listeners from his thrilling experiences. While XвЂ™s aggression lured fans in, it was his versatility that kept them enthralled.

DMX, Iconic Ruff Ryders Rapper, Dies at 50

Dmx and then there was x songs