Published on Jun 11, 2000
It’s been some time since rapper DMX made an appearance on “The
Daily Vault” – the last time was for his excellent third album
…And Then There Was X. Shortly after that review, I had
the good fortune of landing DMX’s first two albums in an eBay
auction, hoping that what I had heard on the most recent work was
the continuation of a streak of excellence.
Well, close. DMX’s debut release,
Flesh Of My Flesh Blood Of My Blood has a lot of the promise
that would manifest itself into what we have today, but this work
is a little clouded and unsure of just where DMX wanted to take
things.
Make no mistake, DMX shows early on that he had the chops to be
a contender for the gangsta rap throne vacated when Tupac Shakur
was tragically gunned down, both in songwriting and in rap
delivery. What is also intriguing about DMX is that he is one of
the few rappers who dares to actually do some singing, mostly in
the choruses. It is almost like he is injecting a little bit of
r&b into the mix, and is a wonderful change of pace.
Flesh Of My Flesh Blood Of My Blood isn’t quite the
firecracker that you would expect. Tracks like “Bring Your Whole
Crew,” “Ain’t No Way” and “Keep Your Shit The Hardest” are
impressive, showing DMX’s plentiful rap skills. What is also
intriguing is his constant battle between good and evil,
illustrated in songs about trying to break a deal with the devil
(“The Omen”) and pleading with God for a chance to redeem himself
(“Ready To Meet Him”).
Yet there is still some growth that DMX needed to do musically.
Some of the interludes (and not all are listed) get a bit tiring,
including the mother pleading for the life of her son and the gang
hits. A good portion of the second half of the album doesn’t really
contain DMX’s strongest material; tracks like “Blackout” and “Dogs
For Life” fail to live up to their full potential. And do my ears
deceive me, but is there actual bleeping going on in “Slippin'”?
Why bother blocking out the words on an album that already has the
Parental Advisory sticker – or was it that DMX was hoping this was
a track that would get radio play?
Flesh Of My Flesh Blood Of My Blood still is an intriguing
album, and shows that DMX was well on his way to becoming one of
today’s most exciting rappers. And while this album shows that he
was still making the journey, he had learned many of his lessons
well.