Still (Just) Barkin’
In the last couple of years, all of us sooner or later got to know him: We talk about Earl Simmons aka Dark Man X, DMX, the man that sounds like barkin’ dogs, the man with most typical „Whhuuut?“ screams in his trash line, the man who represents flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood anytime, the apocalypse poet etc. pp. Since “It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot”, DMX released two other records and appeared on several artists’s albums, but there’s no time to lay low: Album number four is here, “The Great Depression”. Hopefully it’s nothing but pleasure…

In my eyes, when we talk about people like DMX or Ja Rule or whoever, we have to consider the fact that such MCs are not, first of all, lyricists or something like that, they’re not people who have rap skills like hell or who have the tightest flow or whatever. DMX’ whole capital is his voice, the manner he rhymes, he screams over the whole album. This changes our expectations for every next album he brings. DMX won’t ever be able to reinvent the art of rap in a common way, ‘cause he never was a common rapper. Method Man, Jay-Z or whoever just play in the normal rap league, X always was on another way. So were the three last DMX records, and so is this one too: It’s no reinvention, nothing but pure, straight D-M-X, still barkin’, still screamin’, still near to hell. The only thing that decides whether his records are good is the composition, the compilation of tracks. And it manages to satisfy…
We start off with a typical X intro, come to “School Anthem”, “Who We Be” and “Trina Moe”, all three of them aggressive tracks that hopefully make us all bark. “Trina Moe” comes over a relatively fast beat and makes X go fast too talkin’ about materialism in hip hop and other subjects. “We Right Here” is one of those classic X classics: A rough, hard beat and DMX representin’ with his voice straight outta underground. But Earl Simmons can also give us another type of sound, “Shorty Was Da Bomb”, produced by Damon “Grease” Blackman, has got a slower, more quiet beat and X in a “cooler” way than before. Perhaps he had to calm down a little, after all, the topic is a woman… “When I’m Nothing” feat. Stephanie Mills is very, very funky, “I Miss You” featuring Faith Evans is very, very calm and sentimental, “I’ma bang” is just loud, nervous and, kind of, bangin’. Last track we have to mention is “You Could Be Blind” feat. Mashonda: A Swizz Beats produced thing that goes directly in your neck, with an R’n’B-ish drumset and a very simple but catchy melody, and Mashonda singin’ the hook. Could be the next hit after “We Right Here”….

Well, X, verion number four, nothing new but nothing worse, except for the fact we, naturally, know X’s style and can’t be surprised anymore, but after four records, you know almost everybody. So, principally, the album is a good one, it’s just nothing else but pure, straight DMX. No compromises. Exception: “You Could Be Blind” feat. Mashonda…