WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019 / 8PM
DMX was proclaimed as the undisputed reigning king of hardcore rap. He was that rare commodity: a commercial powerhouse with artistic and street credibility to spare. His rapid ascent to stardom was actually almost a decade in the making, which gave him a chance to develop the theatrical image that made him one of rap’s most distinctive personalities. Everything about DMX is unremittingly intense, from his muscular, tattooed physique to his gruff, barking delivery, which made a perfect match for his trademark lyrical obsession with dogs. Plus, there was substance behind the style; much of his work was tied together by a fascination with the split between the sacred and the profane. He could move from spiritual anguish one minute to a narrative about the sins of the streets the next, yet keep it all part of the same complex character. The results were compelling enough to make DMX the first artist ever to have his first four albums enter the charts at number one. Currently, DMX takes an anti-drug stance and makes clear he doesn’t like what he’s hearing from today’s rappers. In an interview with Los Angeles radio show “Big Boy’s Neighborhood,” DMX decried the state of rap today, saying it misrepresents the hip-hop lifestyle, particularly in its glamorization of drugs. While that might seem like an unexpected stance for someone who broke through spinning vivid tales about a life of crime and violence on It’s Dark and Hell is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, it may be because DMX, a former crack addict, knows how hard it is to overcome addiction.
WHERE: AT REVOLUTION LIVE
(954) 727-0950, (954) 449-1030 (box office)