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"Who I am is who I be 'til I die." The attractiveness of simple statements, the irresistibility of his passion and the rawness of his barking flow are DMX's shining attributes. These same qualities are cited by headz who claim that DMX bit Tupac Shakur's style. The release of It's Dark and Hell Is Hot in May '98 supported their argument. The similarities are undeniable. Like Tupac, DMX incorporates the Makavelian philosophy of "ride or die" in his lyrics, emphasizes the love for his thugs in the street and spits uninhibited passion into the microphone. But does it really matter that X reminds one of 'Pac? The energy of Tupac's legacy is essential to the hip-hop culture because it encourages the brothers and sisters struggling on the frontline to continue searching for a better way to survive. Besides, Def Jam rarely slips when choosing talent, and multi-platinum sales justified the signing of DMX. The string of singles from It's Dark and Hell Is Hot kept X's name in folk's mouths for most of '98. Despite the obvious risk of overexposure, Def Jam dropped DMX's sophomore album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, a few days before Christmas. The LP hits you hard, like Muhammed Ali's flying hook. The Ruff Ryders production team brings the heat, especially the rolling thunder of the tracks by Swizz Beats, who handles 10 of the 15 songs on the joint. The lonely, wee-hours-of-the-morning music establishes the emotional journey of Flesh of My Flesh. DMX intensifies the spiritual conflict presented on his first album, and though good triumphs over evil by the last track, "Ready to Meet Him," his divine master remains unknown. X is able to flip to more pleasant aspects of life, getting playful on "It's All Good," a funny analysis of groupies' behavior toward celebrities. The melodious mood on "Slippin'," reminiscent of the Cure's "Catch," captures the core of DMX's steelo with airy, background vocals supporting the hook: "Slippin' and I'm fallin'/I gots to get up/get back on my feet and tear shhh--." The brother obviously hasn't slipped with his fans because Flesh of My Flesh now sits in Billboard's No. 1 position. H.V. Claytor Jr.
Every decade has its standout quartet. As the '90s flip to the '00s, it's awfully tempting to look to In Order to Survive as the definite quartet for the next decade, or even for the next millennium. Don't worry about generators and stockpiles--let yourself go with this tempting box set, for this jazz band can really play. There's no better proof than this 130-minute double CD. All four players shine throughout its eight lengthy tracks. Rob Brown's wailing sax is spiritual, Cooper Moore's fragmented piano lines reveal scary absolute truths, Susie Ibarra beats a wonderfully fluid rhythmic backbone and William Parker, the group's leader, keeps it all together with racing bass lines as abstract as Ronnie Boykins' and as downright groovy as Charles Mingus'. Individually, these four stand out as ultra-competent and brilliant.
But more important, they all seem to thrive on one another's musical
energy--so much so that it's staggering. Just a few minutes into the
opening cut, "Thot," it's quite apparent that all present truly enjoy
working together. Absolute joy in playing as an ensemble carries this
quartet--the quartet for the year 2000--all the way through this
lengthy set of recordings. Sticking firmly to concrete and intense musical
phrases, which they embellish with extrapolations both improvised and
composed, they maintain an amazing focus throughout. The album culminates
in a 12-minute track named after the quartet--a dirgy, swinging party
piece that sounds like an exultation of the human spirit. This is an
absolutely wonderful collection by musicians who are as truly human
as they come. - - - - - - - - - - - -
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