[Bowser]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

You like DMX? His early work was a little too new wave for my taste. But when It's Dark and Hell Is Hot came out in '98, I think he really came into his own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost.

He's been compared to Ghostface Killah, but I think DMX has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor. In '99, DMX released this: And Then There Was X, his most accomplished album.

I think his undisputed masterpiece is "Party Up (Up in Here)." A song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity and the importance of trends. It's also a personal statement about rap itself.