Six months before he signed a record deal, Simmons was so severely beaten by a gang that accused him of stealing a member's leather jacket and necklace that his jaw had to be wired shut. Get the hottest music, news and videos delivered directly to your inbox. “With your help, I know the Devil won't win.”. As It’s Dark and Hell is Hot turns 20, Okayplayer spoke in depth to the album’s producer Dame Grease as well as Joaquin “Waah” Dean, the co-founder of Ruff Ryders Entertainment, to assess how this masterpiece changed the course of hip-hop. Instead, the darkness he lived in and need for confrontation he rapped about superseded the fame, the movies and the music. DMX – Damien. el campo laboral si es fácil o no o sera mejor enfermería que hago ? At a time when Puff Daddy and Jay-Z were rapping and making videos that featured a lush, glamorous gangsta chic, DMX provided a raw, rageful look at the darker side of the human condition. The animals are: snake - backstabber, or someone who will betray your trust/loyalty for profit or personal gain. With It’s Dark and Hell is Hot, X wanted to speak directly to the have-nots and reassure them that they were still being represented by a hip-hop culture that had turned into a billion-dollar business built around the gimmicks of shiny suits and silly dances. I like that song too - "The snake, the rat, the cat the dog, how you gonna see em when your livin in a fog". Watch official video, print or download text in PDF. DMX has sold over 30 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling hip-hop artis… more », Sheet Music But does the story have a happy ending? Yet such forces never truly leave the premises. Just because a n***a don't need a hand no more?” asks Damien, reminding X of the benefits his friendship has yielded. Web. STANDS4 LLC, 2020. “Pop music became a parody of itself in the eighties and then Nirvana came and brought the raw back,” he explains. “I remember before he started recording those growling ad-libs [on “Get At Me Dog”], he ate dog bones and did all this extra shit in the studio so he could get into character. I know he really wanted to explore the idea of having a split-personality.”. As the song progresses, however, Damien attempts to bargain and threaten in equal measure. For all we know, X’s moments of bloodsport are the same macabre nightmares referenced in “X Is Coming.” Given what we’ve received thus far, is it fair to suggest that X’s violent impulses only emerge when tempted by the Devil’s presence? Lyor called him personally on his private line and Phil wanted to be assured that the lyrics would be meaningful. He compares the emergence of X and It’s Dark and Hell is Hot to Nirvana and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” dropping seven years earlier in 1991. the snake - the person that might stab you in the back, do you wrong.. Damien’s timing is impeccable. "Damien Lyrics." Reflecting on the record’s huge impact, Waah, who is currently trying to reignite Ruff Ryders as a label with a slew of new artists, says: “It was the realest thing to ever hit the streets. . Hey yo D., it's your nigga D. (Uh-huh) What the fuck, you forgot about me? When X barked: “That DMX n***a is a motherfuckin’ problem!” on his debut album’s explosive intro, the whole world felt it. At this point, X appears willing to throw caution to the wind. On It’s Dark and Hell is Hot’s intro, X raps hopefully about the future: “Girls give me head for free cause they see/Who I’ma be, by like 2003.” The reality is X didn’t need five years to take over the world. He anguishes over his decisions, wondering on "Damien" if the violent acts he pursued to subsist on his journey to fame were part of a Faustian bargain while pondering on "Prayer" if his trials and tribulations are a part of God's plan. We represented the people who didn’t have a dime and that’s why we sold 10 million records in just one year.”, He boasts: “Every song on that first joint could have been a single. Shit, the dudes selling hot dogs and CDs out in the cold, were probably in there with us too! Non-lyrical content copyright 1999-2020 SongMeanings, Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot [Germany Bonus Track]. normally, just expressing his emotions. The rest of the song is about tempation to do evil things and get high. Built around family and friends, Ruff Ryders was a close-knit crew, with no airs and graces. Get notified about exclusive offers every week! The snake may be laziness on their shoulders? He had just starred in his second successful box office team-up with martial arts star Jet Li, "Cradle 2 the Grave." “I produced ‘Get At Me Dog’ to be special. “X was the hip-hop equivalent of Nirvana as he was the antithesis to the more pop-friendly direction rap music had moved into. Let's use DMX's 1998 debut "It's Dark and Hell is Hot" as the backdrop for considering those questions. His constant barking on the track also made it sound genuinely dangerous. What does DMX mean in his song damien, when he says the snake the rat the cat and the dog? DMX blended horror, morality, and religious turmoil in the masterful "Damien" series. The album, which brings DMX to Upstate Concert Hall on April 4 as part of a belated 20th anniversary tour, is highlighted by several of his most known and beloved tracks. DMX in this lyric is using the rat and cat to refer to what is being chased. DMX feels like a legend come to life; a mythical monster that’s come to free – or, rather sever — hip-hop from its many excesses. All the while, God’s presence remains, perhaps dormant, to keep him grounded. Clearly, lessons have been learned. This reputation quickly caught the attention of Harlem native Joaquin “Waah” Dean, who, inspired by a pep talk from friend and rapper Heavy D, wanted to give up drug dealing for good and find a marquee artist in which to launch his own record label, Ruff Ryders Entertainment, alongside brothers Darrin “Dee” Dean and Chivon Dean. and Irv Gotti] and had a hand in engineering the whole project. “The Omen” found X teaming up with a self-professed “Antichrist Superstar,” Marilyn Manson. Does anyone know who this models name is? Damien III This song is by DMX and appears on the album The Great Depression (2001). Another prominent Damien was Father Damien … Damien is a demon that has DMX by the balls because of the lifestyle he is living. Could Jim Harbaugh go back to NFL after Michigan stint? Of “Damien,” Grease remembers: “X already had ‘Damien’ written in his rhyme book before he was signed [to Def Jam]. Greeting X like an old friend, he wastes little time in sauntering back into the picture. Early in the first verse, X raps, "All I know is pain/All I feel is rain/How can I maintain/With mad [stuff] on my brain?/I resort to violence/My [brothers] move in silence/ Like you don't know what our style is.".