DMX - Exodus

Pitchfork 58

Read Dylan Green’s review of the album.

The Guardian 0

(Def Jam Recordings)
The New York rapper, who died in April, is strong and unsettling over grimy, atonal production, with guest turns from Alicia Keys, Jay-Z and Bono

Hip-hop loves a posthumous album, but DMX’s has arrived sooner than most because it wasn’t supposed to be posthumous at all. Earl Simmons’ career had been in decline since the mid-00s, eventually grinding to a halt amid a litany of legal problems, health issues and financial woes – he filed for bankruptcy three times, was jailed for everything from tax fraud to animal cruelty; struggled with bipolar disorder and addiction and released only one, poorly received official album, 2012’s Undisputed, in the last 15 years. But prior to his death from an apparent drug overdose this April, he was already on the comeback trail.

Related: DMX obituary