As DMX struggles with addiction and arrest an unofficial street album entitled Mixtape is released in his absence. Containing material that was intended to be released on his unreleased album Walk With Me Now and You’ll Fly With Me Later, California’s Siccness Records, who has previously released similar work by AZ, Sheek Louch and Freeway, sometimes charting, now links with the ’90s Rap superstar. After being released from his contract with Columbia Records, X brings forth Mixtape. With a bland, perhaps apt title, Mixtape sees the Yonkers dark man, who’s fame never drove him out of Timbs and a hoodie, return with a gritty, gutter-inspired record.
DMX starts the project with a prayer. The tone and delivery of the prayer differs from past projects. So when he asks the lord for help to fight addiction, its downright eerie considering the situation that DMX is currently in. Track two, “Put Em Up”
(released online last year as “The Way It’s Gonna Be”) is classic DMX over high-energy ’70s Rock-sample production which he shreds to pieces. It is the highlight of the project, with The Dog reclaiming the energy and command he left with And Then There Was X. The track, which clocks in at a short 2:35 seconds, still enables the listener to work up a sweat. The remainder of the album features less than stellar production and repetitive content. Lyrically, DMX stays close to the street and far away from his personal life. It’s strange to listen to an entire DMX record and not get the introspection that we’ve grown accustomed to. Where track like “Slippin” made us love X, tracks like “This is That” make us push the skip button. “Boy Back Up” doesn’t work from the sample and production to the content. Without getting a glimpse of the man and his soul, it is easy to compare this project to past ones critically.
The album’s effort feels like a post millennium Mike Tyson fight. The first few rounds are filled with excitement (see “Prayer” and “Put Em Up”) where our hopes for a successful return peek. After that, the remainder of the fight spirals down and borders on heartbreaking and depressing. It’s hard to tell if it is the inner demons that are preventing a return to former form or a lack of the creative urge that greatness requires. Whatever it is, average tracks like “I’ve Seen” are unacceptable for an artist like DMX. Even though X is nowhere near top form, he somehow manages to produce an effort that many people will deem mediocre and maybe some even label good. The Dog’s talent is evident and the respect that he has garnered from his peers is highlighted by guest appearances ranging from Loon and Mobb Deep to AZ and Keith Murray. Unfortunately, as above average as the last few X projects have been, the great albums that preceded them will not allow us to settle for less.
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While X is sitting in the belly of the beast withdrawing from the life that he knew on the outside, his fans are forced to wait patiently for a grander return. Though even critiquing Mixtape seems misplaced at this time, the Dog still has a space set at the table of Hip Hop. Ultimately this album is more about what he could do than what he does. The man who spearheaded the Ruff Ryders movement that gave us D-Block, Swizz Beatz and Eve still clearly has great music left in him, though not completely developed here. Until that day comes Mixtape will have to hold us over
