DMX is the last of a dying breed in Hip-Hop the unpredictable. These days everything from singles to beef has become formula concocted within boardrooms and color-by-numbers marketing plan. But, nobody gave the plans to DMX, the Yonkers-bred lyricist. And fortunately, if they did make him privy to what hes supposed to do, he probably wouldnt do it anyway. The Rap maverick is set to release his new album, Here We Go Again, but X is already expressing his mind state on producer Dame Greases Gangsta Breed mixtape. The industry don’t give a f**k about you/ The industry couldn’t make a dime without you/ I’m sick of this industry s**t/ The industry playing you like a industry b*tch,” he spews.
Yet, after once announcing his retirement and distaste for the Rap game, DMX is back. And the Dog is as vocal as ever with an opinion on Def Jam under president Jay-Z, the police, his record and his own capricious nature.
AllHipHop.com: A lot of artists like yourself are facing the situation of your album dropping at the same time they are doing jail time. Will you, like others use that as a marketing tool?
DMX: That aint marketing, thats the police! Going hard on n***as for nothing nahmean? Its like driving while Black, walking while Black, all them s**ts are felonies.
AllHipHop.com: But arent you not supposed to be driving at all?
DMX: Listen, that aint got nothing to do with nothing aight? If I aint break the law, you shouldnt pull me over anyway. How do you know its me? My windows are tinted. Nahmean? I still got my name on the back of my truck. But you shouldnt assume that its me driving!
AllHipHop.com: Why do you have your name on the back of the truck and you know the cops are watching you?
DMX: Yo, one cop told me-he pulled me over- cool brotha, I forgot his name. I wouldnt blow him up anyway but, he pulled me over and he told me one precinct has a betting pool, a f**kin betting pool on who was gonna bring me in next. It was up to like $2,000.
AllHipHop.com: See, you should be ridin low, in a Celica or something!
DMX: F**k that! I go hard. I ride with the dog. Reach in here and try to turn something off if you want to muthaf**ka, youll pull back a nub.
AllHipHop.com: You dont play around. How much of your amped energy is the liquor and how much is just you?
DMX: Its just me, its just me. Its all me. This is how I am. Im just an amped muthaf**ka ya know what Im sayin? POW! Bang a n***a, all that! You know what Im sayin? You know what I mean?
AllHipHop.com: So tell me about your new album?
DMX: Ha! Typical X. Hot to death. Its like, ya know, its a listeners album. I got the bangin beats and all that – but I mean please, please listen, thats what its for.
AllHipHop.com: So what should your audience be listening for?
DMX: The truth.
AllHipHop.com: Whats different on this album than on your previous releases?
DMX: Nothing. If it aint broke dont fix it.
AllHipHop.com: Its been a minute since you dropped your last joint.
DMX: Yeah, but I walk the streets and its like I just dropped one. N***as is like, Ya s**t is hot, ya s**t is hot!
AllHipHop.com: What keeps you continuously dropping records and making new music?
DMX: Real life. I love music man. I just f**kin love music so Im always gonna write. Whether I decide to give it to the world or not, Im gonna write it. And Im gonna capture it you know what Im sayin?
AllHipHop.com: So you dont do this only for the bread?
DMX: S**t, if I did this for the bread I would quit a long time ago! It took me 13 years just to get signed yo! So if I did for the money I woulda been quit, like You cant be serious. I never did it for the money. I did it cause I love doing it and I was pretty much the best at it. Like on and off the radio – the best at it, period.
AllHipHop.com: Tell me this, youre at Def Jam
DMX: Yup, Left Jam.
AllHipHop.com: Left Jam? Elaborate.
DMX: They carry n***as to the left. N***as let feelings get involved with s**t, you know what Im sayin? Its not business at the end of the f**kin day. Its I dont like him, and He doesnt cooperate, and He wont have dinner with me. and youre like Come on buddy, am I f**kin you? What the f**k is the f**kin problem? Why do I gotta be up in your muthaf**kin face every f**kin day? But theres a whole new system now and a whole new stuff.
AllHipHop.com: How does it feel having Jay now as a boss, when he was formerly your peer?
DMX: I dont have a boss. I dont have a boss. I honestly have to say, that whoever or whatever entity gave him that position, its putting a strain on our relationship. We have a good relationship. Its a mutual respect. We came up together. We done had battles and got over it. We did songs together! We rocked together! And for them to put-its like theyre pitting us against each other. Typical f**king cracker s**t that they do. Typical s**t that they do to break a muthaf**ka down: Here, Ima put him against him, and well see what happens. Either way, we win. Its hard man, but its nothing that Ill let him do to influence my project. Nor do I think theres anything that he would do, out of the respect that we have for each other to influence my project. Were both artists. Hes cool as s**t. We have that respect for each other. And when we say Whats up? and How you been? its real. Its not dick riding s**t. No industry n***a to another. Its What up, dog? How you been man!? Namean? About 15 years ago, we was rockin together on the pool table – goin hard! So its like, its real s**t! But the fact that they set it up like that then make me the first major project- I dont like the way they did that. But Im not gonna change what I do. And Im not gonna let anybody interfere with what I do.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of Jay, there were rumors that you had also retired from the game, but now youre back. What made you leave, and what sparked your return?
DMX: I did announce that I was walking away from the industry because I got tired of dealing with fake ass n##### and I knew that if I kept dealing with these muthaf**kas I was gonna end up putting somebody in the dirt, you know what Im saying? I was gonna end up f**king somebody up. So before I did that, I said, You know what, Ima walk away, because this aint the industry I came in to. It aint the industry that I fell in love with. It aint the industry that I wanted to be a part of. Its some other s**t. Its about money. Its being manipulated. And yall n##### dont even have talented muthaf**kas making it right now. Yall n***as are making artists. God makes artists! Yall n***as are playing God right now! Yall making and creating artists and s**t and saying, If I play the record a thousand times a day muthuf**kas will like it. Its like if you give a muthaf**ka nothing but bulls**t to eat, hes gonna learn to enjoy it. Ya know Ill throw a lil gravy on it-they gonna learn to enjoy the bulls**t. In the absence of the truth, bulls**t will prevail. So I got tired of dealing with it you know what Im saying. So I stopped. And I called Mase, cause I know my true calling in life is to become a pastor. I decided I was gonna be a pastor. So I said, F**k it, Ima walk away from this s**t and Ima just, Alright Lord Im ready. And I waited, and I waited.
AllHipHop.com: What were you waiting for?
DMX: You know, for him to give me a sign. So, I called Mase. Powerful word in that brotha. I hit him and Im like, Yo dog, wassup man? God aint ready for me. He said, Yo, he gave you a talent for a reason and I mean what gives you the right to turn your back on that talent just because you gotta deal with fake muthaf**kas? N***a, he done put you through worse than that and it was nothing. You looked forward to that! I used to look forward to it. Like when I was robbing n***as and I used to look forward to seeing fake muthaf**kas, those was the easiest n***as to get. Its like, what gives me the right to turn my back on my talent, on my God given gift. Just cause I gotta deal with a lying muthaf**ka or anotha one talking s**t. Nothing gives me the right. I just gotta start bangin yall muthafuckas around like [sound effects of beating someone up] I said, Yo. F**k it. Thats what Im gonna do. Im going hard.
AllHipHop.com: I think its safe to say people have been missing that talent.
DMX: You know what? Thats another thing. Everywhere I went, Dogs the streets miss you! Dog the hood needs you! I was like, Aight, I gotta do it. I gotta do it! I love the people.
AllHipHop.com: The people feel you, but you get your share of negative of press
DMX: Believe enough of what you hear, and half of what you see.
AllHipHop.com: What do you think is the biggest misconception about you?
DMX: I really dont even know, because I dont pay attention. If a muthaf**ka dont say it to me, he dont mean it. N***as talk s**t all day, around corners, under tables and all that extra s**t, but if they dont bring it to me they dont mean it. You know what Im sayin?
AllHipHop.com: Were you always like that, or did the game condition you to be that way?
DMX: Nah, Ive always been like that. Cause thats some sucka s**t. If I got something to say about a n***a Im a bring it to him. Like, You listen. You p*ssy. Straight up. I bring it to n***as, Yo, f**k you. All that talking around b*tches, that s**t is some sucka s**t. I aint got time for that. If you mean it let me know you mean it. And itll be what it is.