Friends, colleagues, and admirers of DMX came together to finalize the late emcee’s first posthumous album. Exodus arrived on May 28 with guest appearances by some of the biggest names in Hip Hop and R&B.
DMX’s eight studio album pulled in 32,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release. That total was enough for the project to land at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart, giving Earl Simmons his eighth Top 10 project.
This is also the second DMX album to reach the Top 10 in 2021. The Best of DMX compilation skyrocketed to #2 following the New York rapper’s untimely passing on April 9.
Swizz Beatz played a major role in putting Exodus together. In addition, the longtime DMX collaborator and Ruff Ryders representative appeared on the songs “That’s My Dog” with The Lox and “Dog’s Out” with Lil Wayne.
Exodus also features Jay-Z, Nas, Moneybagg Yo, Alicia Keys, Bono, Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine, Snoop Dogg, Usher, and others. Production was provided by Swizz Beatz, AraabMuzik, Prime Maximus, Wonda, Mr. Porter, Avenue Beatz, and more.
“The only tribute [song] was the Moneybagg track. Everything else X was present and happy for,” said Swizz Beatz. He added, “[DMX] just loved the idea of [doing features], but he was a little sneaky about it because, in his mind, he loved that he was able to work with them. On the other hand, he figured out it was less work for him. He really loved it.”
Another LP from a deceased Hip Hop artist also made the Billboard 200’s latest Top 10. 2018’s Goodbye & Good Riddance by Juice WRLD returned to the region for the first time in eighteen months. A third-anniversary re-release catapulted the set from #30 to #7.
J. Cole’s former Number One, The Off-Season, slipped a spot to #3. Moneybagg Yo’s A Gangsta’s Pain held onto #5. The Weeknd’s After Hours rebounded from #12 to #9. Pop Smoke’s Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon fell out of the Top 10 for the first time since January.
