Earl “DMX” Simmons died on April 9, 2021. Apparently, some DMX fans did not appreciate Yung Bleu sampling the legendary rapper on the new Tantra project.
Yung Bleu’s “What Type Of Games” off Tantra borrows from DMX’s “How’s It Goin’ Down” from the 1998 album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot. The 28-year-old rapper/singer addressed the backlash on Twitter.
“I understand that’s such a great song and it will never be duplicated no matter what by any artist! Classic! I’m paying homage!” tweeted Yung Bleu on Sunday night.
Bleu continued, “And mainly bringing more income to his estate at that! That’s what matters to me. Long Live X. We talked on the phone 2 weeks before his passing.”
Tantra arrived on November 11. Yung Bleu’s latest body of work includes contributions by Fivio Foreign, Zayn, Nicki Minaj, Kelly Rowland, French Montana, and Lucky Daye.
Bleu released his debut album, Moon Boy, in July 2021. That studio LP peaked at #12 on the Billboard 200 chart. The “You’re Mines Still” single featuring Drake made it into the Billboard Hot 100 chart’s Top 20.
It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot by DMX debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 251,000 first-week copies. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album as 4x-Platinum in 2000.
“How’s It Goin’ Down” is one of DMX’s fifteen entries on the Billboard Hot 100. Yung Bleu’s “What Type Of Games” opens with a snippet from the It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot track. Murda Beatz, Elyas, and Elias Stricken produced the “What Type Of Games” track.