DMX - And Then There Was X

All the barking and growling in the world could not detract from the fact that DMX is a troubled, tormented soul. On And Then There Was X, the multiplatinum-selling Dark Man X uses his signature fragmented flow with its singsongy vocal inflections to preach, teach, and reveal. Melodramatic storytelling has always been his shtick, whether it's tales of robbing liquor stores, plotting violent murders, or teaching shorties the code of the streets. X's inner conflicts are laid out on "Angel," a dialogue between himself and his Lord, and his ability to acknowledge different perspectives of a situation (i.e., repercussions) on several songs add depth to his character. The anthemlike "What's My Name," with its affirmations "I have no friends" and "I'm not a nice person," proves that money, fame, and popularity do not translate into happiness for DMX. --Celine Wong Amazon.com

GO TO HELL, DMX!!!

DMX, you're an animal Abuser, a criminal, a murderer, and a taker! You never had any love or respect to give, police should have kept you in jail. Rappers like you stain this world, and make me sick!! I hope you go to hell where you belong!! I HATE you!!!! June 22, 2008

And Then There Was Next!!!

I agree that this is exactly where X went wrong. It's Dark And Hell Is Hot was a classic. Flesh Of My Flesh Blood Of My Blood was a great follow up. While this album is not a complete write off it is forgettable just like X's later releases. the problem is that X is still recreating the same album with mixed results. This album does have some good joints though. One More Road To Cross was a pretty vivid story told by DMX over a hard beat. Party Up wasnt a bad second single even though that video was stupid as f***. Make A Move, What's My Name(first single) and D.X.L.(Hard White) are all bangers. D.X.L.(Hard White) feat The Lox and Drag-On is a classic collabo joint where all of them give dope verses. Fame goes in the honorable mention category. These tracks give it some replay value while these next tracks make this album avoidable. The Professional is weak. More wack storytelling would appear in the form of Here We Go Again where X pisses and moans about some kid who screwed him out of money. More 2 A Song sounds juvenile and lame. I always thought that What These B***** Want feat Sisqo was wack. A tight beat by Nokio and a decent chorus by Sisqhoe doesnt make any track great especially when DMX's elementary rhymes dont compliment the beat. Angel(feat Regina Belle), Comin For Ya and Dont You Ever are dull as hell and the shakedown skit is just stupid. Speaking of Comin For Ya, the track has the dumbest hook I've ever heard in 1999. Sample"X is comin for ya/ cant do nothin for ya/ X is comin for ya/ Run, hide, duck duck/ we dont give a f*** f***. Genius. The album ends forgettably with the cheesey Good Girls, Bad Guys feat Dyme. Bottom Line: And Then There Was X was the mediocre prototype for every X album that came afterwards. While this album is not his worst effort(Grand Champ anybody?) its still a forgettable release. X refuses to evolve and his albums sonding alike are concrete evidence of that.
Standout tracks: ONE MORE ROAD TO CROSS, PARTY UP, MAKE A MOVE, WHAT'S MY NAME and D.X.L.(HARD WHITE). January 22, 2008

Not a Whole Lot to Like Here...

After hearing DMX's groundbreaking debut and great follow-up, I was pretty hyped to purchase '...And Then There Was X'. However, this album was very disappointing back then, and listening to it today, it sounds even worse. This is lacking the same cool gritty atmosphere from the last two albums while still managing to sound repetitive.

The original single, 'What's My Name?', was a track I loved back in 1999 when this album was released, but the track grew old pretty fast. 'Party Up', years later, still hasn't gotten old, and is probably the most well-known track here. 'What These B****** Want' (featuring Sisqo of the 'Thong Song' fame) was a decent track originally, but listening to it today, in 2007, is almost painful. Besides 'Don't You Ever', and 'One More Road to Cross' the rest of the album is either the same stuff you've heard before - and better -, or they're lacking interesting lyrics and beats.

This is a very forgettable album, and a true disappointment compared to DMX's first two excellent cds. The funny thing is, I never checked out another DMX album after this. Oh well, 'X', your time has come and gone, but you'll be remembered for the first two albums you've provided us with. June 19, 2007

...And Then There Was This Album (Rating: 5 out of 10- -2.5 stars)

Around the time when this album dropped, Ruff Ryders were getting a lot of recognition with everything they were doing. There was a Ruff Ryders Compilation LP, and Eve just dropped her debut, in which both were solid. With DMX dropping his third LP "...And Then There Was X", really didn't put too much of an impact on listeners as his first two album did. Possibly because of two things: 1. His repetitive flow; and 2. The trademark ad-libs that he made in the background (his barking being the most common) was all over the album, and were starting to get a little old. So this whole album was very similar of his frist two albums, in which both dropped a year earlier.

When he dropped "What's My Name" as the lead single, I believed fans were anticipating a rowdy and loud DMX, that they were used to hearing. The fact is that they did get what they were looking for. The problem was, that it was all stale and unappealing, as well as the production. Most of the problems existed in the beginning of the CD, mainly with "One More Road To Cross" & "Fame". The dissapointments go further down in the CD with more skippable tracks, even with the bonus track where X and a female name Dyme tag-team verses full of sex talk on the song "Good Girls and Bad Guys".

But this CD isn't all bad though. Aside from it's lead single there were some good tracks. "X Is Commin' For Ya" is a dope track. Before it became overrated, "Party Up" was another good track. "D-X-L" with The Lox and Drag-On was another great track. "Angel" with Regina Bell as well as the third single "What These ****** Want" with Sisqo are both solid tracks that were better than the skippable ones. Thats all of the good tracks I can think of.

This CD as a whole isn't really too special. If you're already a DMX fan, you probably have this album. I just feel that he could have came a little better that what we all expected from him. This album doesn't suck, but it does has it's moments throughout the CD. I have all of X's albums with the exception of his recent "Year Of The Dog Again", and I find this to be his worst LP. Yes, even "Grand Champ" was better than this album. If you're new to DMX, start with his first two albums to get a better level of how he sounds at his best. This album is easily forgettable.

Lyrics: C
Production: C-
Guest Appearances: C
Musical Vibes: C
Overall: C

My favorite tracks: Party Up, What These ******* Want, X Is Commin For Ya, D-X-L (Hard White), Angel

Peace!
March 18, 2007

alright I guess

Nothing really great here I bought this album because I like the song party up but the rest of the tracks are pretty forgettable December 6, 2006

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