It's Dark and Hell Is Hot

It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is the debut studio album by American rapper DMX. It was released on May 12, 1998[2] by Ruff Ryders and Def Jam.[3] It was supported by four singles—"Get at Me Dog", "Stop Being Greedy", "Ruff Ryders Anthem" and "How's It Goin' Down", in order of release—and their accompanying music videos.

It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
Studio album by DMX
Released	May 12, 1998
Recorded	1996–98
Studio	New Horizon Sounds Studio, Inc. (Capitol Heights, Maryland) Power House Studios, Soundtrack Studios, Chung King Studios, Quad Recording Studios (New York City, New York)
Genre	East Coast hip hop horrorcore[1]
Length	65:10
Label	Ruff Ryders Def Jam
Producer	Dee & Waah Dean (exec.) Irv Gotti (also exec.) Dame Grease P.K. Lil Rob Swizz Beatz
DMX chronology
It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1998)
Singles from It's Dark and Hell Is Hot
"Get at Me Dog" Released: February 10, 1998 "Stop Being Greedy" Released: March 7, 1998 "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" Released: May 5, 1998 "How's It Goin' Down" Released: June 9, 1998

It primarily includes production from Dame Grease (13 tracks) and PK (8 tracks), in addition to production from Irv Gotti and Lil Rob (2 tracks), Younglord (1 track; add.), and Swizz Beatz (1 track). The album is widely considered a classic among hip hop fans and critics.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Entertainment Weekly	C[6]
Los Angeles Times	[7]
Muzik	[8]
Pitchfork	9.0/10[9]
Q	[1]
Rolling Stone	[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]
The Source	4/5[12]
Spin	6/10[13]

It's Dark and Hell Is Hot was met with positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic commented that "Unlike so many other hardcore rappers who are more rhetorical than physical, DMX commands an aggressive aura without even speaking a word."[5] Leading Hip Hop magazine The Source described the album as "a mind-gripping opus that fully encompasses the appeal of one of rap's newest sensations."[12]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and sold 251,000 copies in its first week in the United States.[14] The album was certified 4x Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 18, 2000.[15]

Track listing

Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Earl Simmons Irving Lorenzo James Mtume	Irv Gotti Lil Rob	4:10
2.	"Ruff Ryders' Anthem"	Simmons Kaseem Dean	Swizz Beatz	3:34
3.	"Fuckin' wit' D"	Simmons Anthony Fields Damon Blackman Larry Mizell Alphonso Mizell	PK Dame Grease (add.)	2:18
4.	"The Storm (skit)"	Simmons Blackman Fields Joaquin Dean Mad Man	Dame Grease PK Waah (add.) Mad Man (add.)	1:01
5.	"Look Thru My Eyes"	Simmons Fields Blackman	PK Dame Grease (co.)	3:51
6.	"Get At Me Dog" (featuring Sheek Louch)	Simmons Fields Blackman Sam Taylor	Dame Grease PK (add.)	4:03
7.	"Let Me Fly"	Simmons Blackman Richard Frierson Manuel Alejandro Ana Magdalena	Dame Grease Young Lord (add.)	4:13
8.	"X-Is Coming"	Simmons Fields	PK	4:19
9.	"Damien"	Simmons Blackman	Dame Grease	3:42
10.	"How's It Goin' Down"	Simmons Fields	PK	4:43
11.	"Mickey (skit)"	Simmons Fields J. Dean Rajah Winn	PK	0:25
12.	"Crime Story"	Simmons Lorenzo Freddie Perren	Irv Gotti Lil Rob	3:48
13.	"Stop Being Greedy"	Simmons Fields Michael Masser	PK Dame Grease (add.)	3:37
14.	"ATF"	Simmons Blackman	Dame Grease	1:56
15.	"For My Dogs" (featuring Big Stan, Loose, Kasino and Drag-On)	Simmons Blackman Dennis Joyner Kendall Carter Kimani Davis Mel Jason Smalls	Dame Grease	4:11
16.	"I Can Feel It"	Simmons Blackman Phil Collins	Dame Grease	4:13
17.	"Prayer (skit)"	Simmons	Dame Grease	2:32
18.	"The Convo"	Simmons Blackman Barry Alan Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb Robin Hugh Gibb Ed Penney Jerry Gillespie	Dame Grease	3:34
19.	"Niggaz Done Started Something" (featuring The Lox and Mase)	Simmons Blackman Jason Phillips Sean Jacobs David Styles Mason Betha	Dame Grease	5:14
Total length:				1:05:15

2000 reissue bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"Ruff Ryders' Anthem" (Live)	Simmons K. Dean	Swizz Beatz	2:57
Total length:				1:08:12

Notes

• Track listing and credits from album booklet.
• "X-Is Coming" features additional vocals by Jamie, Warren and Randy.
• "I Can Feel It" features additional vocals by Nardo.

Sample credits

• "Intro" contains a sample of "Beyond Forever" performed by James Mtume.
• "Fuckin' wit' D" contains a sample of "Shifting Gears" performed by Johnny "Hammond" Smith.
• "Get At Me Dog" contains a sample of "Everything Good to You" performed by BT Express.
• "Let Me Fly" contains a sample of "Lo Dudo" performed by José José.
• "Damien" contains a sample of "Slow Dance" performed by Stanley Clarke.
• "How's It Going Down" contains a sample of "God Made Me Funky" performed by The Headhunters.
• "Crime Story" contains a sample of "Easin' In" performed by Edwin Starr.
• "Stop Being Greedy" contains a sample of "My Hero Is a Gun" performed by the Temptations.
• "I Can Feel It" contains a sample of "In the Air Tonight" performed by Phil Collins.
• "The Convo" contains a sample of "Nights on Broadway" performed by The Bee Gees, and an interpolation of "Somebody's Knockin'" performed by Terri Gibbs.
• "Niggaz Done Start Something" contains a sample of "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)" performed by Marvin Gaye.

Courtesies

• The Lox and Mase appear courtesy of Bad Boy Records.
• Big Stan, Loose and Dragon appears courtesy of Ruff Ryders Entertainment.
• Kasino appears courtesy of Jive Records.

Chart positions

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[16] 15 UK Albums (OCC)[17] 89 US Billboard 200[18] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position US Billboard 200[20] 34 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[21] 2 Chart (1999) Position US Billboard 200[22] 33 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] 16

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[24]	Platinum	100,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[25]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[26]	4× Platinum	4,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of number-one albums of 1998 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B albums of 1998 (U.S.)
• List of hip hop albums considered to be influential

References

1. "DMX: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot". Q. No. 167. August 2000. p. 124.
2. Pendleton, Tonya (March 20, 1998). "New & Improved Ready To Take Over". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, PA, USA. p. F19. His album, "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot,'" comes out May 12.
3. "DMX | Biography, Albums, & Streaming Radio". AllMusic. December 18, 1970. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
4. "50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987 - 2007)". Rap.about.com. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
5. Birchmeier, Jason. "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot – DMX". AllMusic. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
6. Mukherjee, Tiarra (July 17, 1998). "It's Dark and Hell is Hot". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
7. Baker, Soren (May 31, 1998). "DMX, 'It's Dark and Hell Is Hot,' Def Jam". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
8. McPhail, Pete (August 1998). "Cam'ron: Confessions of Fire / Charli Baltimore: Ice / DMX: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot". Muzik. No. 39. p. 63.
9. Pearce, Sheldon (March 5, 2017). "DMX: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
10. Lewis, Miles Marshall (June 18, 1998). "DMX: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
11. Ex, Kris (2004). "DMX". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 248. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
12. "DMX: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot". The Source. No. 106. July 1998. p. 151.
13. Gonzales, Michael A. (August 1998). "DMX: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot". Spin. Vol. 14 no. 8. p. 143. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
14. "Now! 22 Ends DMX's Billboard Winning Streak". MTV. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
15. "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - December 18, 2015". RIAA. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
16. "DMX Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
17. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
18. "DMX Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
19. "DMX Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
20. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
21. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
22. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
23. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
24. "Canadian album certifications – DMX – IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT". Music Canada.
25. "British album certifications – DMX – IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
26. "American album certifications – DMX – IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 20, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.