DMX
Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
Def Jam
March 1999 / Issue #114

Record Report
By the time you read this, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, DMX's second testament to the life of a troubled thug in less than a year, will be well on its way towards the double platinum mark, if not already past it. With that said, let it be noted that any attempts to psycho-analyze the reasons behind the Dark Man's phenomenal (!!!) success are exercises in futility. Face it, y'all; it ain't that deep.

"Just 'cause I love ma' niggas...!" And so begins this second trip into the mind of Earl Simmons. Simple enough phrase, but the focus should be on his inflection, on the way he declares his loyalty to not only his immediate famms, but to ALL two million-'n-change of his niggas. Like with It's Dark And Hell Is Hot, DMX's pain flows through every track, every throaty syllable.

Check Mary J. Blige's soul-touching vocals on "Coming From," as X muses further on his own reason for being over PK's catchy-ass piano loop. And DJ SHOK's Grover Washington sample on "Slippin'" provides the perfect backdrop for the Dog to explain his life's philosophy to all who would listen: "To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning, and to suffer."

Flesh of My Flesh... marks DMX's official canonization as a ghetto saint, who has made it loud and clear that the masses' pain becomes his pain. And as evidenced by the 660,000 or so people who copped this album within the first week of its release, they heard him.

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