1998/1999 era DMX >>> Any era Jay Z

[Danie84]

Well I'm not fan to begin with

X run from It's Dark And Hell Is Hot to And Then There Was X was a glorious time for underdogs.

The frenzy in 98 when he dropped those two albums in one year was insane. It was crazy, I was a senior in junior high when the first one dropped, than a freshman in highschool when the next one came out. X had 98 on lockdown. Don't forget about his guest appearances on 24 Hours To Live and Money Power Respect. It was epic.

at the Dark Man now.

 

[MooseMouthMthafuga]

I feel like that whole era was some manufactured bullshyt.


Every rapper was coming with a gimmick trying to fill that Pac & Big void.


DMX was on some quasi Tupac shyt.The big wigs at the record label saw a open market for that street/ thuglife shyt, so they went and found a "grimy" crack head in Yonkers to bring that "street sound" back.Russel Simmons put out feelers on X because he reminded him of Pac.Next thing you know, IDAHIH hits the streets with X on the cover looking like a Pac clone.


Even though it was engineered to tap into a market and exploit it, IDAHIH is one of my favorite albums.I'm not even trying to diss X like that.Just saying they used him like a pawn and then tossed him out once that generic "bring the streets back" shyt started to fade.Maybe that's why he's so angry? I give him props on IDAHIH, but everything after that became monotonous overkill IMO.



And even though I'm not much of a Jay fan, he was the most consistent/ organic/ true to his style rapper back then.......but even he started to commercialize his shyt more to get where he is now

 

[DANJ!]

I'll never understand the DMX/Tupac comparison. Outside of being bald and occasionally similar subject matter, I don't see where they have much in common.

DMX was more reminiscent of the "grimy" rap era from the early-90s on the East Coast when rappers were comin' out with gruff voices and talkin' about guns and shyt. He brought that back, during a time of shiny suits and whatnot. When I first started hearin' him, he just reminded me of Onyx/M.O.P./Nine/dudes like that, cause that style of rap had been pushed back for a couple years at that point.

But Pac wasn't one of those grimy era East Coast rappers, and didn't even really spit much violent killer shyt... so what's the connection?

 

[spliz]

I feel like that whole era was some manufactured bullshyt.


Every rapper was coming with a gimmick trying to fill that Pac & Big void.


DMX was on some quasi Tupac shyt.The big wigs at the record label saw a open market for that street/ thuglife shyt, so they went and found a "grimy" crack head in Yonkers to bring that "street sound" back.Russel Simmons put out feelers on X because he reminded him of Pac.Next thing you know, IDAHIH hits the streets with X on the cover looking like a Pac clone.


Even though it was engineered to tap into a market and exploit it, IDAHIH is one of my favorite albums.I'm not even trying to diss X like that.Just saying they used him like a pawn and then tossed him out once that generic "bring the streets back" shyt started to fade.Maybe that's why he's so angry? I give him props on IDAHIH, but everything after that became monotonous overkill IMO.



And even though I'm not much of a Jay fan, he was the most consistent/ organic/ true to his style rapper back then.......but even he started to commercialize his shyt more to get where he is now

I think u wrong cause labels passed up on X at the time...which is the reason why Murda Mase and Warlox was runnin wit X and always at the Dee and Wah Ruff Ryders studio and Diddy came and picked them up and left X cause he didn't want to sign him cause he didn't think the world was "ready" for his sound...Mase put the nikka on 2 tracks on his album and one of the tracks featured all of em which was 24 hours to live...X buzz got crazy...Def Jam wanted him..Diddy tried to sign him after he peeped the buzz and offered him more money than Def Jam did...but X peeped that nikka ain't genuinely believe in him and passed up on him and stuck wit Def Jam(smartest move he ever made)...the rest is history...

 

[Reggie]

DMX in 98 was the biggest rapper in the world and one of the biggest artists ever. Not to many people could make two albums in a year and both hit number one. Every album he has at peaked at number 1 except one. But X's run has been over as being relevant, while Hova is still going strong all these years later.

 

[MooseMouthMthafuga]

I think u wrong cause labels passed up on X at the time...which is the reason why Murda Mase and Warlox was runnin wit X and always at the Dee and Wah Ruff Ryders studio and Diddy came and picked them up and left X cause he didn't want to sign him cause he didn't think the world was "ready" for his sound...Mase put the nikka on 2 tracks on his album and one of the tracks featured all of em which was 24 hours to live...X buzz got crazy...Def Jam wanted him..Diddy tried to sign him after he peeped the buzz and offered him more money than Def Jam did...but X peeped that nikka ain't genuinely believe in him and passed up on him and stuck wit Def Jam(smartest move he ever made)...the rest is history...

They passed on him until the time was right.When a market opened up for that grimy shyt, they stuck X in a microwave, took a couple of big gulps, and then tossed his ass.They didn't outright market X as the next Pac, but the undertones were there.Not on style, but image wise.It was brilliant marketing.


X is talented, but he's not a franchise player.His short reign was during the weakest era in hip hop history.Reminded me of the NBA during that time when nikkaz like Juwan Howard was getting 100 million dollar contracts.Those late 90's were just a watered down period all around.


I dig some of X's work....."Slipping" is a top 20 rap song of all time IMO


And his verse on "nikkaz done started something" is still damn near 15 years later.Classic as fukk.


But his music never grew....he was a one trick pony.He served his purpose and once that generic street sound started to fade out, so did X

 

[bangedher_wholesquad]

U sayin 98 was more wack then now? Nah son. Today is fn terrible. They even have to buy their own sh1t cuz music is all image today. Ppl buy into it an invest in the image mre than sound. At least 98 wasnt completely like that. If it was it wasnt as obvious

 

[bangedher_wholesquad]

Didnt x fade out to cuz jay fd up his budget when he was prez of dj? Jay is so damn selfish man. I wann punch him in the face for his snakeness

 

[Harry B]

Didnt x fade out to cuz jay fd up his budget when he was prez of dj? Jay is so damn selfish man. I wann punch him in the face for his snakeness

He faded away because of drugs and him taking something great for granted.
Dude was impersonating a federal agent high on valium and wondered why Def Jam would rather push Jeezy, Kanye, Ne-yo, Rihanna, Luda and Ross and them? I think he had 5-6 offenses between 2003 and 2006 and then in 06 released a piece of shyt album. He could've been something special, but a huge ego and drugs fukked that up.

What's crazy is that even if Grand Champ and The great depression were mediocre, he still did nice numbers.
jay couldn't do shyt to fukk up Universals money, even as president of Def Jam he could never fukk up cash cow.

 

[DANJ!]

Didnt x fade out to cuz jay fd up his budget when he was prez of dj? Jay is so damn selfish man. I wann punch him in the face for his snakeness

X was already by the time Jay was pres at Def Jam. He was makin' songs like this:



...livin' in a whole nother era, tryin' to come back with terrible records. X was dope in his day, but when his act got old, it got OLD.

 

[bangedher_wholesquad]

I thin x became a bigger crackhead when he faded he was always puttin sh1t out. Till jay was prez.

 

[Harry B]

I thin x became a bigger crackhead when he faded he was always puttin sh1t out. Till jay was prez.

Jay became president in 04, he was in rehab in 02, I even think that thing with the FBI agents was the same damn month Jay-z became president at Def Jam .

He was always unstable, but it wasn't until Aaliyah's death he lost his damn mind.
Problem with X is that he's not a business man. He's an artist. Difference from other artists, he came from the streets he was a hard dude. No one could tell him shyt, I could bet that Jay spoke to him and he said "fukk of nikka who are you to tell me shyt?".

 

[bangedher_wholesquad]

i just got soft spot for X that i don't got for Jay.

I used to be Jay's biggest fan till i heard all his former business partners told how he really was. that and blueprint three

wouldn't be surprised if jay really took d'evils to heart and went on a dark path, with really bright lights.

 

[Bolzmark]

i just got soft spot for X that i don't got for Jay.

I used to be Jay's biggest fan till i heard all his former business partners told how he really was. that and blueprint three

wouldn't be surprised if jay really took d'evils to heart and went on a dark path, with really bright lights.

You stopped being a fan based on shyt you really know nothing about? And please dont tell me you mean Dame Dash.

 

[Bean]