X was my reminder that good things take time. The dog didn’t truly blow up til he was 28. Here’s a thread of old school DMX, highlighting the come up all the way up until ‘It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot’. All important tracks for me.

UNSTOPPABLE FORCE - 1991

first up, my favorite old school DMX joint ever. This freestyle with him and Percee P. Back when he was unsigned hype in the source— 7 years before his first album. Listen to him show flashes of the DMX we know at the end. Perfect.

CATCHING THE SAME HELL (REMIX), 1992. X on the uptempo dance shit was a sight to behold but fuck it, it was the times. The dog worked hard and stayed at it. He never quit. And has inspired me so much in that department.

the first DMX video, ‘Up to No Good’, circa 1994. The audio and video don’t match up and the other version is too low but you’ll get the point. His style was formed.

DMX - MAKE A MOVE. Classic joint that he remade once. A lot of people’s favorite rare X shit. It’s clear that he was gon’ punch til he knocked some shit out.

1995 was my favorite pre ‘Hell Is Hot’ year. This is a whole mother realm. My nigga SPITTING. Super unheard of shit right here. I ain’t have to think about these tracks in a minute but damn. You see what Earl was getting at.

another one with Pudgee the Fat Bastard. 1995. Hell is getting hot. Got more for you too. DMX nigga.

X dissing pac over the ‘I Shot Ya’ beat in 1996. These same lyrics would end up being his first ever single, ‘Get At Me Dog’. The blow up was imminent.

this is one of those early collabs with Jay-Z (JZ), Ja Rule and DMX when Irv Gotti was doing the whole Cash Money Click thing. 1995. X had the last verse, but this leads me to my favorite collab with them ever.

‘TIME TO BUILD’ - Mic Geronimo and ‘Murder Inc’ even though they wasn’t known as that at that time. Again in 1995. Mic Geronimo and Irv Gotti knew something that we didn’t. I’m glad they green lighted this shit. Foreshadowing was brazy.

Last rare joint, Ja Rule and X freestyling on a Craig G mixtape in 1997. The same year they would both go up. Hard work pays off.

& this is DMX’s probably first mainstream interview at the video shoot for 4, 3, 2, 1. And this is my favorite thing ever about the dog. He tells you exactly how long he’d been rhyming before shit popped for him. How he’s ‘new to the label, not to the game’. Thats so tough. #DMX

Long story short, X was a fighter who kept fighting. He ain’t blow up until he was 27-28, but he blew up the way he did cause he ain’t let shit stop him. And never shyed away from the work he put in. When he was around I would say he’s the reason I don’t give up. Still that way.

Tweet blowing up. Make sure you follow a nigga. Might educate y’all more often.