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 19, 1998,^[1] by Def Jam Recordings and Ruff Ryders Entertainment.^[2] 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 19, 1998 (1998-05-19)
Recorded	April 1997-January 1998
Studio	New Horizon Sounds, Capitol Heights, Maryland Power House Soundtrack Chung King Quad Recording, New York City
Genre	East Coast hip hop horrorcore hardcore hip hop
Length	65:10
Label	Def Jam Ruff Ryders
Producer	Irv Gotti (also exec.) Dee (exec.) Waah (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.^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

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

It's Dark and Hell Is Hot debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 251,000 copies in its first week, the first DMX number one debut on the chart.^[14] On December 18, 2000, the album was certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of four million copies in the US.^[15]

Legacy

Andrew R. Chow from Time published an article about the album on the day of DMX's passing (April 9, 2021) saying, "Then 27-year-old Earl Simmons, better known as DMX, released his debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, and everything changed. The album was full of violent nihilism, hair-raising tales of betrayal and revenge, and his emulations of dogs barking and whining; the beats were rugged and skeletal. Rather than being rejected or pigeonholed, the album immediately skyrocketed to the top of the charts, selling 251,000 copies in its first week in the U.S as songs like “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” rang out of every car stereo in New York City and beyond." He also wrote the album was catalyst for American producer Swizz Beatz's career and influenced artists later on like American rapper Denzel Curry, who listed it as one of his favorite albums.^[16] Nas reminisced in 2013, “that was the year DMX took over the world."^[17]

In 2015, Pitchfork wrote, "The debut album from DMX is the Dante’s Inferno of rap. His infamous stage presence and aggression gave a voice to the voiceless in the streets of New York and overnight changed the course of hip-hop."^[18] In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the album twenty-second on their list of "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time".^[19]

Canadian recording artist Drake interpolated “How’s It Going Down” on his 2016 song “U With Me". He personally asked DMX for his permission.^[16]

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 Irv Gotti 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 Murda Ma$e)	Simmons Blackman Jason Phillips Sean Jacobs David Styles Mason Betha	Dame Grease	5:14
Total length:				65:10

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:				68:07

Notes

• Track listing and credits from album booklet.
• "X-Is Coming" features additional vocals by Jamie, Warren and Randy.
• "How's It Goin' Down" features additional vocals by Lovey Ford and Schamika Grant.
• "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 B. T. 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 Diana Ross.
• "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 Drag-On appears courtesy of Ruff Ryders Entertainment.
• Kasino appears courtesy of Jive Records.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20] 15 UK Albums (OCC)[21] 89 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[22] 11 US Billboard 200[23] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[24] 1 Chart (2021) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] 185 Chart (2024) Peak position Greek Albums (IFPI)[26] 72

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position US Billboard 200[27] 34 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[28] 2 Chart (1999) Position US Billboard 200[29] 33 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[30] 16

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[31]	Platinum	100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[32]	Gold	100,000*
United States (RIAA)[33]	4× Platinum	4,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ 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.)