[Applause] what I'mma speak on is the thing that's on my mind the most you know what I'm saying the thing that we all got to deal with every day but don't really know the [Applause] industry the industry man it's not the same doesn't have to do with Talent it's about playing the game the industry real [ __ ] is dying to get in the industry just to find they don't fit in the industry ain't what it used to be the indry is trying to control the way you MC they want you to dress like this
and talk like that but I'm going to dress like this and talk with the bat let's chat about how anyone who tried to spill the beans on Diddy and Jay-Z ended up in deep trouble or got slapped with a crazy label and now no one gives them the time of day so the legendary DMX was one of those brave souls who supposedly tried to call out Diddy for messing with and mistreating his artists and Jay-Z for being in cahoots with the big shots now fast forward to Jaguar wri's recent interview spilling the tea on Diddy
and Jay-Z according to her Jay-Z Takes the Cake for being even worse than Diddy apparently there's a whole bunch of messed up and Shady stuff that Mr Shawn Carter allegedly did to climb his way to the top let's start with X and his difficult story and then his Venture into the music industry is going to make more sense DMX born on December 18th 1970 in Mount Vernon New York wasn't dealt the easiest hand his folks were Arnette Simmons 19 and Joe Barker 18 DMX was the middle kid with an older sister Bonita and later a
sister named Shayla and sadly two stillborn Brothers Barker his dad did watercolor paintings of Street scenes in Philly to make a living in his early days DMX faced violence from his mom and dealt with bronchial asthma he grew up as a Jehovah's Witness but ditched it after an accident messed him up at 5 his mom mom sent him to live with relatives in Yonkers after taking a beating from his mom he got kicked out of middle school at 10: and ended up in a group home it is said that his mom beat him up so
badly that she knocked out two of his teeth with a broomstick at 15 he was back in Yonkers crashing in empty storage bins and rolling with stray dogs thanks to bad grades DMX couldn't stick with the track and field team at yoner Middle High School broke as a joke he resorted to robbing classmates for food clothes and even a leather collar and harness for his dog soon enough he started jacking cars in the early days back in 1985 DMX kicked off his career by beat boxing for a local rapper called Ready Ron they did these
small gigs where Ron wrapped and DMX provided the beatbox and ad libs this guy uh ready Ron you mean he was like an older brother to me and he would rap and I would do the beatbox after a bit DMX noticed Ron was hogging the spotlight so he decided to switch things up and started rapping himself that's when he adopted the name DMX first standing for divine Master of the unknown and later flipping to Darkman X after serving a 2-year stretch for carjacking DMX got into the lyric writing game and performed at the local rec
center for the kids locked up again in 888 this time for the same carjacking he went all in on pinning lyrics and battling other inmates he even cooked up a style called Spellbound where he spelled out each word letter by letter basing off with future rival K solo fast forward to 1991 DMX hit up the Stretch Armstrong and Bobo show dropping a freyle that got him some props in the source's unsigned hype column he kept grinding with mixtapes and by 1992 he got picked up by the then unknown Rough Riders entertainment Columbia Records jumped on
the bandwagon signing d MX to Chaos Records and Ruff House Records but when his debut single born loser didn't blow up like they hoped he got the boot from Ruff House and went solo in January 94 Death Row Records tried to snag DMX in a joint venture with Rough Riders but that plan never went down I even heard they was trying to sign DMX I'm I'm pretty sure of that I don't remember that specifically but I'm pretty sure of that cuz when X was um before he signed a Dev Jam when he was on a
on the market pretty much every body wanted to sign him like the whole industry really Tupac was in the midst of filming his legendary hoops and Hood flick Above the Rim still rolling with inter scope records now here's where it gets interesting pack links up with SH Knight in New York way before their death row era sh had previously roped pack into dropping a track for the murder was the case soundtrack and coughed up12 200k for the joint life so hard although the original track didn't see the light of day two pack and Snoop reworked
it Suge on his mission to assemble a hip-hop Dream Team also sits down with Irv Gotti and the Rough Riders to sign DMX swis beats and crew to Death Row Records the Rough Rider Founders spilled the te saying they were close to sealing the deal but the terms didn't favor them they were worried their artists might get the short end of the stick with Rough Rider producers mainly pumping out beats for West Coast artists instead of focusing on their Yonkers team Swiss beats chimes in Sharing how Knight tried to Strongarm them into a deal you
can see a snapshot of two packing Sho Knight with the Rough Riders In '94 although DMX isn't in the pick word is death row tried to snatch them up again in '95 even flying them out to an LA hotel where P was supposed to chat with DMX about East Coast drama imagine if this meeting had gone down the '90s music scene could have witnessed death row becoming even more of a Powerhouse signing DMX and the Rough Riders would have fit right right in with death Row's plan to launch death row East in 97 Eric B
was set to be the president and Craig Mack and boot camp click were lined up as the first signings but here's the twist Tupac never made it downstairs for that meeting he was kneed deep in other discussions possibly preventing this Mega collaboration DMX would later throw shade at tup Pac in freestyles and unrelease tracks in '96 those same lyrics would find their way into DMX's 98 banger get at me dog with the two- pack line swapped out was DMX just craving attention or did he feel a bit snub because Pack didn't roll down to the
hotel lobby whatever the case Rough Riders probably dodged a bullet but the dream team of DMX VV Gotti Swizz Beats and pack on death row would have been pure fire let's break down DMX's Journey Through the late 90s and early 2000s so after grinding in the industry for 2 years his buddy IR Gotti scored the gig as the president of A and R at Def Jam recordings thanks to a showcase for then president lior Coen DMX Inked a deal with Def Jam in May 1997 fast forward to 1998 to 2000 where DMX was on a
roll from April 97 to January 98 he was in the studio cooking up tracks for his debut album meanwhile his appearances on Ma's 24 Hearts to live take what's yours the Lock's money power and respect and L Cool J's 4321 in had the hype building in February 98 he dropped his first major label single get at me dog which snagged a gold certification his debut album It's Dark and Hell is Hot hit the streets in made 98 including the hit Ruff Riders Anthem it soar to number one on the billboard 200 selling over 5 million
copies and DMX is a rare example of an artist who performed in front of a crowd of 300,000 people or more during one of of the most legendary music festivals of all time the Woodstock his Rough Riders anthem performance is [Music] Iconic I don't hear you I don't hear you I don't hear you I don't hear you my we go first we had a baby my go we go first we [Applause] [Music] had in December 98 he followed it up with Flesh of My Flesh Blood of My Blood also debuting at number one and going
multiplatinum DMX became the only rapper at the time to have his first two consecutive number one billboard 200 albums within a year his record got surpassed later but we'll get to that on December 21st 1999 DMX dropped his third album And Then There Was X another number one debut the standout single Party Up Up In Here rocked the R and B charts and got a Grammy nod the album went six times platinum and got nominated for best rap album at the 2001 Grammy Awards in 2000 DMX made a cameo in the some 41 music video
for makes no difference he didn't stop there late in the same year he joined the anger management tour with other Heavy Hitters in Hip Hop and new metal sharing the stage with Limp Biscuit Godsmack and Sinar so after getting his legal ducks in a row DMX hit the studio for his fourth album The Great Depression it dropped on October 23rd 2001 making it his fourth album to debut at number one on the billboard 200 the singles who we be we right here and I miss you were part of the mix despite the triple platinum certification
it didn't quite match the success of his previous album in September 2003 DMX kept the hits coming with grand champ his fifth album once again it snagged the number one spot on the billboard 200 this album featuring Where The Hood At and get it on the floor was DMX's final one in his lifetime he declared his retirement after its release after some tussles with Def Jam DMX made a move in January 2006 he signed with Columbia Records def Jam's former parent company this switch LED to his sixth album year of the dog again which dropped
on August 1st 2006 and debuted at number two on the billboard 200 singles like Lord Give Me A Sign and we in here hit the scene in June 2008 de Jam released DMX's greatest hits album the definition of X The Pick of the litter then in 2011 they dropped another compilation the best of DMX during this time DMX dabbled in preaching and even produced a gospel music album before his stint in jail on October 11th 2011 DMX rocked the stage at the BET Hip Hop Awards announcing his work on his seventh album Undisputed delays followed
but the album finally came out on September 11th 2012 with production from Swiss beats and Jr rotum Swiss beats spilled the beans that Kanye West and Dr Dre were in the mix for DMX's e8th album his 2003 track X gone give it to you found its way into the film dead in 2016 on June 28th 2016 DMX dropped a new track blood red and in January 2017 he released another one titled Bane is back produced by swis beats on September 20th 2019 DMX made a triumphant return to Def Jam recordings signing a new deal DMX's
eighth and postumus studio album Exodus came out on May 28th 2021 through Death Jam let's dig into the story of the short-lived but iconic hip hop group Murder Inc consisting of DMX Jay-Z and jaw rule back in 1995 VV Gotti formed Murder Inc bringing together East Coast heavyweights Jay-Z DMX and jaw rule they officially hit the scene with MC gonos time to build and later collaborated on murder gram for Streets is Watching despite their talent the group's lifespan was cut short due to the intense feud between Jay-Z and DMX fueled in part by their historic
rap battle in the Bronx J in DMX battle for hours and guns was pulled out and you know it was very tense but it was real hip-hop you know nothing happened and we all kind of had admiration for each other cuz we had equal amount of respect you know it ended up being a tie you know they said they won we said we won but it wasn't no clear-cut winner I still won I mean but um I learned that during that battle you know what I'm saying I drove away from Baltimore for that battle VV
Gotti spilled the beans on the group's demise revealing they always had friction because they battled an X like hated him Gotti explained that Jay-Z initially dismissed DMX's music as depressing but later witnessing DMX's success with Gotti he had a change of heart the roots of the feud traced back to the early 9s when Jay-Z and DMX faced off in a heated rap battle in a bronx pool hall Gotti acknowledged that DMX felt he didn't unequivocally win the battle leading to lingering animosity Ja Rule added we couldn't get X and J in the same room from
long ago their stored battle on the pool table guns out and all of that Eagles played a significant role in the downfall of the group post the Murder Inc breakup DMX didn't hold back slamming jaw Rule and accusing him of copying his distinctive delivery style he even dropped a diss track titled they want war where he called out Ja Rule despite the public Feud ja Ru reportedly didn't respond to the disc in a gesture of Peace after DMX's released from jail in 200 5 Gotti approached him for reconciliation and DMX agreed saying all right Gotti
let's do it Murder Inc produced only two singles murdergram and its murder which didn't make massive waves commercially however hip-hop enthusiasts recognized the Trio's chemistry believing they had the potential to become one of the greatest rap groups of all time The Saga of Murder Inc serves as a tale of immense Talent cut short by unresolved conflicts even though shortlived this excursion already introduced the conflict that would exist between DMX and both Jay-Z and his close associate and friend P Diddy ever thought about how the behind the-scenes battles for hip-hop heavyweights went down back in the
day well DMX spilled the beans during a recent chat on Nora and DJ fn's drink Champs podcast back in 2016 DMX spilled the tea on getting the cold shoulder from puffy Daddy back in the day but true to X's style he he handled it with class one thing I respect about puff real talk is that he at least told me straight up what he thought kicked off the dark man after spitting a few bars puffy wasn't vibing with him saying his voice was too rough he bought me you me the puff and one thing I
respect about puff one thing I respect about him in real [ __ ] is that at least he told me to my face what he felt and when when de told puffy yo if you like the lock you going to love X and I spit or whatever and he was like ah um his voice is too rough he's unmarketable didn't like it but I I had to respect it he [ __ ] up let's make some noise that little nugget of hip-hop history LED norga and DJ efn to start a slow clap and noray declared
let's give it up for puff messing up but guess what x got the last laugh 3 weeks after signing with de Jam puff had a change of heart and came back with an offer he was like I'll double what they gave you and line your pockets X recalled but you know what x was like nah I'm good fast forward DMX Unleashed his debut major label single get at me dog went gold and dropped five out of his seven albums on Death Jam with Ru Riders entertainment the Diddy Saga is turning into a wild ride every
day but guess what he's not The Lone Ranger in the exposure game now the Spotlight is shining on his longtime pal Jay-Z recent reports spilled the beans that DMX was one of the ogs in the industry who saw through both of them in a recent interview DMX claimed Diddy was messing around with his artists now some peeps think DMX was tossing around the word graping as a metaphor for Diddy not coughing up enough cash for his artists on the flip side there are folks dead set on believing that X meant every word he said DMX
wasn't vibing with Diddy and rumor has it he caught wind of some shady stuff going on at bad boy one fan even suggested that DMX spoke about how Diddy allegedly mistreated his artists particularly mentioning biggie now people initially thought DMX might have been hinting that Diddy was taking all of Biggie's money but considering the recent allegations surrounding Diddy anything seems possible now when it comes to DMX and Jay-Z their history was Tangled even though Jay publicly showed respect when X passed away some folks claim X never fully trusted Jay allegedly DMX thought Jay was shady
and didn't want anyone else rising to the top X even claimed that Jay messed with his sixth album because he was afraid of the competition however Jay-Z never admitted to that move right after DMX's passing in April 2021 Jay appeared on LeBron James show the shop where LeBron asked him about DMX's Legacy Jay recalled boycotting the gram in 99 because DMX didn't get a nomination emphasizing the bond of love despite the competition conveniently Jay left out his part in playing the competitive game and allegedly messing with x's grind in 2004 Jay-Z took the Reigns at
Def Jam records and according to DMX that's when things took a turn despite DMX repping Def Jam for years and dropping five chart topping projects between 98 and 03 X claimed that Jay tried to throw a wrench into to his six studio album year of the dog again in the world of hip-hop it seems like there's more to the story than meets the eye and the drama between DMX Diddy and Jay-Z adds another layer to the complex history of the industry what happened was you know like I said I had the crazy track record Death
Jam everything was good you know I go to do the sixth album and you know yeah yeah yeah you know when he first got the job he hit me with the call like yo dog itm just running the building like yo you good mhm finish the album shoot the video what happened [ __ ] go on vacation and you know we don't know you mean you don't know how do you how do you listen to a whole album pick a single shoot a video then don't know okay I see what's really good you trying to
eliminate the competition you know cuz at first you retire MH you know you know then get me off the label now you back rapping again this was the moment when DMX saw through Jay's game it became clear that Jay was all about his own moves not caring about anyone else unless it fit his plan so X bounced from Def Jam and struck a deal with Columbia Records but wait there's more to why DMX had serious doubts about trusting Jay and it's all connected to Jay's ties with the Shady higher-ups in the industry who truly call
the shots both Jay and DMX left an indelible mark on the culture and music scene but their business approaches differed unlike J j z x always kept it real calling out how label owners grip artists tight and he wasn't about to bend for them not figuratively and not literally now Jay-Z he's been making industry Maneuvers from the get-go and over the years accusations piled up about him turning his back on Close Associates one of those Associates is rockefella co-founder Dame Dash who went public claiming Jay-Z was coing up to Big Wigs in the music business
and turned on them in 2021 Dame was looking to sell his shares in rockefella and Jay offered him a measly $1.5 million Dame felt disrespected so in response he and his crew tried to auction Jay's debut album Reasonable Doubt as an nft following that move Rockefeller filed a lawsuit but Dame fired back saying he wasn't trying to sell a slice of that project Dame saw through the corporate games and how they were trying to mess with the narrative even though they wrapped up the lawsuit in 2022 Dame wasn't done speaking up he straight up called
Jay out saying Jay did him dirty for that cash Dame was basically pointing out that corporate big shots in the music business got into Jay's ear and convinced him to turn his back on their partnership it's the usual story they make one sell out the other divide and conquer but that's not all Dame started naming names and one person he put on blast was none other than Lor Cohen a heavyweight in the music scene and Jay-Z's close friend who we've already mentioned liar and Jay have been tight for ages and Jay even named liar as
his mentor but word on the street is that liar was to Jay-Z what Clive Davis was to Diddy if you catch my drift liar Cohen has found himself entangled in a web of drama over time Dame publicly called him out accusing him of intentionally using the divide and conquer method to pit black artists and Moguls against each other the crazy part when Lear appeared on The Breakfast Club in 2018 he talked about the opioid crisis and express sadness over DMX's struggles with substances however when Charlamagne asked leor why he keeps supporting artists promoting the drug
culture despite being aware of the crisis Lor candidly responded that's just how the business roles talk about a contradiction in the industry's approach to serious issues this fact right here is a whole lesson on the kind of influence figures like Le or wield in the music scene highlighting the weight of their power in the industry anyway when Lor's words about Dame went viral Dame hit back on Instagram stating that Lor essentially proved his entire Point Dame wrote thanks for this liar Cohen for proving my point in true culture vulture form they make money off of
us and then try to erase our true history acting like the real ones never existed he pays his bills at the expense of us the big question according to Dame is why Lor can't sell any rock music and why he can't align with his own culture Dame called out people like Lor saying stop fronting all my people laugh at you now now you might be wondering how this connects to DMX allegedly Lor was the one who influenced Jay-Z to interfere with x's sixth album but here's where it gets Wilder when DMX passed away Lor said
some disrespectful stuff about him at his own funeral DMX's sendoff took place in Brooklyn on April 25th 2021 with industry big names giving speeches leor was supposed to be there but couldn't be bothered to show up in person instead he sent in a recording where he talked about how DMX was a good dude but then out of nowhere leor dropped the bomb calling DMX a gremlin we win battles that we don't even have to fight because God fights them for us this is the day the set time and designated moment for us to experience the
free favors of God that profusely and lavishly abound on our behalf in Jesus mighty name we have prayed amen and amen in conclusion the intertwining stories of DMX Jay-Z and the music industry's key players reveal a complex tapestry of power influence and rivalry from the rise and fall of Murder Inc to the behind the-scenes Maneuvers at Major record labels it's evident that the music business is not just about creating hits It's a landscape where egos Clash alliances shift and loyalty is tested Dame Dash's accusations against Jay-Z and the revelations about Lor Cohen's role in influencing
album releases shed light on the murky side of the industry the divide and conquer strategy as exposed by Dame becomes a stark reminder of how personal and professional relationships can be manipulated for the benefit of those in power DMX's Journey marked by battles against exploitation and mistreatment exemplifies the challenges artists face in maintaining authenticity within a system driven by profit the controversy surrounding Jay-Z's actions during his tenure at Def Jam and his alleged interference with DMX's projects add layers to the narrative questioning the ethical dimensions of success in the music business as we reflect on
these Revelations it's clear that the music industry despite its glamorous facade has shadows and complexities that often remain hidden from the public eye the legacy of DMX Jay-Z and their peers serves as a testament to the resilience required to navigate the treacherous Waters of Fame and Fortune their stories continue to unravel leaving us with a deeper understanding of the Dynamics shaping the World Behind the Music
