| Product Summary | | Label: Universal Records | | UPC: 00044006336923 | | Release Date: 9/16/2003 | | Buy.com Sku: 60613743 | | Item#: M4665W | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 25079 | Format:  CD |
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(P) 2003 The Island Def Jam Music Group
(C) 2003 The Island Def Jam Music Group
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" His most relentlessly aggressive album yet." Blender
"His big voice and big, good-vs-evil themes now need the gold lame beats of Grand Champ to deliver one last howling high." Launch.com
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: DMX, Regina Bell, Dyme, Sisqo, The Lox, Drag-On. | | Producers include: Swizz Beatz, P. Killer Trackz, Grease, Shok, Nokio. | | Recorded at The Hit Factory, Miami, Florida and Power House, Yonkers, New York. | | AND THEN THERE WAS X was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and "Party Up" was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance. | | Personnel includes: DMX, Regina Bell, Dyme, Sisqo, The Lox, Drag-On. | | Producers include: Swizz Beatz, P. Killer Trackz, Grease, Shok, Nokio. | | Recorded at The Hit Factory, Miami, Florida and Power House, Yonkers, New York. | | AND THEN THERE WAS X was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and "Party Up" was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance. | | Personnel includes: DMX, Swizz Beatz, Chinky, Sheek, Syleena Johnson, Infa-Red, Cross And Drag-on, Eve, Jadakiss, Cam'Ron, Big Stan, Monica, Magic Val, Patti LaBelle. | | Producers include: Tuneheadz, No I.D., DJ Scratch, Joaquin "Waah" Dean, Swizz Beats. | | Personnel includes: DMX, Swizz Beatz, Chinky, Sheek, Syleena Johnson, Infa-Red, Cross And Drag-on, Eve, Jadakiss, Cam'Ron, Big Stan, Monica, Magic Val, Patti LaBelle. | | Producers include: Tuneheadz, No I.D., DJ Scratch, Joaquin "Waah" Dean, Swizz Beats. | | Includes a bonus DVD. | | Personnel includes: DMX, Swizz Beatz, Chinky, Sheek, Syleena Johnson, Infa-Red, Cross And Drag-on, Eve, Jadakiss, Cam'Ron, Big Stan, Monica, Magic Val, Patti LaBelle. | | Producers include: Tuneheadz, No I.D., DJ Scratch, Joaquin "Waah" Dean, Swizz Beats. | | Though it's DMX's third album in two years, ...And Then There Was X doesn't show much sign of burnout. True, it's similar to his last, which balanced new-school gangsta tracks ("The Professional," "Make a Move") with a couple that question the inevitable trappings that come with success ("Fame," "One More Road to Cross"). And the productions by Swizz Beats, P. Killer Trackz, and Shok -- all part of Ruff Ryder Productions, Inc. -- are heavily synthesized and occasionally melodramatic, just like both of his previous albums. Even when Swizz Beats' usually reliable productions fall through, DMX brings it all back with his tough rhymes and inventive wordplay. He's still torn between the thug life and spiritual concerns (even including a long prayer in the liner notes), but the most exciting tracks on ...And Then There Was X are good-time joints like "Party Up" and "What's My Name?" ~ John Bush | | It's often said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and that maxim certainly holds true for the self-professed Grand Champ of canines, DMX, on his album of the same name. For his fifth album in six years, the veteran rapper reprises many of the same themes and motifs that had made his previous efforts so popular among hardcore rap fans and influential among his East Coast peers. As usual, he barks at his unnamed adversaries over hard-hitting Ruff Ryder beats, flexes his rhetorical muscle with his ever-confrontational rhyme style, advocates valor and faith while disdaining materialism, and frames his world within a polarized context, drawing a bold line between "dogs" and "cats." By this point, the scenario should be familiar to those who've followed DMX this far into his career; in many ways, his albums are mirror images of each other, in terms of drama, production, ideology, sequencing, and thankfully, to an extent, quality. However, the initial impact that DMX made with his tremendous and industry-changing debut, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998), lessened with each successive follow-up, and Grand Champ is no exception. It's a well-crafted and thought-out album but feels like a sequel, and as such, it serves its purpose: to satisfy fans and move units. The anthemic lead single, "Where the Hood At," is precisely modeled after previous DMX rallying calls like "Ruff Rider Anthem," "What's My Name?," and "Who We Be." Likewise, "Get It on the Floor" is a trademark Swizz Beatz club-banger -- and a remarkable one at that, perhaps one-upping even "Party Up (Up in Here)." Grand Champ closes sentimentally: "Don't Gotta Go Home" is a fractured-relationship duet with Monica that's prime urban crossover material; "A'Yo Kato" is a heartfelt ode to a lost dog with a shuffling, almost Latin beat by Swizz Beatz; and "Thank You" is a rousing gospel-rap tune featuring Patti LaBelle that's surprisingly effective and closes the album with magnificent flair (if not for the obligatory bonus track). Yet it's a long road to this sentimental closing run; for every one of the aforementioned highlights, there's at least one, if not two, run-of-the-mill tracks that warrant no more than a couple listens. Not quite the big comeback DMX needed at this point in his quietly sagging rap career, Grand Champ regardless has its share of highlights. Longtime fans may decide to drop off at about this point, if they hadn't already, while those content with the usual -- or new to DMX -- should find plenty to savor on Grand Champ. ~ Jason Birchmeier | | No other rapper exerts quite as much energy as Def Jam heavyweight DMX. With his adrenaline-pumped hip-hop anthems, Yonkers native DMX has taken the hip-hop industry by storm. His third album, AND THEN THERE WAS X came only one year after his highly-anticipated second album, FLESH OF MY FLESH..., which came only six months after his multi-platinum debut, IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT. With this series of rapid-fire releases, DMX was able to remain on the cutting edge of rap. | | "What's My Name?" perhaps most clearly demonstrates the power of the Ruff Ryder frontman. The other Swizz Beatz-produced tracks bring forth more of the same flavor. His rough-edged lyrics and spitfire delivery will leave his "dogs" foaming at the mouth for more. Though X is backed by one of hip-hop's most prominent crews (the Ruff Ryders), the platinum pit bull proves he can hold his own and then some. | | No other rapper exerts quite as much energy as Def Jam heavyweight DMX. With his adrenaline-pumped hip-hop anthems, Yonkers native DMX has taken the hip-hop industry by storm. His third album, AND THEN THERE WAS X came only one year after his highly-anticipated second album, FLESH OF MY FLESH..., which came only six months after his multi-platinum debut, IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT. With this series of rapid-fire releases, DMX was able to remain on the cutting edge of rap. | | "What's My Name?" perhaps most clearly demonstrates the power of the Ruff Ryder frontman. The other Swizz Beatz-produced tracks bring forth more of the same flavor. His rough-edged lyrics and spitfire delivery will leave his "dogs" foaming at the mouth for more. Though X is backed by one of hip-hop's most prominent crews (the Ruff Ryders), the platinum pit bull proves he can hold his own and then some. | | DMX loves dogs, and feels a connection to them; he's certainly never made a secret of it, infusing his raps with numerous references to man's best friend. On the intro to his fifth record, GRAND CHAMP, the East Coast rapper/actor asserts his canine preference as, not surprisingly, the pit bull ("they make good companions, but even worse enemies/it's all in how you take 'em"). It's a fitting portrait of the gruffer-than-gruff-voiced, remarkably uncompromising hardcore rapper, who leaves the listener to either embrace his stark world or get the hell out. | | GRAND CHAMP reveals DMX to be as fierce as ever ("only know how to be one way, that's the thug"), spewing his usual blend of unconstrained love and vitriol. He follows the intro with one of his trademarked laying-it-on-the-line rants before launching into a series of furious condemnations. Like 2Pac and Nas, DMX has learned the value of the schizophrenic combination of the inspirational and the ultra-violent; he could be his own greatest companion and his fiercest enemy. It's this quality that makes him one of the most intriguing hip-hop superstars out there, and GRAND CHAMP continues his larger-than-life legacy. | | DMX loves dogs, and feels a connection to them; he's certainly never made a secret of it, infu |
Musical Guests | | Patti LaBelle | | Regina Belle | | Dyme | | 50 Cent | | Eve | | The Lox | | Drag-On | | Jadakiss | | Sisqo | | Monica | | Cam'Ron | | Syleena Johnson | | Big Stan | | Chinky | | Swizz Beatz | | Styles P. | | Infa-Red | | Sheek | | Magic | | Val |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 09/16/2003 | | Original Release Date : 1999 | | Catalog ID : 063 369 | | Label : Def Jam (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00044006336923 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling Stone (2/3/00, p.58)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "...he moves...with verve....DMX doesn't stray far from his proven formula: schizophrenic flows and old-age-wisdom-meets-street-knowledge buttressed by sea-chanteylike choruses..."Rolling Stone (2/3/00, p.58)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "...he moves...with verve....DMX doesn't stray far from his proven formula: schizophrenic flows and old-age-wisdom-meets-street-knowledge buttressed by sea-chanteylike choruses..." Spin (12/03, p.128)
- "...DMX is pop's most riveting one-dimensional star. And like every DMX album, this is a mini-exorcism..." - Grade: B- Spin (12/03, p.128)
- "...DMX is pop's most riveting one-dimensional star. And like every DMX album, this is a mini-exorcism..." - Grade: B- Spin (12/03, p.128)
- "...DMX is pop's most riveting one-dimensional star. And like every DMX album, this is a mini-exorcism..." - Grade: B- Entertainment Weekly (1/14/00, pp.73-4)
- "...What makes DMX so compelling is the ravaged grain and electric urgency of his voice - he sounds like a man who...is just about to blow....That internal drama lends X a thematic ambition few contemporary rappers even bother to strive for..." - Rating: A- Entertainment Weekly (1/14/00, pp.73-4)
- "...What makes DMX so compelling is the ravaged grain and electric urgency of his voice - he sounds like a man who...is just about to blow....That internal drama lends X a thematic ambition few contemporary rappers even bother to strive for..." - Rating: A- Q (3/00, p.100)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "...Excellent. The results are thrilling: dynamic anthemic stadium rap, plus loads of swearing..." Q (3/00, p.100)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "...Excellent. The results are thrilling: dynamic anthemic stadium rap, plus loads of swearing..." The Source (3/00, p.256)
- 3.5 mics out of 5 - "...[DMX] hits you with that same X flow that made you wanna get at him in the first place. And as usual, the other side of his duel persona has a revealing conversation with God....his bark calls us...you just gotta feel." The Source (3/00, p.256)
- 3.5 mics out of 5 - "...[DMX] hits you with that same X flow that made you wanna get at him in the first place. And as usual, the other side of his duel persona has a revealing conversation with God....his bark calls us...you just gotta feel." Mojo (Publisher)
(11/03, p.129)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "...F*** Y'all is a fizzing, barking onslaught, as fine as anything he's done..." Mojo (Publisher)
(11/03, p.129)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "...F*** Y'all is a fizzing, barking onslaught, as fine as anything he's done..." Mojo (Publisher)
(11/03, p.129)
- 3 stars out of 5 - "...F*** Y'all is a fizzing, barking onslaught, as fine as anything he's done..."s |
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| | Bio | | | In a music industry that often specializes in manufactured stars--neatly wrapped packages that look the right way and do and say all the right things--it is a rare event to witness the emergence of a true artist. DMX, rap's ruffest ryder, is of this rare breed of artists. He has held the hip hop world spellbound with his raw, unbridled energy, unyielding passion and lyrics of fury since his explosive arrival in 1998--the year that was unquestionably the year of the dog. After stand-out performances on tracks like LL Cool J's "4.3.2.1", the Lox's "Money, Power, Respect", and Mase's "24 Hours to Live", DMX got the world's attention with his own, bonafide street anthem "Get At Me Dog." In May of '98, he released his groundbreaking first effort It's Dark And Hell Is Hot, which also featured the intoxicating, gritty joints "Stop Being Greedy" and "Ruff Ryder's Anthem," debuted at number one and quickly went multi-platinum. That summer, after a headlining stint on the Survival of the Illest tour, DMX retreated to the studio yet again, and in December he released the classic horror-film-on-wax, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood. Flesh, which included the poignant, autobiographical song "Slippin'," and released only six months after its predecessor, also held the top spot on the charts--making DMX the first artist ever to have two number one debuts in the same year. After spending the first part of 1999 on tour with fellow Def Jam artists Jay-Z, Method Man and Redman on the most successful hip hop tour ever, the Hard Knock Life tour, DMX split for the heat of Miami to work on his And Then Was X album.
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