"How's It Goin' Down" is a song by American rapper DMX, released as the fourth and final single from his first album, ''

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, by Def Jam Recordings and Ruff Ryders Entertainment. It was supported by four singles—" Get at Me Dog", " Stop Being Greedy", ...

''. The song features vocals by R&B singer

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...

and was released to radio on June 9, 1998. The song was a modest hit, peaking at No. 70 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

. It contains a sample of "God Make Me Funky" by

the Headhunters The Headhunters was an American jazz fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The group fused jazz, funk, and rock music. History and band name Hancock had grown dissatisfied with his prior band, Mwandishi, and wanted to make a band with ...

from the 1975 album, ''

Survival of the Fittest "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. The biological concept of fitness is defined as reproductive success. In Darwinian terms, th ...

''.

Music video

Directed by

Hype Williams Harold "Hype" Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adelphi Univ ...

, the video was filmed in June 1998 in Harlem, New York City. The music video provides a visual depiction of the song's story, detailing DMX's affair with the a woman named Tenika (played by video model Liza Rivera) who is already in a relationship with the father of her two children. It features cameos by then-unknown artists

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...

Drag-On Melvin Jason Smalls (born January 4, 1980), known professionally as Drag-On, is an American rapper. He is best known for his time on Ruff Ryders, through whom he released his debut album, '' Opposite of H2O'' (2000). The album was successful, ...

and

Irv Gotti Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (June 26, 1970 – February 5, 2025), professionally known as Irv Gotti or DJ Irv, was an American record producer and music executive. Gotti started off as a New York hip-hop DJ in the 1980s, then becoming an A&R t ...

, all of whom would rise to prominence in the following year.

Interpolations and samples

Canadian rapper and singer

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

incorporated the lyrics to the chorus of "How's It Goin' Down" in his own song, "U with Me?" from the album '' Views''. American rapper

Moneybagg Yo DeMario DeWayne White Jr. (born September 22, 1991), known professionally as Moneybagg Yo, is an American rapper known for his melodic trap and Southern hip hop music style. White signed with fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti's record label, ...

sampled "How's It Goin' Down" in his song " Scorpio".

Charts

Certifications

References

1998 singles 1998 songs DMX songs Faith Evans songs Ruff Ryders Entertainment singles Def Jam Recordings singles Music videos directed by Hype Williams Dirty rap songs Songs written by DMX {{1990s-hiphop-song-stub