''Exodus'' (also known as ''EXODUS 1:7'') is the eighth and final studio album by American rapper

DMX Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 – April 9, 2021), known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album ''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' in 1998, to both critical acclaim ...

. It was released on May 28, 2021, through

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

. It is DMX's first studio album in nine years since '' Undisputed'' (2012), as well as his first posthumous and final studio album released after his death in April that year, and also his first with Def Jam since '' Grand Champ'' (2003). "Bath Salts" featuring Jay-Z and Nas was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for Best Rap Song.

Background

On April 2, 2021, at approximately 11:00 pm, DMX was rushed to White Plains Hospital, where he was reported to be in critical condition following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

at his home possibly resulting from a

drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

. The next day, his attorney Murray Richman confirmed Simmons was on

life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...

. That same night, Simmons suffered

cerebral hypoxia Cerebral hypoxia is a form of hypoxia (reduced supply of oxygen), specifically involving the brain; when the brain is completely deprived of oxygen, it is called ''cerebral anoxia''. There are four categories of cerebral hypoxia; they are, in o ...

(oxygen deprivation to his brain) as

paramedics A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

attempted to resuscitate him for 30 minutes. Simmons' former manager, Nakia Walker, said he was in a "

vegetative state A persistent vegetative state (PVS) or post-coma unresponsiveness (PCU) is a disorder of consciousness in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness. After four weeks in a vegetative stat ...

" with "lung and brain failure and no current brain activity". His manager,

Steve Rifkind Steve Rifkind (born March 2, 1962) is an American music entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of Loud Records and of SRC Records.

, stated Simmons was

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

tose and that he was set to undergo tests to determine his brain's functionality and his family would "determine what's best from there". Work had commenced on ''Exodus'' prior to the death of DMX. He recorded ''Exodus'' in American rapper

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...

's studio, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

is the executive producer of the album. During the recording of the album, DMX would only record in the daytime, according to Swizz Beatz. Musicians

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended ...

Griselda Griselda is a feminine given name from Germanic sources that is now used in English, Italian, and Spanish as well. According to the 1990 United States Census, the name was 1066th in popularity among females in the United States. It has been ...

, and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

, as well as DMX's daughter, Sonovah appear on the album. Late rapper Pop Smoke was set to appear on the album, but his verse ended up being used in a different song. Following DMX's death, his

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account released a post with the caption "5/28 The Legacy continues....#ExodusAlbum". The album shares its title with DMX's son and its cover was shot by photographer Jonathan Mannion. Its track listing was revealed on May 14, 2021, by Swizz Beatz on Instagram.

Release

On April 9, 2021, the day of DMX's death, the song "X Moves" was released. On April 16, the song "Been to War" by DMX along with Swizz Beatz and

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...

was released as part of the soundtrack for the television series '' Godfather of Harlem''. On May 25, the album's first official single, "Hood Blues" was released, which contains features from New York rappers Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and

Conway the Machine Demond Price (born February 16, 1982), known professionally as Conway the Machine (or simply Conway), is an American rapper. Alongside his paternal half-brother Westside Gunn and cousin Benny the Butcher, Conway was a member of Griselda Recor ...

, credited as

. ''Exodus'' was released on May 28, 2021.

Critical reception

''Exodus'' received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a

mean There are several kinds of mean in mathematics, especially in statistics. Each mean serves to summarize a given group of data, often to better understand the overall value ( magnitude and sign) of a given data set. For a data set, the '' ari ...

score of 71 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Alexis Petridis gave ''Exodus'' a positive review, remarking that the album "feels far more like a bold restatement of core values than an attempt to follow trends". However, he criticized certain parts of the album for being "strangely bleak". Will Lavin of '' NME'' gave the album another positive review, calling it "a wonderful tribute record loaded with stellar individual moments", although he criticized the album for being "a little unfinished at times". Robin Murray of '' Clash'' praised the album, calling it "an unbearably poignant listen at times, with meditations on loss and allegories for death at every corner". Jeff Ihaza of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' gave ''Exodus'' a mixed response. He gave positive remarks on DMX's rapping and the production by Swizz Beatz, calling the latter the "most dynamic...of his career". On the contrary, he noted that the album "can't escape the reality it exists in" due to the fact that it was completed before the death of DMX. Providing an example, Ihaza said that it was "hard to listen to a song like 'Bath Salts'—featuring Jay-Z and Nas rapping about being successful billionaires" without feeling a tinge of despair over the death of DMX.

Commercial performance

''Exodus'' debuted at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with 32,000 album-equivalent units. It marks DMX's eighth top 10 album on the chart. The album received over 22 million on-demand streams in its first week.

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer Sample credits * "Take Control" contains a sample from "

Sexual Healing "Sexual Healing" is a song recorded by American singer Marvin Gaye from his seventeenth and final studio album, ''Midnight Love'' (1982). It was his first single since his exit from his long-term record label Motown earlier in the year, followin ...

" performed by

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown (music style), Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player ...

. * "Hood Blues" contains a sample from "Shady Blues" performed by Lee Mason & His Orchestra. * "That's My Dog" contains a sample from "Serious" performed by

Joe Budden Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...

and

Joell Ortiz Joell Christopher Ortiz (born July 6, 1980) is an American rapper and a former member of the group Slaughterhouse. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aft ...

Charts

References

{{DMX 2021 albums Albums published posthumously Albums produced by AraabMuzik Albums produced by Jerry Duplessis Albums produced by Kanye West Albums produced by Mr. Porter Albums produced by Swizz Beatz Def Jam Recordings albums DMX (rapper) albums