#his stray dawgs out…that’s crazy

[sad-emo-dip-dye]

Atsushi clutching the blanket to his chest like he’s some indecent maiden I love him

[disneyprincemuke]

the best of (instagram) * driverkiddies

(series masterlist) | (📂 smau specials)

driverkiddies

liked by rockysroads, logansargeant and 4,429 others

driverkiddies everyone please say hello to my child, he’s a stray i picked up from the streets of australia that i named kidnapper

view all 487 comments…

logansargeant crazy how i didn’t join you at the club for one night and i woke up with a pet cat

rockysroads please address him by his name ty

user1 pet cat…? this is ur pet?

user2 BLACK CAT LOVER

user3 black cats are good luck… y/n wdc 2023?

oscarpiastri hehe meow.

driverkiddies no ❤️

logansargeant ???

landonorris did you get hacked mate wtf

maxverstappen1 tell ur cat to respect me

driverkiddies also no ❤️

rockysroads u heard the cat

logansargeant i cant even get it to like me

user4 RESPECT TO KIDNAPPER PLEASE

driverkiddies exactly these bitches have NO respect for my baby user4

alex_albon this is the only likeable member in ur household

rockysroads i might have to agree with you on this one

logansargeant saying that when i exist is crazy dawg

alex_albon huh logansargeant

williamsracing aww welcome to the family, kidnapper!!! 💙

rockysroads admin ur my baby’s godparents

logansargeant i literally pay for this cat’s litter wdym kidy/n

rockysroads do yall hear sumn

andrettiracing black cats are good luck!!!

sebastianvettel true

driverkiddies

liked by rockysroads, logansargeant and 7,429 others

driverkiddies “i think he’s starting to like me” - logan sargeant, 2023

view all 2,439 others…

logansargeant he is

rockysroads ur real funny

oscarpiastri did the cat tell you that, logan?

lilyzneimer that cat likes me more than he likes logan

rockysroads real

rockyskiddies rocky is my favourite

rockysroads so true rockyskiddies

logansargeant are u out of ur mind talking to urself in the instagram comments? rockysroads

rockysroads shut ur mouth logansargeant

sebastianvettel when am i seeing kidnapper again

driverkiddies i know ur a dog lover ❤️

rockysroads haha

sebastianvettel ur weird for answering me with two different accounts

rockysroads wdym thats kidnapper typing on the phone

sebastianvettel ?

logansargeant she bought him a pretend phone

rockysroads it’s a real phone

lilymhe aww, they’re getting along well!!! 💙

logansargeant not true, kidnapper took my spot on the couch

alex_albon understandable

driverkiddies u might be my favourite alex

driverkiddies

liked by logansargeant, sebastianvettel and 11,429 others

driverkiddies stubby puppy

view all 4,329 comments…

rockysroads i’m never letting u use this account ever again what kinda dumb ass caption is that

logansargeant u cant appreciate real art and it shows

sebastianvettel sigh

driverkiddies shut up 💙

oscarpiastri valid reaction

daltonsargeant boring caption

rockysroads that’s what i’m saying

blythesworld shouldve kept this ig account to urself sis

daltonsargeant what she said blythesworld

maxverstappen1 do u want another pet

sebastianvettel she does not.

rockysroads hi, u called for me?? what pet? hi?

logansargeant enough please

charles_leclerc what a cute puppy!!!

lilyzneimer is for me???

oscarpiastri girl shut up we’re not getting a dog

lilyzneimer lol haterrrr

nicolepiastri apologise oscarpiastri

oscarpiastri sorry lilyzneimer

oscarpiastri FOR FUCKING NOTHINGYGGGG lilyzneimer

dalt0ns my dog

driverkiddies you babysat stubby ONE TIME does NOT mean he is your pet please get a grip on life

daltonsargeant i’ll get u ur own dog

dalt0ns i knew i always liked u more than logan

logansargeant wow i cant catch a break

driverkiddies

liked by logansargeant, lilyzneimer and 10,492 others

driverkiddies logan had one job and it was to find stubby a Halloween costume and he couldn't even do that

view all 3,148 comments...

logansargeant wow

rockysroads u always make stubby feel like the non-favourite child

rockysroads it's sick

sebastianvettel why is logan ostracising stubby

rockysroads he hates stubby lowkey

logansargeant no i dont wtf i love him very much

lilyzneimer why does kidnapper get a whole outfit and stubby only gets a pumpkin :/

logansargeant I WAS VERY BUSY OKAY

rockysroads because logan plays favourites :/

logansargeant STOP SAYING THAT I WAS JUST BUSY

oscarpiastri justice4stubby

[uvonobu]

Some thoughts abt the new chapters cause they come out soon and I’m gonna die

(Not predictions, just me yapping)

okay dawg. So we all know the phantom troupe members are almost DEFINITELY gonna die. So I’m gonna yap abt what I need to see from them before they die bc if they all die stupid anti climatic deaths I’m gonna CRASH OUT

So I’ve known Shizuku and Nobunaga were gonna die from the start. With Shizuku, I’ve prepared myself for her death. So I won’t crash out THAT bad. Though, I really hope we get some dialogue about why she joined the troupe. I’m calling it right now, it’s gonna be that she joined the troupe because she wanted meteor city reforms but the useless fucking village elders don’t do shit so joined the only group that had actually made changes in meteor city. Yes, she knew what she was getting into, and yes, she knows they aren’t heroes. But their influence is super important to meteor city and I think it’d also be a good way to show the troupe’s relationship with the meteorians in a way that doesn’t feel forced. Plus it’d also flesh out Shizuku’s character more. Two birds with one stone pls hear my cries Togashi pleas

With Nobunaga, I’ve also accepted his death. Though there are certain things I need to see before he dies to be fully okay with it. For example, seeing his hatsu. If he dies without us seeing his hatsu, I’m crashing out. Actually, yk what’s worse? If we see his hatsu and it’s FUCKING STUPID. LIKE. DAWG. WE’VE WAITED YEARS TO SEE NOBUNAGA’S HASTU AND UR GONNA TELL ME ITS SRSLY SOME DUMB ASS SHIT. BRO. I KNOW HES AN ENHANCER BUT CMON…. I’ll forgive both of these things if Nobunaga gets to talk or think about Uvo one last time before his death. You guys know how I am…. Rrrrr… uvonaga….. but overall, if he dies in an anticlimactic way at the hands of hisoka I wont crash out THAT bad. I’ll be annoyed, but I could handle it

Now…. There’s a theory going around that Nobunaga might go by himself to fight Kurapika if he learns he’s on the boat. And I’m not here to talk about the logistics of that, but if that DOES happen, ohbmy god. Nobunaga straying from their mission to kill Hisoka so he can kill the chain user would be SO . OH MY GOD. It would be so selfish. But oh my god, it would be so good… it would really show how strong their bond really was. Nobunaga dying for Uvo genuinely might make throw up I’m getting nauseous thinking about it god that would be such a perfect way to end their story imgonnadie

Okay sorry moving on . If Bono’s gonna die PLEASE make it later down the line. Pls . I cannot handle his death vro. I mean, like… I’ll understand if he DOES die but I won’t be happy abt it…. We just need some more time with him pls Togashi pls… let the readers form an attachment to him first…. PLEADHHRHEJKSK all I’m asking for with Bono is more time and more dialogue thats all I want

Machi was already set to die. It’s so crazy, but Togashi wanted to kill her off when Hisoka woke up. She’s basically living on overtime right now, she was NOT meant to live this long. So I can’t really be that mad if she does die cause he was already being generous in giving us more time with her

Okay so I actually will not be crashing out if Phinks dies . Like at all. Sorry Phinks I love you but your death would be SO interesting. God, can you imagine Feitan’s reaction to that? I need to see it so bad. I’ll be super sad if he dies but I’ll also be excited because it’ll open the door to so many interesting paths to take the phantom troupe with

Feitan will probably be one of the last to die so I will probably be numb by then. I’ll probably cry cause he’ll die with all his friends gone and he wasn’t able to protect them and that’s rlly sad to think abt so I won’t be crashing out per say but I’ll definitely be depressed

So. With all the other members, I had been thinking about their deaths since I started rewatching hxh. But. It only recently occurred to me that Franklin might die. And !!! I will be brutally murdering all of you😄😄😁 I will kill everyone on tumblr I will kill everyone on TikTok I will definitely kill everyone on twitter and I will kill everyone I know irl you guys will see me on the news for mass murder I will GENUINELY crash out none of you will be safe from my wrath I will have unprecedented levels of pure rage in my system and I will be doing nothing but screaming in agony for multiple days on end you guys will unfortunately have to deal with my posts about her death for at least two weeks straight I will not be nice about this I will grab a gun and air out this fuckass app in memory of Franklin she means so much to me I will cry so hard I will NOT be okay

And Chrollo’s just not dying. I FULLY believe that Hisoka will just leave Chrollo alone after killing all the spiders. Why? Because it’d be so unspeakably cruel. And it would fit the narrative themes so well. I think Chrollo losing his nen and Kurapika saying he’ll have to understand understand the grief of losing the people he loves was foreshadowing... or maybe I’m delusional… but think about how insane that would be guys I fully believe this I’m sticking with it unless I get proven wrong

And that’s all thanks for my listening to my yap sesh if Franklin dies I will livestream viral rope and chair challenge���😁😁😁😁😁

[maximura]

MAX'S FAVOURITE SONGS OF 2024

A bit late with this but I have to continue the fine tradition of making my music list that nobody reads. I'm going to include KPOP and Non-KPOP on the list this year because KPOP is a big boy now, it can stand with all the other music out there. I have also included some songs that were released in 2023 but I discovered in 2024.

Maniac by VIVIZ (November 2023). I really miss GFriend and this song, and this group, really fills the void left behind from the disbandment. It's great dance-pop music with just the right amount of sentimentality and nostalgic storytelling of young love and romance. This was also my pilates song. It's such a disco banger.

Cosmic by Red Velvet (June 2024). Just fun. The Midsommar MV was so weird and fun, which is something they do so well. I really appreciate how consistent they've been throughout their career and I also like that they haven't really done concepts to "compete" with younger girl groups, they've just stayed in their lane and continue to perform material they know they do well. Mature legends.

Too Sweet by Hozier (May 2024). Was he on everyone's list this year? He should be. My expectations for music is so low these days that when he released this, I was unfairly shocked he could write so many good songs and certified hits. Of course he is an exceptional talent so I don't know why I am always still *shocked-pikachu* whenever he opens his mouth to say or sing anything.

Not Strong Enough by boygenius (March 2023). You know that feeling when you think about an old school friend you lost contact with? Or an old boyfriend/girlfriend that you still think fondly of? Or all those dreams you used to have for yourself as a child that are just not realistic anymore in adulthood? Yeah. This song sounds like that.

Birds Of A Feather by Billie Eilish (September 2024). Just beautiful and gentle and lovely and comforting in a slightly toxic love kind of way, lol. It took me a long time to get on board with her music and vibe but I really love her album. It's just so comfortable somehow.

Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter (June 2024). I know people loved Espresso but PPP is my favourite from her because I liked the simpler pop melody paired with that music video, which is also one of my favourite videos released in 2024. I think it's cute! If you've never dated a criminal you can't judge me! Actually, you should totally judge me....

APT by Rosé and Bruno Mars (October 2024). Flawless Pop. No notes. Just fun. Puts me in the best mood. Audio-Serotonin.

Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars (August 2024). A good year to be Bruno Mars. That is some God Given Talent and Vocals. This is just euphorically enjoyable pop music. That's all. People who called this boring have no joy in their lives and hate for hating's sake. Singing this song at karaoke after three bottle of lychee soju will project you onto another astral plane.

Mamushi by Megan Thee Stallion (August 2024). This was such an impressive MV. She and her team did not have to go as hard as they did for a song that is under 3 minutes long. This is the song I most associate with Ni-Ki and I cannot tell you how many times a month 'Okane Kasuge watashi wa suta' gets stuck in my head. Speaking of Kane, please watch Gohan learning this word if you want a laugh.

Chk Chk Boom by Stray Kids (July 2024). I never thought they'd ever appear on my End of Year lists again but here we are. I just think it's so fun and silly. I really like that choreo on them. Hyunjin is still so powerful. That's all to be honest. Sometimes junk food is just delicious.

Big Dawgs by Hanumankind (July 2024). June and July really were serving so many hits damm. This song was all over social media in 2024 but it's still so fun. I need everyone to just watch a tiny bit of this crazy MV. I want to know how the heck they did that lol. It reminds me of being in literally any part of south east asia and people just driving in any way they want. I would've loved if Ni-Ki picked this song for his Artist of The Month thing.

Walk by NCT 127 (July 2024). This was so fun. It's very 90s vibes, which means I ate it up several times. If I could attend any dance practice, it would be this one because they all look like they are having the best time with the music and also just hanging with each other. Pretty sure I'd be banned from any Enhypen dance practice...

Dancing In The Flames by The Weeknd (September 2024). I love this acoustic version more than the original. It's just like Billie's song where it seems sweet but then it's about a car crash. He is a flawed person (but isn't everyone?) with a beautiful voice.

We Can't Be Friends by Ariana Grande (March 2024). Sus personal drama aside, her voice is just gorgeous and I love the calmness of this song. I've heard some people say it rips off Robyn's Dancing On My Own and I agree. It's Robyn if she meditated and took a benzodiazepine.

SOS by NCT Dream (December 2023). I heard this in 2024 so it counts. I absolutely love this song and this performance. Is there anything Mark Lee cannot do, he's hoarding too much talent. Anyways, this a controversial take I guess but one I've had for so many years: Park Jisung is still the most technically clean dancer in the hip hop genre of this current active generation to me. Ni-Ki is a dirtier and spicier variant, like remember when Coke used to actually contain cocaine? Jisung is Coke. Ni-Ki is Coke with cocaine.

Enough by ATEEZ (November 2024). This what it would sound like if Taylor Swift wrote a song for Ateez. I don't mean this in a derogatory way. I love this song. It's very uplifting and cute and sometimes you need that.

Accendio by IVE (April 2024). I love the MV and concept so much. Their SWITCH album was just solid fun kpop. They're still my favourite girl group right now and I think they've consistently been on my End Of Year lists since debut.

Armageddon by AESPA. My favourite girl group choreo this year. Just so slick and so fitting for the song. I didn't think much of them at debut but they've really levelled up a lot.

Supernova by AESPA. Absolutely hated this song when it came out and then one day, I loved it. It's just spunky and fun and good energy.

Moonstruck by Enhypen (July 2024). This is my favourite song off the Romance Untold album. The production on their vocals is just so lush and darkly gorgeous. I'm sure it's supposed to be a love song but as with most of their material, it has a slightly concerning undercurrent, which I like because I'm an emo bitch till the day I die.

Hundred Broken Hearts by Enhypen (July 2024). The chorus is whatever but the verses are beautiful and melancholic. That melody reminds me of really old asian dramas that my mum used to watch when I was a kid. There's something very vintage about this song and I mean that as a compliment. I'm so glad they let Ni-Ki sing. I'm sorry I literally cannot stop inserting him into so many comments.

Still Monster by Enhypen (November 2023). This song and the one below are my writing songs (along with the Interstellar OST by Hans Zimmer). I still listen to this one a lot. I remember watching the live performance and being really confused by how nice their vocals were in the high and low bits. It's so satisfying to listen to.

Apocalypse by Cigarettes After Sex (March 2017). Yes I know. This song is SEVEN years old. But this is the song I write most of my stories to, especially if it's for Yunho, this is his theme song. I'm not even going to try and figure out why I picked this one out for him. It's what he sounds like in my head.

Smart by LES SSERAFIM (February 2024). This is my most played gym/work out song. The driving beat really helps get in one more run and one more core cycle. I'm still not sure about them as a group, they do seem all over the place at the moment, but at the same time I do see a lot of potential and I love Bangs (Chaewon) as a performer.

Messy by Lola Young (June 2024) The lyrics? Relatable. The songwriting? Magnificent. The trauma? Heavy. The comfort? Heavier. The Vibes? Bittersweet in the best way. There's something here that reminds me of Pre-Fame Chappell Roan but also Stevie Nicks. If you have damage, been gaslit by narcissists your whole life and are looking for a comforting theme song, I highly highly recommend this one. It's one of those "Written For Me" cathartic bangers that come around once every five years. When she sings "And don't say hello, because I got high again and forgot to fold my clothes", I ascended. If you know you know.

Good Luck Babe by Chappell Roan (April 2024). Speaking of cathartic bridges. I was obsessed with this song when it came out. I thought, "it can't possibly be as good as people say" but it is. She is immensely talented and makes music that reminds me of my university years. This one is particularly relatable because there have been so many boys that have said this to me and who I have said it to. It feels awful no matter which side you're on. I guess the recurring theme for 2024 is that I love songs about relationships that end up in flames lol. Nothing inspires art like heartbreak.

Ice On My Teeth by ATEEZ (November 2024). I loved it. The production, the backing track, the pitch of all their vocals contrasted with Hongjoong's staccato rap and Jongho's harmonisations. This is one of those eras where they get everything right; they really showed up, understood the assignment and put in the necessary work. When they commit so wholeheartedly as a group, you can't help but buy into it and commit with them. My favourite parts of this song are (in order): Yunho's intro (perfect tone perfect pitch perfect delivery ugh), Mingi's second rap verse (straight up murder) and then the chorus (so cool). Also, shout out to the KQ staff member who read Maybe Monster and put it in motion, you're a real one and I appreciate you.

Fatal Trouble by Enhypen (May 2024). You already knew this would be be here. It is my most listened to song in 2024. I genuinely love the melody and the pop-rock production was perfect: not too obnoxiously westernised but also not too muted, as KPOP tends to have it. It's the exact style and type of song I love to listen to. You know those songs that you over emote really loudly and cathartically in the privacy of your own home? This is that song for me. The choreography also unexpectedly became my favourite KPOP choreo for 2024, that moving-picture sequence around Heeseung was magnificent, and exactly what the song needed. This song is also why Nishimura Riki is in my life, so Amen and Thank You God.

[shivayagojo]

never invite julius to a field trip | the human art of film social media au

a social media of my ocs from my novel : the human art of film make sure to get your copy of the novel on amazon

helenamonte13

liked by andrea_marie, elis3violet and 45,346 more

tagged: andrea_marie

helenamonte13: CODE RED!! CODE RED!! I finally convinced Andrea to direct one of my films. The secret: a lot of ice tea.

view all comments

user1: THE RUMORS WERE TRUE!!

user2: bestie i luv you, but why on earth are you writing with a typewriter in this century

helenamonte13: julius broke my computer 😤😤

user3: julius is there??!!

andrea_marie: it did not take a lot of convincing. she's just being overdramatic

helenamonte13: that's because i know your secret 😏

andrea_marie: 🙄

helenamonte13: luv ya bestie😘

user4: sorry new here. who's andrea in the pics?

helenamonte13: the shriveled director in pic 2

andrea_marie: my hair is fine!!!

user5: welcome to the club

user6: she's also in the last pic with helena

elise3violet: why no pics of me?

user7: oh my god! elise is there!

helenamonte13: don't worry darling. i got u in the next one.

juliusclaymore

liked by helenamonte, andrea_marie, and 67,239 others

juliusclaymore: no idea where andrea made me fly to but i kinda dig the aesthetic. oh. i also brought homer with me.

view all comments

user8: homer got that dawg in him! literally

user9: probably got more brain cells than julius does 🤣

andrea_marie: you just landed and the first place you head to is IKEA?!!

juliusclaymore: you didn't give me any more instructions than "just get here." how was i supposed to know?

juliusclaymore: besides, look at that shark

andrea_marie: ... i'll let it slide

carlos.diez: bro how come you got there earlier? our planes boarded at the same time.

user10: im freaking out!! carlos is in the project he has to be!

user11: at this point it's confirmed. he never comments unless he's involved

user12: are we just gonna ignore the fact that ANDREA CALLED FOR JULIUS! meaning JULIUS IS WORKING ON THE FILM??!!

nico_silvus

liked by andrea_marie, helenamonte13, and 1,235,426 others

nico_silvus: I've arrived!! Had to take a quick stop at the NY airport - still crazy to see my face on those billboards. Oh also, picnic pics.

P.S: Julius tripped on the grass.

view all comments

📌 pinned by nico_silvus

andrea_marie: missed you so much 💞

nico_silvus: missed you too (dad also said hi)

user14: there are three things guaranteed in life: death, taxes, and andrea marie liking nico's post in 53 seconds.

user15: Mother has arrived

user16: Oscar incoming 💪💪

juliusclaymore: that grass was slippery alright

nico_silvus: the last time it rained was like 3 weeks ago. u legit just tripped on grass.

helenamonte13: at least u can said u've touched grass (unlike evan)

evanbenson: why am i catching strays?

user17: man, why does everyone got something against julius

user18: it's a julius thing

helenamonte13

liked by elis3violet, juliusclaymore, and 144,345 others

tagged: elise3violet

helenamonte13: photodump of my baby bc y'all think i forgot about her. luv ya elise for making me look good in all my photos.

view all comments

user19: when the photographer is the photo 🔥

elis3violet: let me know when you finally move out of LA. you can live in my neighborhood.

user20: girl good luck getting her out of there

helenamonte13: you can take me out of LA, but you can never take the LA out of me.

nico_silvus: RIP Julius

juliusclaymore: i'm not even in these pics. why am i being targeted??

helenamonte13: cause we had to take that third pick like 20 times cause you kept stealing the food!!

juliusclaymore: but it was a good egg sandwich. you should've tried it.

nico_silvus: wait @elise3violet you gave him the sandwich???

elise3violet: ... yeah.

helenamonte13: baby you said I could have it.

carlos.diez: wait you guys are getting food?

user21: sometimes i think these guys forgot dms are a thing

user22: no don't tell them. i need their juicy lore.

carlos.diez

liked by helenamonte13, nico_silvus, and 342,531 more

carlos.diez: i got stuck on picture duty so here it is I guess. the food is pretty good, but I also got stuck paying for it, so bleh. but thank you andrea for inviting us out. (pro tip: never invite julius to a field trip).

view all comments

user23: poor Carlos. he had to pay AND take pictures.

juliusclaymore: appreciate the pics carlos. that one of me is going in the history books

andrea_marie: who gave you that little scooter in the first place?

helenamonte13: he def stole it from a kid

juliusclaymore: FALSE ACUSSATIONS!

andrea_marie: you're welcome carlos. good to catch up with my old class before we start filming.

ginadawn: my flight gets delayed once and you have all the fun without me 🥲

andrea_marie: dw gina. when u and matthew arrive we're gonna throw another party.

helenamonte13: i know damn well you didn't read a single word of that fat ass book.

carlos.diez: anything for the gram.

user24: lmao not carlos outing himself

nico_silvus: ❤️❤️

carlos.diez: 🫶(pls tell ur new, better dad im sorry for getting a noise complain on your bday party)

andrea_marie

liked by nico_silvus, elis3violetn, and 2,375,573 others

andrea_marie: thank you for all the memories (past and present) and im ready to make a film with all of you once again. even though we kind of ruined the air bnb, won't forget this night.

P.S: Gina and Matthew also arrived - love you guys.

view all comments

user25: based on vibes alone this film is gonna win the oscars

user26: incoming andrea marie masterpiece

carlos.diez: i'm so glad i didn't get a noise complaint this thime.

andrea_marie: i would've kicked you of the film if you did.

nico_silvus: i think we learned a lot from this... mostly don't give julius any form of sugar

juliusclaymore: guys i though we moved on from this

helenamonte13: you moved on, we didn't.

elis3violet: my car smells like bleach water, but in a good way.

evanbenson: sorry for the car, but appreciate the ride.

helenamonte13: let's go cook up a masterpiece now.

note: these are characters from my story The Human Art of Film. you are free to use them in a noncommercial way (fanfiction, shitpost, memes, etc). also check out the novel on amazon under the name Shivaya Gojo. hope you enjoyed.

[newshirtonlines-blog]

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DMX: It's Dark and Hell is Hot

Earl Simmons suffered a lonely and abusive childhood where as a troubled kid he would sometimes wander the streets and befriend stray dogs. Uprooted from his native Baltimore at a young age, the Yonkers transplant did several stints in New York’s Children’s Village group home, where he first started fiddling with drum machines and beatboxing as a means of escape. He segued from DJing to rapping as a young adult, taking the name DMX from the drum machine he used. The young rapper made a name for himself on New York’s battle circuit with a commanding voice and overwhelming tenacity. Aggressiveness would become his calling card as an MC, a defense mechanism held over from when the days when armed robbery helped him survive on the streets. His battles to live and cope both in and outside of rap would lead to 1998’s It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, his haunting debut, a tragically clear-eyed criminal manifesto that dared to greet damnation with defiance and a psalm.

Rocking a skull-embroidered hat, DMX the Great appeared in The Source’s Unsigned Hype column in January 1991, garnering comparisons to LL Cool J, PMD, and Hit Squad’s K-Solo (whom DMX had met in prison). The earliest DMX demos were tedious, without the defining presence he’d grow into. But it was in the ring that he truly built his rep, making an indelible mark on the underground scene with heavily rhythmic flows and a battler’s bluntness. When he traded bars with Jay Z in a cramped Bronx pool hall in the late ’90s, head bobbing violently, cigarette in hand, he proved himself to be a raw, almost boorish alternative to Hov’s shifty slick talk. The energy in the room clearly favored X’s style. Jay would later ask industry maneuverer mutual friend Irv Gotti, “You think he’s better than me?” to which Gotti replied, ‘If you look in the hood, there’s less niggas like you and more niggas like him.”

The Unsigned Hype column was known for producing deals. True to form, DMX signed to Columbia Records imprint Ruffhouse in 1992 and immediately cut a promotional single called “The Born Loser.” The track introduced his depressive tone, an ominous and confessional space that would later bring life to his most discomforting scenes. But true to its title, it failed to generate any buzz or airplay, and his overbooked label let him off the hook. (DMX claimed he was under-promoted because of groups like Kris Kross and Cypress Hill.) A few years later, Puff Daddy, head of the burgeoning Bad Boy Records, took interest in X and fellow Yonkers corner boys the LOX, but in the end chose to sign the latter over the former, deciding that X had no commercial prospects. “One thing I respect about Puff, at least he told me to my face what he felt,” DMX told “Drink Champs.” “‘His voice is too rough, he’s not marketable.’” DMX returned to the underground scene, emerging on LL Cool J’s 1997 album Phenomenon with a verse on the now infamous posse cut “4, 3, 2, 1.” Buzzing once more, he followed Gotti to Def Jam.

When Gotti pushed for Def Jam to sign DMX in his first meeting, he got laughed out of the room. “I remember when I left the office, [A&R executive] Tina Davis said, ‘if DMX don’t sell, your ass is fired,” Gotti remembered in an interview with Complex. He didn’t seem to fit with the rap moment. This was a year dominated by Puff Daddy and Bad Boy, who landed six of the seven highest-charting rap songs, delivered a huge critical and commercial success in Harlem World, and won Best Rap Album at the Grammys for the 7x-Platinum album No Way Out (famously and controversially defeating Wu-Tang Clan’s Wu-Tang Forever). Putting money behind DMX would run counter to Bad Boy’s “shiny suit” era of glam rap.

But X brought Def Jam executive Lyor Cohen up to Yonkers for an early Ruff Ryder session and convinced him to sign the MC. At the time, DMX’s mouth was wired shut because of an altercation he’d had with some guys he was accused of stealing from. In an interview with DJ Vlad, Ja Rule remembered the ferocity through which he ripped through the wiring: “He had got into a fight or somebody got jumped... and he was rhyming with the fuckin’ wires in his mouth. Crazy shit. Like the shit about to pop. I was like ‘Okay, I like this dude.’” When they left, Cohen turned to Gotti and proclaimed, “We got the pick of the litter.”

Through his connections at Bad Boy (namely, his friends the LOX and Ma$e), DMX began working on his debut album with a producer from Harlem named Dame Grease, a fellow Yonkers product named P.K. (or P. Killer Trackz), and Grease’s unknown protege from the Bronx, Swizz Beatz. Under direction from Irv and Lyor, Grease, P.K., and X worked up a single called “Get at Me Dog” in ’97, and released it in February of ’98. It functioned as an abrasive prelude, but was at least partially aimed at X’s longtime rival K-Solo. They brought the song to Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex, who aired it and added it to the first volume of his Big Dawgs mixtape. It soon took off, peaking at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 that May. Gotti remembers the video as the turning point: “We back to the hood, and X is the leader of this revolution.” Filmed at New York’s Tunnel nightclub, packed, sweaty, and shot in black and white, X’s crusade is articulated in its opening seconds: “Let’s take it back to the streets, motherfuckers!”

“Get at Me Dog” set the stage for It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, which explores the furthest depths of the human experience. But there is no more fitting introduction to the album than the Swizz Beatz-produced “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem,” a confrontational, fang-bearing mark of ferocity. The song functions much like a warning shot: Cross this threshold at your own peril. “It’s about to get ugly/Fuck it dog, I’m hungry,” he snaps. The song was a defining moment for both DMX and Swizz Beatz, but it almost didn’t happen. Swizz made the song in Atlanta when he was just a DJ and then moved back to New York to join the Ruff Ryders. DMX didn’t like the song initially, claiming it was some “rock’n’roll track” and he needed some hip-hop shit: “I’m not doing that. It’s not hood enough,” he told the producer. But Swizz and other members of the Ruff Ryders team pushed him to make the record, and it became the theme song of a movement.

It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot was not only the springboard for the Ruff Ryders campaign—launching the careers of Swizz Beatz, Eve, Cassidy, and Jin—it was the catalyst for a greater shift on the New York rap scene and beyond. It was a reset button for street rap, setting the stage for runs from 50 Cent and G-Unit and Cam’ron’s Diplomats crew. “Hittin’ niggas with gashes to the head/Straight to the white meat but the street stays red/Girls gave me head for free cause they see/Who I’ma be, by like 2003,” X rapped on the intro. It didn’t even take that long.

Like Dante’s Inferno, DMX’s It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot is a fiendish epic that explores the nature of sin, highlighting acts of violence, wrath, greed, treachery, and lust. The album exposes an internal struggle waged between a man and his demons—a man searching for one light in an all-consuming darkness. He has a talk with god (“The Convo”), but the devil is constantly whispering in his ear and wearing him down. He’s unsure whether his rhyme skills are the product of a contract with the devil (“I sold my soul to the devil, and the price was cheap”) or the generosity of a loving creator. It’s this duality that makes up one of the most gripping psychological studies in all of rap lore: What happens when a God-fearing man makes the devil his ally?

The centerpiece is “Damien,” a winding back-and-forth saga between X and his Hadean accomplice. The album builds to this moment, where X is seduced by his greatest admirer. In the throes of his own greed and pain, DMX embraces wickedness as a fair price for freedom from destitution. By the end, the song becomes a parable about the dangers of giving into desire when Damien coerces X into crimes he doesn’t want to commit: “Either do it or give me your right hand, that’s what you said,” he threatens. “I see now, ain’t nothing but trouble ahead.” Traces of “Damien” can be heard throughout the “Lucy” thread on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, which also examines the points where fame and sin meet. (Kendrick has cited It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot as a major influence.) But “Damien” is even more tightly wound, the relationship more clearly articulated and its energy more affecting. The dynamic “Damien” is a microcosm of It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, which is either in constant motion or disclosing ongoing conversations—whether internal, interpersonal (“How’s It Goin’ Down”), or divine (“Prayer”).

It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot debuted atop the Billboard 200 in May and was certified platinum by June. DMX quickly released his sophomore album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, in December of ’98, and it was double platinum by January. In between the two, he starred in Hype Williams’ directorial debut, Belly, alongside Nas, and the film almost immediately became a cult hit among rap fans. So in a grand total of eight months, DMX became the biggest rapper on the planet. His moment was so colossal that in 1999 Jay Z boycotted the Grammy ceremony (the year he won Best Rap Album for Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life) because DMX was not nominated.

“That was the year DMX took over the world,” Nas remembered in a 2013 interview with Pitchfork. Already a star on New York’s rap scene, the Queens rapper was standing in close proximity when the DMX atom bomb dropped. “There was a guy who worked on Belly with me and DMX who’d heard the record, and every day he would try to tell me how incredible this music that was about to come out was,” Nas recalled. “I tried to get a description, like, ‘What do you mean?’ And he just couldn’t say anything. He just kept saying, ‘It moves your soul.’ He did not lie.”

Nearly 20 years later, there is still no album like it. So many of the songs on It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot document violent crimes and the flood of emotions they induce. They move swiftly, jerking around corners and through alleyways, simulating a rising heart rate and a racing mind. His peers were shooting stills, but X was dealing in savage action sequences (“ATF”) and the shadows they cast (“Let Me Fly,” “X-Is Coming”). Everything about the music—from the harshness of his voice, to the murkiness of his beats, to the bruising nature of his flows—was in service of a supreme hardness. In ‘98, the biggest MCs on the New York scene were narrators using radically different sounds to tell their stories. Busta erupted with pure energy. Big Pun enchanted with an effortless fluidity. As Wu-Tang swarmed, Tribe was in the midst of their love movement. Black Star were a conscious voice for hood theorists. Jay Z brought business acumen to the drug trade. All were reporting live, sharing their powerful perspectives from different city blocks.

But DMX wasn’t a rapper in the trenches; he was a messiah in the gutter, painting a portrait of a community laid desolate by corruption, and the sociopaths its conditions were breeding. He was the voice of the street corners and the graveyards, telling stories of the lost and the damned. From on high, he demanded empathy for man, who were cold to murder and unapologetic for their crimes because he knew it’s hard to be good in a world this broken. “There’s a difference between doing wrong and being wrong, and that ain’t right,” he says on “Let Me Fly.” He breaks the moral compass, then drags you into the abyss.