You can’t understand the fire and brimstone DMXUnless you also take into account his moments of quiet grace. On each of his first six albums, DMX released prayers that were as lucid as they were harrowing – the exact opposite of the bullet-riddled euphoria elsewhere. Forgoing his trademark pounding instrumentals, DMX waded into the eternity of the microphone with naked vulnerability, begging the heavens for guidance. These tracks form the Gospel of Earl Simmons – rap’s most compelling tale of spiritual warfare.

Order DMX’s Let Us Pray: Chapter X Now.

Spread across his first six albums, each DMX prayer serves as a poignant piece of microtheatre. On his debut LP It’s dark and hell is hotX tells the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil to have a chance of a big life (“Damien”), with a “continuation follows” end of a journey into the depths of the dark side. It’s a precursor to “Prayer (Skit)” and “The Convo,” tracks that embody the push-pull battle between his best and worst impulses. Without musical accompaniment, the first DMX prayer seems like a stage play monologue. It’s a relaxation session that leads to “The Convo,” in which X takes on the role of both himself and God. The exchange leads to a temporary catharsis: “And was it you who spoke to me in my head?/And was it you who forgave again and again?/It was you who opened my eyes so that I could see could?/It was you.” your light shined on me.”

At the time, DMX released its similarly biblical theme Flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood By the end of 1998, that light began to dim—or at least it felt that way. Beginning with the comparatively gentle “Prayer II,” he shifts from praying for his enemies to an angry call for a quick death: “Lord, you left me stranded and I don’t know why/Told me to live my life, now me.” “I’m ready to die.” At the end of “Ready to Meet Him,” X seems to have overcome his doubts: “‘What have you learned?’ That I can’t go on without you/’What have you learned?’ I must have been a fool to ever doubt you.”

This consolation remained unattainable. During his first three albums, DMX was as grateful as he was angry. Towards the end of …And then there was XThe calm of “Prayer III”, his most reserved entry to date, merges again with furious determination in “Angel”, a sequel to “Ready to Meet Him”. This rocking continued across The global economic crisis, Grand ChampAnd Year of the Dog…again. In 2024 the Let Us Pray: Chapter X On this project, producer Warryn Campbell added a different angle to things with swirling strings and Mary Mary’s bubbly vocals. It’s a celebration of the triumphant confidence DMX gains when the Lord bestows His favor on him.

Juxtaposing the worlds of hip-hop and religion was nothing new when DMX came along. Tupac Shakur had many songs in which themes such as damnation and joyful sin juxtapose. Conventional wisdom holds that these realities cannot coexist. Shakur and DMX turned these contradictions into mirrors – mirrors for themselves and the world they created. DMX has continually reminded us that faith is all that is required. And it is almost impossible to hold on to faith.

In addition to the recorded examples of DMX’s prayers, the rapper’s transparent faith journey also inspired generations of artists. His prayers at live shows felt like proclamations from a holy gladiator. Boosie BadAzz once remembered Sway: “When he said the prayer at the end, bro? My cousin and I held hands. Man, we held hands and cried… It was the first big concert I’ve ever been to… I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”

JAY-Z remembers how nearly impossible it is to perform after DMX. “First the boys go crazy, now the girls go crazy. And then he comes to the end and starts a prayer,” Hov explained. “And now they’re crying, the whole arena is crying. And they say, ‘Okay, now you go.'”

To Year of the Dog…againDMX unloaded the final prayers of his first six-album series. Under the title “The Prayer VI,” Earl Simmons calls for divine wisdom. He begs God to show him the path of justice. Years after his death, it is unclear whether he ever got it. There is still a lot to learn from listening to him search.

Order DMX’s Let Us Pray: Chapter X Now.