DMX Tells the Story of How Diddy Offered Him a Deal After Initially Turning Him Down
You ever wonder how the label bidding wars for some of hip-hop's biggest artists went down back in the day? Well, DMX opened the vault to tell his story during a recent interview on Noreaga and DJ EFN's "Drink Champs" podcast this week.
The clip, secured by DJ Vlad and posted on YouTube yesterday (April 7), shows a snippet of the gravel-voiced MC's interview. X told the story of getting turned down by Puffy Daddy back in the day, but, of course, X handled it with grace.
"With Puff, one thing I respect about him, real shit, is that at least he told me to my face what he felt," started off the Dark Man. After hearing a few bars from X, the producer and media mogul was iffy about him, saying his voice was "too rough."
That little tidbit of hip-hop history prompted Noreaga and DJ EFN to start a slow clap and Nore to say, "Let's make some noise for Puff fuckin' up."
But turns out, X had the last laugh in the situation. Three weeks after he got signed to Def Jam, X says Puff magically reconsidered his talent and came back with an offer.
"He was like, 'I'll double what they gave you and lace your pockets,'" remembers X. "I was like, 'Nah, I'm good.'"
DMX dropped his debut major label single "Get at Me Dog," which went certified Gold, in early 1998 and followed that with his debut album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot. The dog dropped five of his seven albums to date on Def Jam in conjunction with Ruff Ryders Entertainment.
The story is compelling to say the least, but more so because this appearance on "Drink Champs" marks X's first public interview since his health scare earlier this year. In February of 2016, DMX was found unconscious of an alleged drug overdose in a hotel in Yonkers, NY and rushed to the hospital. The hip-hop world showed support for X and Swizz Beatz even gave fans an update on his health via social media.
"Just got off the phone with the DOG . He's good and in great spirits Thanks for all the blessings" Swizz tweeted.
Check out the juicy clip from hip-hop's back-in-the-day buffet above.
30 Albums That Will Make You Appreciate Hip-Hop