posthumous releases

A Posthumous DMX Album Is Coming This Month, Produced by Swizz Beatz

DMX. Photo: Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic

A posthumous DMX album, Exodus, will be released May 28 via Def Jam. It is his first album since 2012’s Undisputed and will feature new material produced by Swizz Beatz. “My brother X was one of the most pure and rare souls I’ve ever met,†Swizz Beatz said in a statement obtained by Rolling Stone. “He lived his life dedicated to his family and music. Most of all, he was generous with his giving and loved his fans beyond measure. This album, X couldn’t wait for his fans all around the world to hear and show just how much he valued each and every single person that has supported him unconditionally.†Exodus has the same name as DMX’s son Exodus Simmons. Per Revolt, his 8-year-old daughter, Sonovah Hillman Jr., will make a special appearance on the album. DMX, who was 50, died a week after suffering a heart attack that left him in a coma in April. He was memorialized at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn during a service last month that featured Swizz Beatz, Nas, the Ruff Ryders, and more. Exodus will be his eighth studio album.

Update, May 17: Producer Swizz Beatz confirmed the album’s track list and features in a May 14 Instagram post. The album will feature fellow New York rap icons including the Lox, Jay-Z, and Nas, along with Alicia Keys (who also happens to be Swizz Beatz’s wife). DMX’s former tourmate Lil Wayne and recent Verzuz partner Snoop Dogg will also feature. Exodus finds DMX working with up-and-comers as well, including the Griselda crew of Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, and Benny the Butcher, along with current No. 1 holder Moneybagg Yo. And as the rapper previously teased in February, one of the songs indeed features “Bono, the U2 n- - - -.†The album will be 13 tracks and end with one of DMX’s signature prayers.

A Posthumous DMX Album Is Coming, Produced by Swizz Beatz