The latest from DMX is a cross–New York collaboration. “Hood Blues,†the first single off the rapper’s forthcoming posthumous album, Exodus, features the core members of the upstate Griselda crew: Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and Conway the Machine. The trio delivers hard-talking, swaggering verses over a ’70s jazz sample, culminating with Yonkers native DMX in the last verse. “I done punk’d more n - - - - - than Ashton Kutcher,†he raps in his signature rasp, referencing Kutcher’s MTV show. Benny previously teased the track on TikTok in February with a video of himself and DMX listening to the song. The Griselda features are just a few of many on Exodus, out on May 28; the album also features producer Swizz Beatz, the LOX, Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Usher, and Bono, among others. Exodus arrives over a month after DMX’s death on April 9. At the time, Westside posted a clip of DMX confirming the Griselda feature on his new album. “They’ll NEVER be another X, nothing but respect and Thank you,†Westside wrote on Instagram.
Update, May 28: A music video for “Hood Blues†is out now, the same day as the full Exodus album. The video features footage of the rappers recording their verses — including DMX, seen energetically moving his arms as he raps. Directed by GoogleIsHuman, the video ends with a dedication “in loving memory of DMX.â€