Photos: DMX at Revolution Live.
DMX
Featuring Quest, Alligator City, and Rabbit
Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale
Friday, July 6
Better than: An episode of Celebrity Couples Therapy.
"DMX! DMX! DMX," a more than patient crowd of fans chanted. After the opening acts fell short of remembering lyrics to a certain rap classic "Sabotage" and female rapper Rabbit appeared in Nicki Minaj gear, they were ready for some Ruff Ryding. All it took was the sound of a dog's growl to get fans excited and remember why they were there.
Out from the back, wearing a blue fisherman's hat, white shirt, jean shorts, and Timberland boots, Earl Simmons warmed the crowd up with "We Right Here," fitting for a crowd who'd been wondering about the main act's whereabouts. Though his energy was sufficient, it was the sound of mumbling and slurring from DMX that continued the trend of less than stellar performances the latter artists established.
All was forgiven and forgotten for the moment when X,
standing on a table, performed his breakthrough classic "Ruff Ryder's Anthem"
and the crowd recited, "Stop. Drop. Shut 'em down. Open up shop," along with the man himself.
Once back on stage, the rapper seemed to have fallen back
into his earlier pattern of not reciting his lyrics well and letting the DJ
carry him on songs like the aggressive "Get At Me Dog" and his verse on Busta
Rhymes' "Touch It" remix, but redeeming himself with performances of the dark
track "Stop Being Greedy" and his verse on The Lox's "Money, Power, Respect."
After
performing a freestyle, DMX brought a lucky female fan on stage and embraced
her with a hug and a kiss. What followed was the smooth '98 single "How's It
Goin' Down" followed by "Love My Niggas" and 2000's "What These Bitches Want"
minus a platinum blonde singer dancing in the background.
Not wanting to be confined to just the stage, X returned to
the tabletops asking fans where he could find the nearest blunt to smoke. And after
finding one, the rapper proceeded by taking a sip out of his Hennessey bottle,
tightening his boots and geting in a little exercise by doing push-ups.
X has no doubt seen as much professional success since
2006's Year of the Dog...Again. But
with a comeback to the spotlight planned, X performed a verse off his newest
single "I Don't Dance."
"Sip and pass," said DMX as he took out a new Hennessey
bottle to give to the crowd.
And as the crowd replenished their bodies with the cognac,
the rapper took time to remember his friend Kato with his tribute song "A' Yo
Kato" while standing on the rail of the second floor.
After keeping the mood light by performing "Slippin'," his
final song, the lights turned off and the rapper proceeded to bring
some of those who stood on stage in back of him to stand side-by-side with him
as he recited his signature prayer to close out the night.
Critic's Notebook
Wish list: Verses
from "Blackout" and "Money, Cash, Hoes"
Personal Bias: The
lack of consistency begs the question, has anyone seen the X of the late '90s and early 2000s?
The Crowd: Some
too young to realize how big DMX was during his peak.