Ending his five-year reign at the top of the charts, вЂGrand ChampвЂ™ was the album that solidified DMX as the icon that he is today and will always be. SimmonsвЂ™ punchy known flow will demand that jerk your head to this track. The marching instrumental is slightly less dynamic than those of the aforementioned songs, but the blare of fanfare does course with the aggression inherent on almost any DMX track. If вЂParty UpвЂ¦вЂ™ is the perfect party track and вЂRuff Ryders AnthemвЂ™ is the perfect gangster track, then вЂX GonвЂ™ Give It To YouвЂ™ is the perfect in-between. This is such a pick-me-up when you need an energy boost. Most DMX lyric: вЂњYour old man say you stupid, you be like, вЂSo? / I love my baby mother I never let her goвЂ™вЂќ вЂX GonвЂ™ Give it To YaвЂ™ (2003) Its huge chorus will be familiar not only to those arenвЂ™t fans of DMX, but even those who donвЂ™t consider themselves hip-hop fans вЂ“ this is a true crossover smash and a sign of SimmonsвЂ™ enduring appeal. This sound was also crafted by Beatz, one of hip hopвЂ™s most iconic Renaissance men, and the result will always go down as one of the best hip-hop party tracks ever. Moshpits and rap go in hand nowadays, and вЂParty UpвЂ™ was one of the original вЂpit anthems. Most DMX lyric: The iconic вЂњStop, drop, shut вЂ™em down, open up shop / Oh, no, thatвЂ™s how Ruff Ryders rollвЂќ. He came round in the end, though, and weвЂ™re all richer for it.

Surprisingly, X originally didnвЂ™t rate the Swizz Beats-produced track, dismissing it as вЂњrockвЂ™nвЂ™rollвЂќ and insisting вЂњitвЂ™s not hood enoughвЂќ.

This adrenaline-fuelled вЂItвЂ™s Dark And Hell Is HotвЂ™ track takes you back to the golden age of MTV, a time defined by highly produced, strobing вЂ™00s music videos of the such as the one that accompanies this classic.

вЂRuff Ryders AnthemвЂ™ should be the first song you think of when you hear the name DMX. Here, we toast 10 of his best songs, which proved him an enduring and hugely influential all-time great. The Yonkers artist found fame in the вЂ90s and вЂ00s with his unmistakable, hoarse vocals вЂ“ which have audibly inspired the current crop of rappers such as Denzel Curry and Ski Mask the Slump God вЂ“ and SimmonsвЂ™ sheer musical star power made him the hottest star at Def Jam in his era, surpassing even Jay-Z (who had a bubbling fanbase, but nothing like DMXвЂ™s).ДЄfter he gained five Number One albums in a row вЂ“ from 1998вЂ™s classic вЂItвЂ™s Dark and Hell Is HotвЂ™ to 2003вЂ™s superlative вЂGrand ChampвЂ™, a feat still still not achieved by another rapper to this day - and shaped hip-hop forever, the artist has tragically died at the age of 50. DMX вЂ“ real name Earl Simmons вЂ“ fronted one of hip-hopвЂ™s most prolific record labels, Ruff Ryders, on his road to enormous success.

The lox best songs