A week after the death of legendary rapper DMX, his first posthumous single has been released. “Been to War” was recorded for the Epix series Godfather of Harlem and features contributions from Swizz Beatz and French Montana.
The track opens with propulsive drums and dark synths that toggle expectantly between two notes. “I done been to hell,” Swizz Beatz snarls as DMX provides accents. “You motherfuckas tryna catch me, we just all gon’ burn in Hell.”
DMX comes roaring in on the first verse, ready to fill the song with violence and pain. He raps, “Every time your man pull up with a car, ‘Teddy get in!’/ Don’t do it, you think you chasin’ but I’m just leadin’ you to a dead end/ Luck stops here, that motherfuckin’ .22/ That’s buckshot you hear, fuck outta here!” French Montana closes the track, and while he probably would have made fewer cheap NBA jokes if he’d known it would be DMX’s first posthumous single, the verse doesn’t diminish X’s presence. Check out “Been to War” below.
Last week, as DMX lingered on life support, his estate released the new song “X Moves”. If you want to remember him as a force of nature in his prime, be sure to revisit his iconic Woodstock ’99 performance.
