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All DMX Albums Ranked Best to Worst (2026)

DMX released eight studio albums, and this page ranks all eight, from It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) to Exodus (2021), which came out weeks after his death in April 2021. His mixtapes and compilations, including the 2015 label release Redemption of the Beast, are not ranked.

DMX8 albums10 min readUpdated November 2026Hip-Hop
It's Dark and Hell Is Hot album cover
7.9

Quick Take

Consensus PeakIt's Dark and Hell Is HotRaw, devout debut that defined Ruff RydersBiggest Seller...And Then There Was XFive-times platinum home of Party UpLate-Career PickExodusPosthumous farewell with Jay-Z, Nas and LOX

The best and worst DMX albums

Why it ranks here

His debut is the purest version of DMX: raw, paranoid and devout in the same breath. Dame Grease and PK build cold, menacing beats, and Swizz Beatz supplies "Ruff Ryders' Anthem", one of the most recognizable rap songs of its era. "Damien" and "Look Thru My Eyes" show his gift for storytelling, and its "Prayer" interlude started a tradition he continued on later albums.

Context

Released May 19, 1998 by Ruff Ryders and Def Jam. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 251,000 copies, his first chart-topper, and was certified four times platinum by the end of 2000.

Highlights

  • Ruff Ryders' Anthem
  • Get at Me Dog
  • How's It Goin' Down
  • Stop Being Greedy
  • Damien

Weak Spots

  • Skits slow the second half
  • Over an hour long

Production

Dame Grease · PK · Swizz Beatz · Irv Gotti · Lil Rob

Read our full It's Dark and Hell Is Hot review →

Influence

Put Ruff Ryders on the map and brought gritty, hardcore rap back to the top of the charts in the shiny-suit era.

Replay Value

Very high — the essential DMX album.

Why it ranks here

This is DMX at his most commercially potent. "Party Up (Up in Here)" and "What's My Name?" are among his signature hits, and Swizz Beatz's bouncy, synth-heavy beats give the album a brighter edge than the first two. "One More Road to Cross" and "Here We Go Again" keep the introspection alive, but the album is less unified and leans on formula.

Context

His third studio album, released December 21, 1999 by Ruff Ryders and Def Jam. It debuted at No. 1 with 698,000 copies, was certified five times platinum and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2001 Grammys.

Highlights

  • Party Up (Up in Here)
  • What's My Name?
  • One More Road to Cross
  • Here We Go Again
  • Fame

Weak Spots

  • Formula starts to show
  • Skits and long runtime

Production

Swizz Beatz · P. Killer Trackz · Dame Grease · DJ Shok · Irv Gotti

Read our full ...And Then There Was X review →

Influence

"Party Up" became a permanent sports-arena and club staple.

Replay Value

High — the hits are timeless.

Why it ranks here

Released only seven months after the debut, Flesh of My Flesh is bleaker and less even, but its peaks are just as strong. "Slippin'" is his most open song about pain and survival, "Coming From" pairs him with Mary J. Blige, and "Blackout" with the LOX and Jay-Z is a heavyweight posse cut. The Marilyn Manson collaboration and some filler keep it below the debut.

Context

Released December 22, 1998 by Ruff Ryders and Def Jam. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed there three weeks, making DMX only the second artist to have two albums debut at No. 1 in the same calendar year.

Highlights

  • Slippin'
  • Blackout
  • Coming From
  • Ain't No Way
  • Heat

Weak Spots

  • Some tracks feel rushed
  • The Marilyn Manson pairing has not aged well

Production

Swizz Beatz · PK · DJ Shok · Dame Grease · Irv Gotti

Read our full Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood review →

Influence

Confirmed he was the biggest new rap star of 1998, not a one-album phenomenon.

Replay Value

High — "Slippin'" alone keeps it in rotation.

Why it ranks here

With Swizz Beatz mostly absent, The Great Depression leans on Dame Grease, Black Key and Just Blaze, and DMX produces several tracks himself. "Who We Be" is a list-song classic, "I Miss You" with Faith Evans is one of his most tender songs, and "When I'm Nothing" shows real vulnerability. The album is long and murky in stretches, which is why it sits below the first three.

Context

Released October 23, 2001 by Ruff Ryders and Def Jam. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 440,000 copies and went platinum within two months.

Highlights

  • Who We Be
  • We Right Here
  • I Miss You
  • When I'm Nothing
  • School Street

Weak Spots

  • Over seventy minutes
  • Production is darker but less distinctive

Production

Dame Grease · Black Key · Just Blaze · Kidd Kold · DMX

Influence

Kept his No. 1 streak alive and showed his more reflective side to a mass audience.

Replay Value

Moderate — strong singles, heavy going in full.

Why it ranks here

Executive produced and largely produced by Swizz Beatz, Exodus surrounds DMX with collaborators old and new: the LOX on "That's My Dog", Jay-Z and Nas on the Grammy-nominated "Bath Salts", and Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher and Conway the Machine on "Hood Blues". It is short and focused, and "Letter to My Son (Call Your Father)" is a genuinely affecting closer. Metacritic: 71.

Context

His eighth and final studio album, released May 28, 2021 through Ruff Ryders, Bloodline and Def Jam, about seven weeks after his death. It debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 32,000 units. "Bath Salts" was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 64th Grammys.

Highlights

  • That's My Dog
  • Bath Salts
  • Hood Blues
  • Skyscrapers
  • Letter to My Son (Call Your Father)

Weak Spots

  • Guests sometimes overshadow him
  • A few tracks feel unfinished

Production

Swizz Beatz · AraabMuzik · Mr. Porter · Musicman Ty · Avenue Beatz

Influence

Gave his catalog a fitting ending and reminded a new generation of his place in rap history.

Replay Value

Moderate to high — brief and well paced.

Why it ranks here

Grand Champ has a strong lead single in "Where the Hood At?" and contributions from Kanye West ("Dogs Out") and No I.D. ("We Go Hard" with Cam'ron), but at seventy-five minutes it sprawls. Skits and routine tracks dilute the strong moments, and critics were mixed. Metacritic: 58.

Context

His fifth studio album, released September 16, 2003 by Ruff Ryders and Def Jam. It debuted at No. 1 with 312,000 copies, making him the first artist whose first five albums all debuted at No. 1. International editions added "X Gon' Give It to Ya" as a bonus track.

Highlights

  • Where the Hood At?
  • Get It on the Floor
  • Dogs Out
  • We Go Hard
  • The Rain

Weak Spots

  • Seventy-five minutes long
  • Too many skits and guests

Production

Swizz Beatz · Tuneheadz · Dame Grease · Kanye West · No I.D.

Read our full Grand Champ review →

Influence

Extended his record No. 1 streak, though it was his last album to debut at the top.

Replay Value

Moderate — a handful of keepers.

Why it ranks here

His first album away from Def Jam has solid moments, including "We in Here" with Swizz Beatz, "Come Thru (Move)" with Busta Rhymes and the earnest "Lord Give Me a Sign" produced by Scott Storch. But much of it revisits old formulas with less energy, and the album lacks a signature hit. Metacritic: 60.

Context

Released August 1, 2006 by Ruff Ryders, Sony Urban Music and Columbia. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with about 125,000 copies, his first album not to debut at No. 1.

Highlights

  • We in Here
  • Come Thru (Move)
  • It's Personal
  • Lord Give Me a Sign
  • Life Be My Song

Weak Spots

  • Few memorable hooks
  • Feels like a retread of his peak

Production

Swizz Beatz · Scott Storch · Dame Grease · The Tuneheadz

Influence

Marked the end of his commercial peak.

Replay Value

Low to moderate.

Why it ranks here

Undisputed reunites DMX with Swizz Beatz and Dame Grease on a few tracks and brings in Machine Gun Kelly for "I Don't Dance", but the album is uneven and sounds underfunded. Reviews singled out its awkward attempts at party songs, though his voice and conviction are still there on "What They Don't Know" and "Have You Eva".

Context

His seventh studio album and the last released in his lifetime, issued September 11, 2012 on Seven Arts. It debuted at No. 19 on the Billboard 200 with 17,000 copies.

Highlights

  • What They Don't Know
  • I Don't Dance
  • Cold World
  • Have You Eva
  • Head Up

Weak Spots

  • Dated, inconsistent production
  • Party tracks fall flat

Production

Swizz Beatz · Dame Grease · J.R. Rotem · Divine Bars

Influence

Minimal; mostly of interest to completists.

Replay Value

Low — mainly for completists.

Scores come from each album’s scorecard review. A score marked ~ is an editorial estimate for an album we have not reviewed in full yet. Albums are ranked by score; ties keep our editorial order.

Essay

The Complete Picture

DMX's peak came almost all at once. It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood and ...And Then There Was X were released within nineteen months, and together they defined the Ruff Ryders sound and late-1990s East Coast rap. The 2000s albums are uneven but always have a few songs that matter, and Exodus is a dignified close.

Start with It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, then ...And Then There Was X for the hits. The Great Depression and Exodus are the best of the later records.

Read next
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DMX Albums in Order

  1. 1998It's Dark and Hell Is HotRanked #1
  2. 1998Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My BloodRanked #3
  3. 1999...And Then There Was XRanked #2
  4. 2001The Great DepressionRanked #4
  5. 2003Grand ChampRanked #6
  6. 2006Year of the Dog... AgainRanked #7
  7. 2012UndisputedRanked #8
  8. 2021ExodusRanked #5

DMX Albums: Common Questions

What is the best DMX album?
We rank It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) as the best DMX album, with a score of 7.9/10: A ferocious, haunted debut that reset late-1990s rap.
How many DMX albums are ranked here?
This ranking covers 8 DMX projects, released between 1998 and 2021.
What is the earliest DMX album in this ranking?
It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) is the earliest release in this list. We rank it #1.
What is the most recent DMX album in this ranking?
Exodus (2021) is the most recent release in this list. We rank it #5.
What is the worst DMX album?
By our scorecard, the worst DMX album is Undisputed (2012), ranked #8 of 8 with an estimated score of 4.4/10: A low-budget, uneven return after six years away.