It’s nearly midnight, and Manhattan’s Hit Factory recording studio is teeming with nervous life as DMX races to complete …And Then There Was X, which his label wants in just three weeks. The environment is not exactly conducive to getting anything done: DMX’s wife, sister-in-law, various producers, and manager/uncle stalk about the studio’s windowless maze of rooms, while ruffnecks in identical skullys, boots, and puffed-out jackets stand guard at every door, enshrouded in blunt smoke so thick they can barely see two feet in front of them. At the eye of this hazy hurricane is Dark Man X himself, who’s slumped motionless at the monolithic control board, his face stubbled with two day’s beard. The hardcore …And Then There Was X is his third album in two years, his second in less than a year, and he’s downright exhausted. Suddenly he looks up and demands an Alizé pick-me-up.
“We’re out, and I don’t think we can get any this time of night,” the engineer responds nervously. There’s a long, awkward pause as everyone waits for DMX’s reaction. “It’s cool,” the rapper rasps calmly, pouring himself a drink from a bottle of Hennessy so oversized it looks like it was snatched off a Times Square billboard. “Damn, I’m fucking tired. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve been through the past few days. And I had to go to court today, and I have to show up tomorrow, too.” Over the past year, he’s been involved in numerous controversies (from various legal battles to unexpectedly dropping out of the Family Values tour), culminating in a feud with L.A. gangsta Kurupt, who dissed him on the single “Callin’ Out Names” for supposedly sleeping with his ex-fiancée, Foxy Brown. Soon after its release, a Kurupt recording session was interrupted with gunfire. (DMX denies involvement in the incident.) There’s little separation between art and life for this Ruff Ryder.
SPIN: Your first record documented the life of a thug, and your second one showed his struggle between good and evil. What’s this new album about?
DMX: This album is about…me.
Okay, but what are you trying to say? There’s everything from stories about liquor-store heists to pleas to God to mini-morality plays.
The truth, that’s all. I’m not going to tell people everything is peaches and cream, because it’s not; I’m not going to tell them, “Go to school and do the right thing” because that’s not for everybody. I want to give them the fundamentals of life, and they can grow from there. I give them the keys to the shit.
Now that you’re so established, was the making of this album any different?
There’s been a little more cooperation on the industry-slash-business shit. When you start out, you think all you have to do is rap. I figured as long as I’m hot, I can just make blazing joints and get away with it. Nah. There’s a lot of other shit you didn’t think you’d have to do: interviews, sign shit, be nice to people. But I will never compromise my work. What I say, I mean—I don’t give a fuck who don’t like it. But sometimes you have to speak to people who you don’t necessarily think are your audience, just because they like you.
What kind of people are you referring to?
You wouldn’t think there’s a ghetto in the Midwest, but there is. You see a lot of potato-and-corn growin’ motherfuckers, but they listen to your shit and feel the same thing you feel. You get them with tears in their eyes, expressing how much they love you, what they’ll do for you. I got to start telling them the right thing, because it’s getting a little scary now. I don’t want to have a bunch of motherfuckers come up and say, “You said kill a cop, so we did it.” You gotta be a little more specific in your rhymes.
Are you saying you think you have a responsibility to be more positive?
The shit I say can be understood on many different levels. I met this lady who was a corrections officer. She was like, “My son was a fuckin’ knucklehead, but ever since he listened to DMX, he’s into school, he’s into music. I bought the nigga a fuckin’ turntable set, and he uses it every day. I just want to say thanks.” That’s some deep shit coming from a real parent. To have him turn around and do something positive on the strength of me puts an extra weight on my shoulders. I’m not going to drop it.
Given your troubles with the law, were you surprised a corrections officer was nice to you?
No—I thought she was going to ask for an autograph. I’ve been pulled over for one before. I’ve had my wife and kids in the car, and I’ve been arrested and taken down to the police station in handcuffs so that officers could take pictures with me, then let me go. I mean, is the love that crazy?
Was it the same way in jail?
Every five minutes, someone’s at my cell asking, “Can you sign something for my li’l cousin?” I’m used to going to jail and just laying back, kickin’ my motherfuckin’ feet up and getting some rest. Not no more—now jail’s a pain in the fuckin’ ass! I’d rather be invisible there. Niggas walk around tellin’ war stories, and I don’t say nothin‘. The most you can ask me is ‘What time is it?”—and don’t ask me that too many fuckin’ times or I’ll think you’re trying to score my watch.
So what really happened between you and Kurupt?
Dog, I don’t know. I was kind of hurt by [the situation], and it kind of came as a shock. I had just talked to him and his peoples not too long ago. But I didn’t take it to heart. Those kind of feuds are just something that happens in the industry, for reasons I’m not aware of and don’t care about. My mother taught me that it doesn’t matter what people say about you. It’s not going to hurt you, it’s not going to help you, so why the fuck you gonna worry about it? I’m damn near 30 years old, and I don’t have time to be mad.
On your hit single, “What’s My Name?,” you rap “I’m not a nice person / Suck my dick.” You’ve also worked with children with AIDS. How do you reconcile such different sides of your personality?
I am a thug. But a real thug got heart. A thug will do anything to get his, but he wants to help his people. I don’t want to see any kid that reminds me of me or my family when I was younger—all hungry or needing shit. When fake thugs talk, the pretty bitch shit comes out: I get my nails done, I got jewels, look at my shoes. Fuck that.
What’s a typical day in the life of DMX now?
It’s a ride, baby. A real ride.
ON THE RISE
Sienna-Rose Jerak has a voice well beyond her years, and is a name in the pop music industry you’ll want to watch out for.
The 14-year-old singer from Australia released a pair of singles called “You Got Me” and “To Fly,” which showcases her vast range and ability to fill the air with her powerful vocals.
“You Got Me” is a love song about liking someone so much, and not being sure if they like you back. She said it can be super confusing and drive you crazy with the hot and cold, and Jerak brings this out in the music.
“You feel like you’re wrapped up in their games and you don’t know how to get out,” Jerak said. “And you keep going back to them. It’s basically about not having that experience or insight to work out if you like them as much as they like you.”
In the song, “You Got Me,” Jerak said she feels lucky because the way the vocals were recorded gives a “very live feel.” She works with a song writing and production team that includes Grammy winners Jordan Omley and Michael Man, who have been mentors to her in the process.
“They’ve really inspired me to be my best self,” Jerak said. “They are really kind, so it’s great to work in that kind of environment.”
Jerak is a fan of music that came out even before she was born, saying that she listens to the likes of Brandy, Carrie Underwood, Jessica Simpson and Monica. This inspiration bleeds into “You Got Me,” as well.
“I love old ‘90s music,” she said. “It’s got a lot of soul to it compared to music now. I take from a lot of life experiences, as well, when I sing. I try to make my music relatable.”
While “You Got Me” shows off her skills as an Pop/R&B singer, “To Fly” is much more of a ballad. Releasing both ends of the spectrum was intentional, as listeners will be able to get some variety of where her talents lie.
“In a pop song, they can’t really hear too much of the runs,” she said. “For a ballad you can be free and express yourself.”
Jerak has been involved in acting, singing and dancing since she was six-years-old. She attended performing arts school three times a week, where she would work on musical theater, jazz singing and more.
From 2022 to 2024 she trained at Margie Haber Studio in Los Angeles, and has since been cast as a lead in TVCs for “Earth Choice” and “IGA Ritchie’s.” She has also played the role of Sophie in the Paul Hogan film, “The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee.”
Now Jerak mainly plays pop and R&B music, saying that this is something she truly loves. She has always wanted to perform, and when she is on stage she feels so free.
“I really want to continue to grow as an artist, and grow with my music as I get older,” she said.
Jerak’s focus with music is in the way it connects with people. She said she is just an ordinary girl from Melbourne who is trying to do something big with her life. It is all about creating art, which she called a beautiful process.
“I just want to inspire people to be who they want to be without the pressure to cover up their true selves,” she said.
Jerak is a huge fan of LA, saying that someday she wants to live there full time because it is so supportive of the arts. She’ll be back in the city this summer to record more songs, saying that she really enjoys being in the studio putting together a track.
“Just singing all day and working on a song is such a beautiful vibe,” she said. “It’s what I love to do.”
Jerak will be out promoting these two singles, but she plans to record plenty more music in the future. Her goal is to get signed onto a record label, so she can show the world what she’s got on a grand scale.
Be sure to check out Sienna-Rose Jerak’s music available all on all major platforms.
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