#Yall gonna make me lose my mind lyrics series

“Party Up (Up in Here)” was likely his purest-ever blast of X Givin’ It to Ya. Jay-Z may or may not have sold his soul years earlier. It was a uniquely forward approach, and though it left him looking ridiculous on more than several occasions throughout his career, it also made of each of his videos a must-see, and helped him cultivate a surprisingly devoted fanbse–one which sent each of his first five albums to #1 on the charts. In fact, his overwhelming passion and complete inability to censor himself stood in stark opposition to the laid back, observational approach of most prominent East Coast rappers of the late-90s, and seemed a near declaration of war against the shallow, goal-oriented hip-hop that Puff Daddy seemed intent on taking over the world with.

One thing DMX could never be accused of is insincerity. It’s uncomfortable, it’s a little disturbing, and it’s utterly incomprehensible (even the title seems redundant and inaccurate), but it’s also one of the most invigorating (and fascinating) singles of recent times. And that’s the entire song, pretty much–a paranoid, red-eyed, treble-soaked burst of egomania, where X lashes out against fakers and enemies, warns against assaults on his person or credibility, and invites the world at large to suck his dick. Before DMX even enters the song, the thing is already a cacophonous nightmare, all whistles and blaring synths and pounding beats, like an extremely panicked alarm clock. If I had to guess what it felt like in Tony Montana’s head when he buried his face into a gigantic pile of yayo, I’d say it probably felt something like the first five seconds of “Party Up”.

And if you had any doubt as to X’s mental state, he made things real clear with his career-defining ’00 hit “Party Up (Up in Here)”–quite possibly the most bonkers song released in the 00s. Even before the weirdness really started–the on-stage meltdowns, the imitating police officers at airports, the renouncing of hip-hop in favor of the church, the horrifically bad guest verse on Busta Rhymes’ “Touch It (Remix)”–one needed to do no more but look into the man’s eyes as early as the “Ruff Ryders Anthem” video to know the level-five storm that raged behind them. Earl Simmons, better known to hound afficianados worldwide as DMX, was no exception to this. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy.Īs Michael Jackson initially proved, and has since been confirmed by the careers of Axl Rose, Rivers Cuomo and Eminem among countless others, pop stars are simply much more interesting when their lunacy is not merely the result of inspired roleplay, but something more closely resembling outright dementia. If you want to argue about the order, you can’t, because we’re not totally sure what the qualifications are either.

#Yall gonna make me lose my mind lyrics series

Over the final months of our fine decade, Intensities in Ten Suburbs will be sending the Naughty Oughties out in style with a series of essays devoted to the top 100 songs of the decade–the ones we will most remember as we look back fondly on this period of pop music years down the road.