DMX and Griselda’s main trio of Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, and Conway The Machine serenade the streets in their newest single, “Hood Blues.”
“Hood Blues” was released on Tuesday. The track begins with a flurry of sound effects and signature ad-libs. As Westside Gunn delivers Griselda’s known “Booms,” X follows up with his iconic gravels and growls. This set the stage as X enters Griselda’s world of grime and arts to create a bridge between one of the forefathers of street rap as we know it and what the feeling has morphed into today.
“Cats that play in the street, get ran over/I’mma make you hand over, everything you got,” X raps over a dark, jazz-inspired beat that is akin to Griselda’s trademarked sound. “Sometimes I can’t manage all the shit in my head/I was promised the world, but got the dirt instead/Stood in the light, I was bred to shed blood/It’s always gonna be f**k you, n***a, what!”
“Hood Blues” is the first single off DMX’s posthumous album, Exodus. X had been working on the album in the months leading up to his passing. Swizz Beatz—who was collaborating closely with DMX during this time—has decided to take on the project to make sure it is released properly. In the process, Swizz let it be known that Exodus is nothing short of a masterpiece.
During an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Swizz talked about the features on the album.
Listen to “Hood Blues” above.