According to a new Rolling Stone report, the unreleased gospel album of DMX, the late legendary rapper, nearly saw life.
The Possible Gospel Album Of DMX
Per the report, back in 2008, DMX dreamed up a double album. Unlike his previous releases, this one would be venturing into the world of gospel rap. Slated to be titled Walk With Me Now and You’ll Fly With Me Later, the album’s Fly side would be the gospel side of the album. At the time, a tracklist was released, and featured artists were named. Kanye West, Sean Kingston, Tyrese, and Seal were among the possible features.
Indeed, in just one night in 2008, DMX recorded most gospel tracks for the album, says his producer and manager, Pat Gallo. As for Gallo, the producer had difficulties getting X into the studio that night. When he finally got the rapper front and center, DMX allegedly smoked crack in a bathroom, had Gallo drop a beat, then wrote and rapped a song in a single take. Throughout the evening, the process repeated itself until DMX brought seven tracks into the world.
A Project, Shelved
Despite all this energy and promise, the DMX’s album remained in stasis, neither here nor there. A slew of issues kept it from getting released for the summer 2010 drop date. According to Gallo, “constant police surveillance” weighed heavily on DMX and the producer. During this time, X was arrested multiple times. Traffic infractions and parole violations are chief among these. While recording Walk With Me in Arizona, X’s residence was raided by the Maricopa County sheriff’s department. This history led to Canadian music label Her Majesty’s Records being unwilling to release the DMX’s album in the wake of the controversy.
And so, the album sat on the shelf.
Bits And Pieces
You can find the DMX’s album on YouTube entitled “Walk With Me Now (The Prequel),” with the tagline “FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY.” No word on the validity of the album.
A video posted back in 2008 showed “behind the scenes” work on Walk With Me. The footage appears from World Star Hip Hop agonizingly short and even shorter on details.
In 2009, a video for DMX’s “Already” appeared on YouTube. It is unclear if the song is a leak or perhaps more promotional material. “Already” is the second track on Walk With Me, so perhaps it’s legit. It claims to be from “The Mixtape” of Walk With Me.
So, where do things stand now? In Tuesday’s Rolling Stone report, businessman Howard Mann claims to have rights to several DMX songs. Mann claims X signed the rights of Walk With Me over to him. However, a lawyer representing DMX’s estate denies these claims. Gallo himself does not believe Mann. So, for now, Walk With Me remains in a mysterious limbo. It may see the light of day or not. Perhaps, whoever has the tape has lost it entirely. Maybe the Canadians have it.
Garrett C. Owen