"Exodus" - DMX

Album

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Full Track Listing:

  • That’s My Dog (ft. The LOX and Swizz Beatz)
  • Bath Salts (ft. JAY-Z and Nas)
  • Dog’s Out (ft. Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz)
  • Money Money Money (ft. Moneybagg Yo)
  • Hold Me Down (ft. Alicia Keys)
  • Skyscrapers (ft. Bono)
  • Male Stick Up Skit (ft. Cross, Infrared and Icepick)
  • Hood Blues (ft. Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher & Conway)
  • Walking in the Rain (ft. Nas, Exodus Simmons & Mr. Porter)
  • Take Control (ft. Snoop Dogg)
  • Exodus Skit
  • Letter to My Son (Call Your Father) (ft. Usher and Brian King Joseph)
  • Prayer

Background Information

Bono contributes vocals to the DMX song “Skyscrapers” on the posthumously released DMX album Exodus 1:7. There are two versions of the song and album, an “Explicit Mix” which contains profanity and an “Edited Mix” which does not. “Skyscrapers” is one of the songs which is edited on the “Edited Mix” of the album.

The album was completed in early 2021, and in February DMX spoke about the song, announcing Bono’s participation, “It’s got like a Miami feel to it” and adding that he would like to shoot a video for the song in Miami. Sadly DMX passed away on April 9, 2021 after being rushed to the hospital a week earlier following a heart attack. In the days following his admission to hospital, Bono shared an image he had drawn for DMX prior to his heart attack. The image read:

Just to say how blessed I am to have your voice near my voice Your truth tellin Righteous yellin Saviour sellin self Is an inspiration and very much a good vibration Hope we get to realization some day soon… DMX IS THE BMX”

It is suspected that Bono did the image upon hearing a final mix of “Skyscrapers”, i.e. the song which places his voice next to DMX. Producer, Swizz Beatz spoke about the art that Bono had sent with Complex, “I had the record with Bono, but I thought that it fit better with this project with X. X is a rock star, Bono’s a rock star, and I wanted people to see this side of him as well. They don’t want everything to be, “Shoot ’em up, kill, kill.” We got to the street parts, but X was a serious poet, too. “Skyscrapers” is a very serious song. Bono actually drew him up a photo for the song, and wrote him a poem. X was so moved by that. He was like, “Bono took time out to do this for me?” He was just super grateful.”

The album is produced by DMX’s long time friend and collaborator Swizz Beatz. Swizz Beatz recorded vocals by Bono for a song called “Skyscrapers” in 2011. Initially at that time the track was due to be on a Swizz Beatz album and would feature Beatz, Bono and Kanye West on the song. Beatz would tease the song a number of times over the year, first suggesting it would be on his album Haute Living and even as late as 2018 talking about the song and saying it would be on his follow up album to Poison. In September 2019 the version with Kanye West leaked on YouTube via Kanye West. Kanye is not listed on this version that appears on the DMX album, although it is the same vocals by Bono that have been used, which has now been confirmed by Swizz Beatz.

The album was released in digital formats and to streaming services worldwide on May 28, 2021. Two versions were released, an edited “clean” version and an “explicit” version. The track with Bono is one of the tracks that has two different versions because of profanity.

At the time of the digital release no physical format was announced. However, on August 27, 2021, two CD formats were released, again a “clean” version and an “explicit” version. On the same day a digital release titled Exodus: Instrumentals & Acapellas was released with new mixes of “Skyscrapers”.

On November 12, 2021, the album was also issued on vinyl. Only one version appears to be available on vinyl, the Explicit version of the album.

The album was released in digital formats worldwide on May 28, 2021. Two versions were released, an edited ‘clean’ version, and the explicit version. At the time no physical format was announced. However, two versions on CD are listed with an August 27 release in the USA, including a clean and explicit version on CD. The song “Skyscrapers” does exist in both a clean and an explicit version. A vinyl version of the album has not yet been announced.

Liner Notes

Skyscrapers:
Written by DMX, Swizz Beatz, Jerry Duplessis, Arden Altino, Tyrone Johnson, Bono, Sean Fenton.
Produced by Swizz Beatz, Jerry ‘Wonda” Duplessis, MusicMan Ty
Co-Produced by Arden “Keyz” Altino
Recorded by Dragan “CHach” Cacinovic at Beach City Music, Inglewood, CA.
Mastering Engineer: Tony Dawsey at Phantom Mastering.
Mixed by Rich Keller. Assistant Mix Engineer: Kenny Lloyd
Bono appears courtesy of Island Records Limited.
(p) 2021 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

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