DMX - What's My Name？

What this video is

Released December 28, 1999 as the lead single from *...And Then There Was X*, this video arrives at DMX's commercial apex—his third consecutive #1 album in under 18 months. The arena-spectacle staging and pit bull iconography visually codify the Ruff Ryders brand of street-authenticated masculinity that defined Def Jam's late-'90s aesthetic. The boxing-match subtext (echoing Muhammad Ali's 'What's My Name?'…

Why it matters

A definitive visual artifact of East Coast hardcore rap's crossover peak. The video synthesizes arena-scale production values with street-level aesthetic codes—a tension that characterises Def Jam's late-'90s commercial strategy. Little X's directorial approach, developed under Hype Williams,…

The director

Born October 31, 1975 in Toronto, Canada, of Trinidadian and Swiss descent. Began career as a MuchMusic intern before becoming a protégé of Hype Williams, serving as visual consultant on the 1998 film 'Belly.' Founded Toronto-based production company Popp…