DMX - X Gon' Give It To Ya

What this video is

Released in 2003 as the lead single from the Cradle 2 the Grave film soundtrack — a DMX/Jet Li action vehicle distributed by Warner Bros. — this video represents the apex of early-2000s hip-hop's symbiosis with Hollywood blockbuster marketing. DMX's Ruff Ryders/Def Jam profile made him one of the most commercially dominant rap figures of 1998–2003. The track later experienced a massive cultural resurgence when…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of hardcore East Coast rap's mainstream commercial zenith. The track peaked at #13 on Hot Rap Songs and #30 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 2003, became DMX's most successful international single, and was later certified platinum by the RIAA. Its 2016 Deadpool resurgence…

The director

Born Ahn Jun-hee in Busan, South Korea (October 12, 1972), raised in Houston, TX. Attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts before dropping out to direct music videos. Korean-American director of 182+ music videos and feature films including Torque (2004),…