DMX

It's old news that rappers, like all of us, are full of contradictions, but for DMX the contrast between his yin and yang has always been his most compelling facet. Is he the unwavering rap don of "When I Come Thru," the bible-thumping ghetto prophet of "Lord Give Me a Sign" or the paranoid drug dealer of "It's Personal" (where he pleads, "Please, somebody stop me/ Please, come get me")? No one since Tupac has juggled so many seemingly conflicting personas, and Year of the Dog is another gripping journey into the weird and wild world of DMX.