...And Then There Was X

On ...And Then There Was X the explosive DMX bluntly declares ''I do not worship money.'' What makes him so compelling is the ravaged grain and electric urgency of his voice -- he sounds like a man who, stoked by too much smoke, too little sleep, and too much pressure, is just about to blow.

DMX's songs are death-obsessed and drenched in religious imagery. For all the mayhem, hottie-chasing, and call-outs to his ''dogs,'' he moves in a haunted moral universe. Tracks like ''The Professional'' and ''Angel'' (on which Regina Belle takes a spectacular turn) document a ravaging spiritual anguish. ''I got something that's working against/Everything I know is right,'' he confesses on ''Angel.'' That internal drama lends ''X'' a thematic ambition few contemporary rappers even bother to strive for.