The vault of music DMX left behind is finally open. A posthumous album titled DMX Features is slated to roll out this summer, but fans can press play on the late rapper and Joyner Lucas’ collaboration “Bring Out the Worst” now. The single landed on DSPs on Friday (May 30).

The Ruff Ryders star passed away in April 2021 after suffering a sudden heart attack. He was 50 years old. His final LP, Exodus, was completed before his sudden death. The project was liberated a month after his passing.

On the new song, his signature untamed growling and barking usher in the declaration, “They ain’t ready…this is Hip Hop.” Within seconds, the dog is unleashed as X raps, “You can try, but I do fight, just can’t seem to do right/ Can’t run with the big dogs, your jeans is too tight/ I been doing this for too long, plus dog is too strong to let you catch, fight me off the map with a new song… You can bring out the best or bring out the worst/ You gon’ bring out the worst, they gon’ bring out the hearse/ N**gas play poker, but I play poke her/ Hit her from ear to ear, make her smile like the joker.”

Lucas matches the ferocious canine energy with bars like “Told you I’m a rare breed, better hide in the dark, I’m like a Pitt bull mixed with f**king lion and shark/ Catch a n**ga on his break, make him die in the park/ Joyner Lucas all bite, you n**gas dying to bark/ X taught me not starve now I gotta show out/ You ain’t met an evil dog until I rip your throat out.”

DMX Features is a reminder of DMX’s lyrical force

The body of work is described as “a posthumous collection of never-before-heard collaborations featuring some of the biggest names in Hip Hop... [that] will celebrate the life, legacy, and influence of one of rap’s most enduring voices” in the caption of the “Bring Out the Worst” official video. Rolling Stone reports that Wiz Khalifa and Kevin Gates are among the artists tapped for features. In 2021, it was revealed that X had been sitting on a passion project: a gospel album called Walk With Me Now and You'll Fly With Me Later. The LP was a dramatic detour from the aggressive records that cemented his rap legacy. According to longtime friend and producer Swizz Beatz, the Yonkers artist “wanted to end up in the spiritual zone with his music.” For now, though, the body of work remains shelved.

With DMX Features, the late icon’s voice remains raw and unfiltered. As fans press play on “Bring Out the Worst,” they’re not just hearing a song — they’re witnessing the return of a legend whose impact still echoes through Hip Hop.