How's It Goin' Down

"How's It Goin' Down" by DMX Featuring Faith Evans

The late 1990s belonged in large part to DMX, the ferocious, gravel-voiced rapper from Yonkers whose raw intensity electrified hip-hop. In the middle of one of the most explosive debut runs the genre had ever seen, he showed a different, more reflective side with this collaboration. Pairing his rugged delivery with the soulful voice of Faith Evans, "How's It Goin' Down" offered a moody, emotionally complicated meditation on a difficult relationship, revealing depth beneath the aggression.

A Phenomenon in Full Force

By 1998, DMX had become an absolute force in hip-hop, a rapper whose raw, spiritual, and ferociously intense style set him apart from his contemporaries. His debut album was a massive success, and he was in the midst of an extraordinary year that would see him release multiple chart-topping records. DMX achieved the rare feat of two number-one albums in a single year, a testament to his enormous popularity and the hunger of audiences for his unfiltered energy. This song came from that landmark debut, a softer counterpoint to the harder material that defined the record.

Aggression Meets Soul

Musically, "How's It Goin' Down" balances DMX's rough, commanding delivery against the smooth, soulful vocals of Faith Evans, one of the premier R&B voices of the era. The contrast is the point, a meeting of grit and grace that gives the song its emotional texture. The production is moody and atmospheric, a slower, more introspective backdrop than DMX's usual aggressive anthems. The pairing of a hardcore rapper with a soulful R&B singer was a popular formula of the period, and few executed it with as much raw feeling as this collaboration. It revealed a more vulnerable side of an artist known for his intensity.

Its Chart Run

The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 on September 26, 1998, at number 74, and it spent its time in the lower and middle reaches of the chart. The song peaked at number 70 on November 14, 1998, and spent 10 weeks on the chart. While the pop-chart numbers were modest, the song was a significant part of an enormously successful album and resonated strongly within hip-hop and R&B audiences, where DMX's dominance was unquestioned and this softer offering found a devoted following.

A Different Shade of DMX

What made the song notable was the way it expanded the picture of who DMX was as an artist. It showed that beneath the ferocity lay genuine emotional complexity, a willingness to explore the messier, more painful corners of human relationships. That range was part of what made him such a compelling figure, an artist who could roar with rage one moment and reveal real vulnerability the next. The collaboration deepened his appeal and demonstrated his versatility.

A Lasting Collaboration

In the broader story of DMX's meteoric career, "How's It Goin' Down" stands as a memorable example of his emotional range and his ability to craft a different kind of record. It remains a fan favorite from his landmark debut, beloved for its moody atmosphere and the striking contrast between his voice and Faith Evans's. The song endures as a reminder of a singular artist at the peak of his powers, willing to show every side of himself. In a career often defined by its raw aggression and spiritual intensity, this softer, more emotionally complicated record offered a fuller portrait of the man, proof that his appeal rested not just on ferocity but on a genuine and unguarded humanity that listeners could feel beneath the hard exterior, the quality that made him one of the most magnetic figures hip-hop has ever produced.

Press play and let that moody groove unfold, and you will hear hip-hop's most ferocious voice reveal his tender side.

"How's It Goin' Down" — DMX Featuring Faith Evans's singular moment on the 1990s charts.