Three years since he retired from rap, Earl "Dark Man X" Simmons' return to the vocal booth coincides with the debut of his fly-on-the-wall show on US television. He is one of the most durably fascinating characters rap has thrown up, a troubled loner who spent his teens hanging out with abandoned pitbulls. His raps lay bare his constant inner conflicts, with his garrulous belligerence set to punishing, pugilistic beats.
This sixth album follows the formula that saw its predecessors all top the US album chart. As ever, there is a heartfelt and undoubtedly sincere prayer at the end. But it is the ugliest moment, Baby Motha, that best encapsulates X's dizzying contrariness, as he first complains he is shackled to a woman he does not love because they have a child together, then chastises her for leaving him.
