Late rapper DMX has posthumously achieved an accolade after landing at No. 1 on a hard rock chart for the first time, thanks to Five Finger Death Punch.
Earlier this month, the hard rockers dropped a deluxe edition of their 2022 album AfterLife, which featured a track titled “This Is the Way” featuring DMX. The song is a mash-up of the rapper’s 2009 song “The Way It’s Gonna Be” and the band’s own “Judgement Day” from AfterLife.
The collaboration debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart after moving 1,546 pure sales, according to Forbes. This is the 17th time Five Finger Death Punch have topped the chart, but it’s the very first time DMX has landed at No. 1 on it.
In fact, it’s the first time the artist landed anywhere on any of the rock charts at all.
The song also placed on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Mainstream Rock Airplay, Rock & Alternative Airplay and Rock Digital Song Sales charts.
“We are honored to announce that ‘This Is The Way’ feat. DMX has hit number one on the Hard Rock Billboard digital sales chart! This is our 17th #1 on this chart, our 35th top 10 and our 43rd placement overall on the list. This is first number 1 for our lost brother DMX,” Five Finger Death Punch wrote in a post on social media.
How the Five Finger Death Punch/DMX Collaboration Came About
Five Finger Death Punch Zoltan Bathory explained how the collaborative effort came about in a press release for the song.
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“The idea of collaborating with DMX had been in discussion for years, and it was a long and winding road to turn this particular item on our wish list into reality,” he said.
“He was a lyrical warrior, a true original who spoke his mind incorruptibly. We have always viewed DMX as ‘the metalhead of hip-hop’ because of his aggressive, raw and untamed style. He growled and snarled, aiming to rattle some cages – an attitude we share, as Five Finger Death Punch has always been drawn to the fearless and the real.”
DMX sadly died in 2021 at the age of 50, but congrats to both artists on the achievement.
Five Finger Death Punch, ‘This Is the Way’ (featuring DMX)
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