“That guitar solo was fire, yeah they went hard, that was dope!”
Following in the footsteps off Chali 2NA and Sen Dog, Xzibit is the latest rapper to react to the new Five Finger Death Punch single, which means we get some more sneak peaks at what’s to come with the ‘AfterLife’ deluxe release on Friday 5 April 2024.
Reacting to the bands new single, ‘This The Way ft. DMX’, Xzibit said, “Legendary respect and salute to the late, great DMX. It’s an honour to be able to hear this. To be able to hear his energy, to hear his vocals again, that’s really refreshing. Five Finger Death Punch is already legendary status man. To hear these two together man is really dope. I’m a big fan of Rap and Metal collaborations. I’ve done alot of stuff with, you know, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. That was like a genre of music that when we came up, like it was good to see us on those festivals together. We did a lot of rap rock festivals together, and tours, and to hear this, you know is a good feeling.
Five Finger Death Punch, y’all did good with getting these DMX vocals. I don’t remember hearing these vocals anywhere, so you know, you guys did good. Peace to the estate of DMX and you know, we miss him, we love him, you know, so to be able to be embraced and to see this collaboration happening is really dope man.”
‘AfterLife’ deluxe includes the original 12 tracks released in 2022, recorded with the band’s longtime producer Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne) in addition to four bonus tracks. The bonus tracks come in forms of acoustic versions of the three of the album’s most played songs ‘The End’, ‘Judgement Day’ and, ‘Thanks For Asking’. Fans can already stream the acoustic version of ‘Judgement Day’ and watch the official lyric video on YouTube.
The deluxe digital edition also includes a brand new song, ‘This Is The Way’ featuring the legendary late rapper DMX. The official music video for ‘This Is The Way’ (feat. DMX) will be directed by inluential filmmaker Hype Williams, a longtime friend and close collaborator of the late DMX.
Hailed by the New York Times in 2024 as ‘The Nineties Wunderkind’, Hype Williams is known for his seminal work with luminaries like Tupac, Wu-Tang Clan, and Jay-Z amongst others. The video, which was originally will be released coinciding with the deluxe edition of Afterlife” on Friday 5 April 2024.
Speaking on the collaboration with DMX, Five Finger Death Punch’s Zoltan Bathory said, “Music is meant to be shared, and it starts at the top with us, the artists. We have always embraced the mixing of genres, whether it be the remake of LL Cool J’s ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ featuring Tech N9ne as a guest or our collaboration with blues warrior Kenny Wayne Shepherd, country star Brantley Gilbert, and Brian May, the legendary guitarist of Queen, on the song ‘Blue On Black’.”
“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 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. It made all the sense in the world, but today this is more than just a song; it’s a salute to a legend, a way to honor DMX’s memory.”
The deluxe version of ‘AfterLife’ is out on Friday 5 April 2024. Five Finger Death Punch fans make sure you smash the pre-order/save the deluxe version of ‘AfterLife’ here on the music streaming service of your choice. You don’t want to miss this.