A$AP Rocky returned with his third studio album TESTING in late May. On “Praise The Lord (Da Shine),” the Harlem MC reunites with Skepta, who handles production on the track and turns in a standout performance. On the London rapper’s chorus and verse, he pays homage to DMX and Texas legend Scarface while also dropping a reference to the classic gangster flick Scarface.
As noted by Genius contributor vndre4, Skepta interpolates DMX’s flow from his 2001 song “Who We Be” by breaking up each line into four phrases. While doing so, he acknowledges the legendary New York rapper’s influence:
I listened, to X, I peeped, the bars (yeah)
The snakes, the rats, the cats, the dogs
“Who We Be” is the second single from DMX’s fourth studio album The Great Depression. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance and features production by Black Key. The track peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100.
On the track, DMX raps about the problems faced by people in low income neighborhoods of the greater New York City area:
The funerals, the wakes, the churches, the coffins (uhh!)
The heartbroken mothers, it happens, too often (why?!)
The problems, the things, we use, to solve ‘em (what?!)
Yonkers, the Bronx (uhh!), Brooklyn, Harlem (c'mon!)
Rocky confirmed Skepta’s tribute to DMX while breaking down “Praise The Lord (Da Shine)” on Genius' series Verified:
He paid homage to X in such a slick, fly way. ‘Duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh,’ and then to take another song, mix with the ‘duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, the heart, the babies, the rats, the car, the momma, duh-duh, duh-duh.’ [He] bodied that.
In turn, DMX’s flow was inspired by Scarface’s song “The Wall.” The Houston icon himself breaks it down in an annotation:
Skepta’s DMX references don’t stop there. As Genius' own Colby Handy points out, the “snakes” line is a reference to DMX’s 1998 song “Damien”:
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog
How you gonna see him if you livin' in the fog?
Later on in his verse, Skepta references the movie Scarface. Genius contributor Nielsen700 breaks it down in an annotation:
Scarface is written by Oliver Stone, directed by Brian De Palma, and stars Al Pacino. The cult classic is regarded as one of the best films in its genre and has been widely referenced by rappers over the past few decades.
In 2017, Rocky linked up with Skepta on the British MC’s 2017 EP Vicious, appearing alongside A$AP Nast on the closing track “Ghost Ride.”
Listen to the songs above and check out all the lyrics to A$AP Rocky’s “Praise The Lord (Da Shine)” featuring Skepta and DMX’s “Who We Be” on Genius now.
