A bold and bittersweet closing chapter for one of the greatest rappers of all time, the long-awaited album from DMX, Exodus, comes a little over a month and a half after his death. His first release in nine years (following 2012’s Undisputed) and his first on Def Jam since Grand Champ, Exodus is as bold as audiences could’ve expected.

A star-studded lineup of hip-hop legends appear with high quality verses. Production is headed by the Swizz Beatz.

Opener “That’s My Dog” borrows the instrumentals from Joe Budden’s “Serious” (from Rage & The Machine) and DMX is joined by hip-hop group The Lox. The track features some grimy and gritty verses from the likes of Jadakiss, Sheek Louch and Styles P.

“Bath Salts” feels like a track straight out of the early 2000s, with air horns percolating over a fuzzy synth bass. Jay-Z opens the festivities with a braggadocios verse about his success and sex appeal. It’s not bad, but it’s lackluster in comparison to an exceptional verse by Nas on the same song, as well as with the off-the-rails delivery by DMX toward the end.

“Dog’s Out” has X rapping with Lil Wayne over shiny synths. The song has the clapping snares one would expect from a Wayne joint. Both Wayne and DMX deliver some of the most aggressive verses on the album, with dog metaphors galore and plenty of barking ad-libs to match. “Money Money Money” features a menacing harpsichord melody with prominent snare. X and Moneybagg Yo rap about getting rich, with the latter examining the craziness behind coming into wealth and the work put in. DMX, meanwhile, raps about getting down and dirty to make bank.

The album veers heavily into the spiritual, keeping in line with DMX’s devout Christian beliefs. “Hold Me Down” is a soulful track with a simple arrangement headed by piano and synths. Alicia Keys provides gorgeous vocals. X raps about how his troubled life has always felt like a push and pull between temptation and salvation, as he quite literally bares his soul throughout. “Skyscrapers” maintains this faith-based focus, building on the duality of sin and sanctity, and in particular how pain and pleasure are inherently intertwined. U2’s Bono provides the vocals for the chorus, as an acoustic guitar melody is paired with synthetic snares and bass.

“Hood Blues” features the members of Griselda, as Benny The Butcher, Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn each take turns rapping not so much about the struggles of inner city life but rather the dangers within—and the success they have experienced in spite of the circumstances. The gritty quality of the track makes effective use of fuzzy horns to make an absolute banger. It’s followed by “Take Control,” a promiscuous track where Snoop Dogg and DMX—who competed on Verzuz last year—rap over a sample from Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.”

“Walking In The Rain” seems to take more of a focus on sociopolitical issues affecting inner city life, as DMX and Nas both rap about violence, racism, pain and suffering. The song features vocals from DMX’s youngest child, for whom the album is named. Prior to the album’s closing prayer, “Letter To My Son (Call Your Father)” seems to be directed to DMX’s oldest child, with whom he had a falling out The song sees the rapper reaching out to connect and mend things over. It is a poignant and tragic track in light of the rapper’s passing.

Follow editor Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.