View source for How's It Goin' Down

{{short description|1998 single by DMX}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = How's It Goin' Down
| cover      = howitsgoindown dmx.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[DMX (rapper)|DMX]] featuring [[Faith Evans]]
| album      = [[It's Dark and Hell Is Hot]]
| B-side     = [[Ruff Ryders' Anthem]]
| released   = {{Start date|1998|6|9|mf=y}}
| recorded   = April 1998
| studio     =
| genre      = {{hlist|[[East Coast hip hop]]}}
| length     = 4:42
| label      = {{hlist|[[Ruff Ryders Entertainment|Ruff Ryders]]|[[Def Jam Recordings|Def Jam]]}}
| writer     = {{hlist|Simmons|Anthony Fields}}
| producer   = {{hlist|P.K.}}
| chronology = [[DMX (rapper)|DMX]]
| prev_title = "[[Ruff Ryders' Anthem]]
| prev_year  = 1998
| next_title = [[Grand Finale (song)|Grand Finale]]
| next_year  = 1998
| misc       = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[Faith Evans]]
 | type       = single
 | prev_title = [[I'll Be Missing You]]
 | prev_year  = 1997
 | title      = How's It Goin' Down
 | year       = 1998
 | next_title = [[Love Like This (Faith Evans song)|Love Like This]]
 | next_year  = 1998
}}
}}

"'''How's It Goin' Down'''" is a song by American rapper [[DMX]], released as the fourth and final single from his first album, ''[[It's Dark and Hell Is Hot]]''. The song features vocals by R&B singer [[Faith Evans]] and was released to radio on June 9, 1998. The song was a modest hit, peaking at No. 70 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]]. It contains a sample of "God Make Me Funky" by [[the Headhunters]] from the 1975 album, ''[[Survival of the Fittest (The Headhunters album)|Survival of the Fittest]]''.

==Music video==
Directed by [[Hype Williams]], the music video provides a visual depiction of the song's story, detailing DMX's affair with the a woman named Tenika who is already in a relationship with the father of her two children. It features cameos by then-unknown artists [[Eve (rapper)|Eve]], [[Ja Rule]], [[Drag-On]] and [[Irv Gotti]], all of whom would rise to prominence in the following year.

==Interpolations and samples==
Canadian rapper and singer [[Drake (musician)|Drake]] incorporated the lyrics to the chorus of "How's It Goin' Down" in his own song, "U with Me?" from the album ''[[Views (album)|Views]]''. American rapper [[Moneybagg Yo]] sampled "How's It Goin' Down" in his song "[[Scorpio (Moneybagg Yo song)|Scorpio]]".

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable"
!align="left"|Chart
!align="left"|Position
|-
|align="left"|U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]
|align="left"|70
|-
|align="left"|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks]]
|align="left"|19
|-
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=DMX|title=How's It Goin' Down|award=Gold|relyear=1998|certyear=2021|access-date=May 30, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DMX}}
{{Faith Evans}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1998 singles]]
[[Category:1998 songs]]
[[Category:DMX songs]]
[[Category:Faith Evans songs]]
[[Category:Ruff Ryders Entertainment singles]]
[[Category:Def Jam Recordings singles]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Hype Williams]]
[[Category:Dirty rap songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by DMX]]


{{1990s-hiphop-song-stub}}