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With just a few weeks left before he is released from an Arizona prison, DMX is taking the time to set the record straight about several issues.

Dark Man X spoke to Vibe.com about the current state of the industry, his relationship status, artists he's not feeling

Is it weird seeing the rap game now and seeing most of your peers that you came in the game with just not around anymore?
I’m not gonna disrespect anybody or shout anybody out, but it’s sad the sh*t I’m seeing here. All we got is 106 & Park in jail. And it’s like ‘wow, this is the Top 10?’ Like really? I know it’s really not the Top 10, but it’s their Top 10. Damn yo, that’s not a good look. Not a good look at all. I do like Nicki Minaj—how she getting at em. Haven’t heard the album, but the couple of singles I’ve heard—“Did It On Em,” you know what I’m saying? That “Boom boom boom.” Some sh*t, “Bang”—whatever. I like her style. And Kiss got a new joint too that I’m feeling.

Speaking of Nicki, how are you feeling about Lil Wayne and Drake?
Hmmm…no comment. I don’t like Drake. It’s nothing that he did to me, He actually is talented. He’s very talented.

So you’re just not feeling his music then?
Yeah, I don’t like him. It ain’t nothing personal. I don’t like his stuff. He is talented. He has a little wordplay here and there, but when I see him and here him it’s like—‘Money, I’m not rockin with that.’

It feels like right now in hip-hop a lot of people are saying the hardcore gangsta rap element is dead. Do you feel like that’s true?
They try to block it out. But that’s what rap is. It’s not about disrespecting, but it’s the voice of the voiceless. Before I tell you what it is. To me, it isn’t tight sweaters. That’s not what rap is. That’s not hip-hop at all. Every phase went through changing up their dress styles and all that, but since Run DMC came out it’s been baggy jeans. That has not changed. So all this shit they doing now, tryna spark something new, that’s basically what it is. Tryna spark something new to get people to say yeah--to stake the claim as the innovators. The creators. Like, ‘yeah we started this so we must be hip-hop because everybody’s doing it.’ No! You got a few little motherf*ckers following you, doing the same sh*t, but that’s not what it is man.

[Laughs] But I mean fashion has to evolve just like the music, no?
Yeah, the fucking skinny jeans and tight sweaters! Those are baby clothes. What are you shopping at Baby Gap??? [Laughs]

So what really went wrong with Def Jam?
I have a few inside people who confirmed my suspicions that they were trying to make me leave. Like ‘Yeah they just wanna get you out of there. ‘ That way they can do what they wanna do and this , that, and the other. If you remember, Jay quit. He retired from rapping. But he became president of Def Jam. He gave me the call, he called me personally. So I’m like ‘yeah that’s wassup! My mans is in a position now, he’s the president of the label I’m on, we good! Next thing you know, he’s out of retirement and I’m off the label. What a coincidence.

Damn. Have you even been able to have a conversation with Jay after that? I remember when it happened.
I’ve not talked to him yet, since. But I had a show November 18th, before I got locked up--No November 12th I had the show. And somebody in the crown was like ‘What’s up with Jay-Z’ and I was like ‘F*ck Jay-Z’. And it ended up all over the place. So he called Swizz, Swizz called me, and he tells Swizz ‘Yoo, why your man dissin me? I was gonna do a song with him’—Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Fucking bullshit. I don’t wanna hear that shit. And like ‘Yo, can you just get him to say he ain’t mean it’—NO! I’m not saying that. What I did say is if he wanna talk to me, I’m man enough to let him know why it’s ‘F*ck You’, but it’s still ‘F*ck You’! That’s what it is. I’ll let you know why, I can do that. It ain’t like you gotta worry about me running up on you shooting you. It ain’t that serious. You don’t owe me nothing. But if you want an explanation as to why it’s ‘F*ck You’, I’ll be more than happy to tell you why.

X, I also heard that you have a new fiancée, model Yadira Borrego. Is that correct?
No! We absolutely were living together, and at one time we were engaged. But um, no. I’m recalling that she wants to work it out, but I really don’t see that happening. I’m not going say it won’t work, but this last time in jail, with me focusing on the mental, allowed me to see who’s there for me and who’s not. It’s easy to say, ‘I got your back. I’m there for you.’ But when it comes down to it, like I said, I’m not even talking about money and things like that. I’m good. I got fans sending me money. I’m good with that. But if you tell me you’re going to bring my daughter, bring my daughter. Don’t have me looking stupid in the streets. You running around saying ‘I’m DMX’s fiancée’ but you up in the motherfucking club, every motherf*cking night. Come on! I don’t get down like that. I’m a King. Regardless of what I’ve been through and what I’ve done, I present myself as a King. And I get that respect from people, from everybody I deal with. I worked my whole life to establish that respect and make sure I get that respect. And I’ll be damn if I’ll have a woman--allow her to take it from me. That’s DMX’s fiancée but what you all up in the club in n*ggas’s faces? F*ck outta here!

To read the full interviews go here for part one and here for part two