[6] On April 2, 2021, at approximately 11:00 pm,[7] DMX was rushed to White Plains Hospital, where he was reported to be in critical condition following a heart attack at his home possibly resulting from a drug overdose.

We hadn’t done something like this for over 13 years, that type of togetherness in the studio every day.Musicians Bono, Griselda, and Lil Wayne, as well as DMX's daughter, Sonovah, appear on the album.

On April 16, the song "Been to War" by DMX along with Swizz Beatz and French Montana was released as part of the soundtrack for the television series Godfather of Harlem.

On May 25, the album's first official single, "Hood Blues" was released, which contains features from New York rappers Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and Conway the Machine, credited as Griselda.

[29] Alexis Petridis gave Exodus a positive review, remarking that the album "feels far more like a bold restatement of core values than an attempt to follow trends".

[33] Robin Murray of Clash praised the album, calling it "an unbearably poignant listen at times, with meditations on loss and allegories for death at every corner".

On the contrary, he noted that the album "can't escape the reality it exists in" due to the fact that it was completed before the death of DMX.

Providing an example, Ihaza said that it was "hard to listen to a song like 'Bath Salts'—featuring Jay-Z and Nas rapping about being successful billionaires" without feeling a tinge of despair over the death of DMX.