DMX was a hard-core rapper who lived a hard life – and ultimately died from it.
From his struggles with substance abuse – with an overdose that led to a heart attack that became his on Friday at White Plains Hospital Death at the age of 50 led – by the time he broke the law, he had fallen from the heights to which he had once become one of The Greatest Hip-Hop Stars.
New York-born Earl Simmons, born at Mount Vernon and raised in Yonkers, but was as talented as he was troubled. He made a name for himself in street circles and had an infamous fight with Jay-Z in 1993 before the two became famous. He was one of the most successful commercial rappers of all time – for good reason.
« DMX put on warm, honest music, the vibration that filled the void after the loss of Tupac [Shakur], » Paradise Gray, chief curator at the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM), told The Post.
And seeing him on stage was a certain kind of magic, added Shawn « Cutman LG » Thomas, head of music programming for UHHM.
« There’s no one like DMX, » Thomas said Post Office. His “energy was just amazing and different from what everyone else was doing. People thought hip-hop was negative, but it was fun for hip-hop. “
DMX has a high place in hip-hip history that even rap kings like Jay-Z, Eminem and Kanye West cannot match: His first five albums – 1998’s » It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot » and « Flesh of My Flesh », Blood of My Blood, 1999s « … And Then There Was X », 2001s « The Great Depression » and 2003s appropriately titled « Grand Champ » – all debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
This impressive series eventually ended as the “Year of the Dog. . . Again “opened just one place before the climax in 2006 – 2nd place.
And as further proof of the commercial clout of DMX in its heyday, he went on Multiplatinum with three of his albums and moved over five million copies of his biggest seller » … and then there was X « .
This was the kind of consistency few artists of any genre had in their prime.
DMX at the forefront of the Ruff Ryders movement turned the rap collective into a hip-hop in the late 90s Dynasty with acts like Lox and Eve.
To love his hip-hop family, he even dedicated one of his biggest hits to his beloved crew, « Ruff Ryder’s Anthem » in 1998.
After Tupac Shakur’s death in 1996 – followed by the murder the Notorious BIG in 1997 – DMX became the hardcore heavyweight in the rap scene, making comparisons with ‘Pac at a time when hip-hop fans were looking for the next gangsta hero to fill the void.
« I have a lot of respect for him and his music, » DMX told MTV in 2012 that he was being compared to the late legend. “I think it was more like how he brought it to the table and what I brought to the table. It was like, « We feel you like we feel him, » so I took it as a token of respect. «
His gruff, growling attack – interrupted by his trademark on songs like » Get at Me Dog, « his 1998 major label debut single – gave DMX one of the most distinctive deliveries in hip-hop. That wild river formed one stark contrast to the laconic train of his canine-related west coast competition Snoop Dogg, who took on X in a memorable Verzuz battle last July.
DMX made the leap from the streets to on-screen, and the strong presence of its rap Personality turned him into a certified box office draw that combines both charisma and gangsta credibility.
In his 1998 film debut, « Belly », he starred with Nas, another legendary New York emcee, jumping between hip -Hop and Hollywood back and forth without missing a beat, and then played roles in « Romeo Must Die » from 2000, « Exit Wounds » from 2001, « Cradle 2 the Grave » from the year 2003 and « Never Die Alone » from 2004.
Like Diddy, T.I. and other hip-hop stars whose celebrity status rose above their music, the rapper « X Gon ‘Give It to Ya » once had his own reality show: « DMX: Soul of a Man » was broadcast on BET in 2006. </ Although DMX was known for being as gangsta as it gets, he was also a man of deep religious faith that he found on gospel rap tracks like "Lord Give Me a Sign" from 2006 and "Jesus Loves Me" from 2008.
DMX had struggled with cocaine addiction since he was 14, grew up in and out of an abusive household and boy’s homes, was diagnosed as bipolar, and was in and out of jail his entire life . But he used those experiences to connect with his fans and stay open about his struggles and his journey to find salvation through religion.
« Songs like » Slippin « gave us hope to get up and do it all over again to try, « said Thomas of the Universal Hip Hop Museum. « And songs like » Party Up « brought the party back to the dance floor. »
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