The 2021 BET Awards paid tribute to the late DMX with a medley of songs courtesy of Method Man, Griselda, The Lox, Swizz Beatz, Michael K Williams, Busta Rhymes and more. A great homage to the late, great Earl Simmons.
DMX’s presence will always be larger than life, even in his passing. Just seeing him in his mode for the “Hood Blues” video from his Exodus album is a reminder that he’ll always be known as one of the best to ever do it.
Gone but most certainly not forgotten, DMX’s posthumous album Exodus has been released following the unfortunate passing of Earl Simmons. One of the standout tracks has DMX alongside two other legends in Jay-Z and Nas with “Bath Salts.” And, as you can expect, this one goes.
The late Earl Simmons has a posthumous album releasing on May 28th titled Exodus. It makes perfect sense for a DMX song featuring the Griselda collective of Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn and Benny the Butcher be the first single. Here’s “Hood Blues.”
It is a tragic day in Hip Hop as DMX has passed away at the age of 50.
X, birth name Earl Simmons, was hospitalized at the White Plains Hospital in New York after reportedly suffering cardiac arrest.
“We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50-years-old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days,” DMX’s family said in a statement. “Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever. We appreciate all of the love and support during this incredibly difficult time. Please respect our privacy as we grieve the loss of our brother, father, uncle and the man the world knew as DMX. We will share information about his memorial service once details are finalized.”
DMX burst onto the scene with his debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998 and injected the culture with a profound grittiness that the industry was lacking at a time where excess was celebrated. His trademark bark and unrivaled stage presence was coupled with a vulnerability that only X could display as he publicly fought his demons through his music. He was the star of the Ruff Ryders collective and played a role in the rebirth of Def Jam records.
DMX would become the first artist in history to have two albums debut atop the charts in the same year, with Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood following his debut album in 1998. Aside from his profound rap career, DMX cut his teeth as an actor in films such as Romeo Must Die and Belly.
Although he was a superstar, he never shied away from his battles with depression and addiction. After disappearing from the scene for several years, DMX emerged in a VERZUZ battle with Snoop Dogg
It goes without saying that there will never be another rapper like DMX and we hope that he’s resting easy above us with no more suffering.
Dark Man X is back with a ton of fire and it’s great to see him connect with his Ruff Ryder brethren on The Lox’s “Bout Shit.” The video finds the collective blasting off with aggressive bars that remind us of an era where Yonkers was running things.
The Ruff Ryders reunite as The Lox and DMX form like Voltron with “Bout Shit” from Styles P, Jadakiss and Sheek Louch’s next album Living Off Xperience. Check out the Scram Jones-produced cut and see if you get some sense of nostalgia.
It feels like a good time for DMX to get back into the public eye after his showing at VERZUZ. The Ruff Ryder teams up with Casanova in a class on how to rap aggressively with “Don’t Play Games.”
You’ve heard the song, now check out the animated video for Forever M.C.’s “King Kong” featuring Royce 5’9″, KXNG Crooked and DMX with additional scratches by Statik Selektah.
After blessing us with “Terminally Ill” the production and emcee tandem of Forever M.C. and It’s Different are back with a new banger that brings DMX together with two Slaughterhouse members on “King Kong.” Turn this up to ignorant volumes as everyone gets busy and Statik Selektah provides the cuts.