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DMX’s death has broken hearts amongst the hip-hop community and beyond. Throughout his 25-year career, he became the People’s Champ. No matter how many times he fell due to run-ins with the law and drug addiction we cheered him on because we loved him. From “Party Up” to “I Miss You,” his music touched our hearts and made us dance and the Dog became one of the best performers of our time.
When entertainers die, a conversation about getting your roses while you can smell them is ignited. After someone passes their music shoots to the top of the charts and sometimes they are even awarded posthumous awards. People then become critical of those who are know showing love and appreciation to someone when they can’t experience it. This doesn’t apply to DMX.
The internet is flooded with videos of fans embracing and praising the Yonkers, NY native. His performances have been invigorating crowds since 1998 and this is undeniable. A prayer from DMX was and will always be held in high esteem. When upcoming rappers were graced with a feature from him, which didn’t happen often, they were deeply honored to have the Dog as a part of their catalog. DMX was so soul-bearing in his music and he inspired and touched people in a way that is unparalleled in hip-hop. During his 50 years on his earth, he knew that.
People that got to experience his energy through conversation were left changed. A fan recently shared how DMX inspired her to forgive her drug-addicted father, something she couldn’t seem to do on her own.
“He said ‘forgive him.’ I needed to hear that. Of all people, it came from someone I grew up listening to bc of my dad,” Sheila Matthews tweeted. “Sometimes in the moment you don’t understand the significance of a moment until it’s passed. To this day, I credit X for helping me learn forgiveness. I am praying that he gives himself grace — in this lifetime and beyond. His words and impact have left a deep legacy.”
In his last interview on Drink Champs, reflected and said what his last thought would be before he left this earth.
“If I was to drop dead right now, my last thought would be: ‘I’ve lived a good life,'” he said.
When DMX brought music to our ears, we felt his pain. From being abused as a child, losing his grandmother and struggling with the grip of drug abuse, fans empathized with him and always had hope that he would overcome his demons not only so he could thrive in music but so he could also have peace.
In his last two years it seemed like he had found that peace. He celebrated the 20th anniversary of It’s Dark & Hell Is Hot. He had did a Verzuz with Snoop Dogg. He had even re-signed to Def Jam, the label where he became a superstar, and was recording a new album. He even looked different, sporting a much fuller, healthier physique. Clips of him on social media laughing, dancing and smiling warmed our hearts. The People’s Champ was winning again in more ways than one.
His legacy will continue to live on through his powerful and poetic songs, videos of his high-energy performances and stories of how he touched people and taught life lessons. The love that he is being shown after his passing is just as grand as the love he was shown while on this earth.
