He was both gangsta and gospel DMX performs at Masters Of Ceremony 2019 at Barclays Center on Jin New York City. and other hip-hop luminaries whose celebrity status grew beyond their music, the “X Gon’ Give It to Ya” rapper once had his own reality show: “DMX: Soul of a Man” aired on BET in 2006. He co-starred with another iconic New York emcee, Nas, in his 1998 film debut, “Belly.” Bouncing between hip-hop and Hollywood without missing a beat, he followed that up with roles in 2000’s “Romeo Must Die,” 2001’s “Exit Wounds,” 2003’s “Cradle 2 the Grave” and 2004’s “Never Die Alone.” He was a TV star, too That ferocious flow provided a marked contrast to the laconic drawl of his canine-connected West Coast competition, Snoop Dogg, who faced off with X in a memorable Verzuz battle last July.ĭMX, NY-born rap icon and former Ruff Ryders member, dead at 50ĭMX made the leap from the streets to the screen, with the powerful presence of his rap persona turning him into a certified box-office draw packing both charisma and gangsta cred. His gruff, growling attack - punctuated by his trademark barks on songs such as “Get at Me Dog,” his 1998 major-label debut single - gave DMX one of the most distinctive deliveries in hip-hop. It was like, ‘We feel you like we feel him,’ so I took it as a sign of respect.” With his barking delivery, he was the anti-Snoop Dogg “I think it was more like what he brought to the table and what I brought to the table. “I do have a tremendous amount of respect for him and his music,” DMX told MTV in 2012 about being likened to the late legend. He filled the 2Pac gapĪfter the 1996 shooting death of Tupac Shakur - followed by the Notorious B.I.G.’s murder in 1997 - DMX became the hardcore heavyweight on the rap scene, drawing comparisons to ‘Pac at a time when hip-hop fans were looking for the next gangsta hero to fill the void. To show love for his hip-hop family, he even dedicated one of his biggest bangers, 1998’s “Ruff Ryders Anthem,” to his beloved crew. Getty ImagesĭMX at the forefront of the Ruff Ryders movement turned the rap collective into a hip-hop dynasty in the late ’90s with such acts as the Lox and Eve. 1ĭMX was part of one of the earliest hip-hop collectives. He’s the only rapper to have his first five albums debut at No. Here are eight ways in which DMX changed the rap game. People thought about hip-hop as being negative, but he brought fun to hip-hop.” His “energy was just amazing, and it was different from what everybody else was doing. “There is nobody like DMX,” Thomas told The Post. DMX was one of the biggest players in the commercial hip-hop world, selling a record-amount of albums in his early career. “DMX delivered heartfelt, honest music, the vibration that filled the void after the loss of Tupac ,” Paradise Gray, chief curator at the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM), told The Post.Īnd seeing him onstage was a certain kind of magic, added Shawn “Cutman LG” Thomas, head of music programming for the UHHM. He went on to be one of the most successful commercial rappers of all time - for a good reason. He made his name battling in street circles and had an infamous battle with Jay-Z back in 1993 before the two were famous. However the New York native - born Earl Simmons in Mount Vernon and raised in Yonkers - was as talented as he was troubled. Marlene Clark dies: Actress starred in ‘Sanford and Son’ and ‘Ganja & Hess’īeyoncé honors Tina Turner on tour: ‘Scream so she can feel your love’ĭMX was a hardcore rapper who lived a hard life - and ultimately died from it.īut for true fans, that’s not what he’ll be remembered for.įrom his struggles with substance abuse - with an overdose triggering a heart attack that led to his death at 50 on Friday at White Plains Hospital - to his run-ins with the law, he had fallen from the heights that had once made him one of hip-hop’s biggest stars. Paul Walker’s brother honors late actor after birth of new baby boy Tina Turner’s daughter-in-law reveals heartbreak caused by her children
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