16 votes

DMX has died at 50

8 comments

  1. [2]
    TheJorro
    Link
    RIP A selection of his best known songs, from reddit: X Gon' Give It To Ya Ruff Ryders' Anthem Where The Hood At? Slippin' What These Bitches Want Party Up (Up In Here) How's it Goin' Down Get At...
    12 votes
    1. kyotja
      Link Parent
      I put his rendition of Rudolph on every Christmas playlist I've ever made. "X gon' give it to ya" is the ultimate workout song, and I will always be grateful for it.

      I put his rendition of Rudolph on every Christmas playlist I've ever made. "X gon' give it to ya" is the ultimate workout song, and I will always be grateful for it.

      5 votes
  2. wervenyt
    Link
    DMX has been famous for only a few things in the last decade. His mental health and legal troubles, his cover of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and his blatant homophobia. It's easy to forget the...

    DMX has been famous for only a few things in the last decade. His mental health and legal troubles, his cover of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and his blatant homophobia. It's easy to forget the man behind them. At the age of 14, he was introduced to crack cocaine, and in the following years, he began to struggle with addiction and bipolar disorder. He became something of a leader in his neighbourhood, despite his growing reputation as one of those guys you don't fuck with because you don't know his limits. And then, in the aftermath of the battle for the title of King of New York, he came to fame with an off-the-wall, aggressive, and truly sincere image.

    He wasn't a cold-blooded, mafia boss-styled smooth-talker, he was the essentially gritty dude who would bark and growl like a dog, threaten you with sexual assault, and then come around on the next track to break your heart with genuine vulnerability. He released three of most-lauded albums in hip-hop between February 1998 and December 1999.

    With that fame and success, combined with his personal struggles, he soon spiraled out of control. That's not a statement of judgment, but drawn from his lyrical content from even his first couple of albums. He knew he had to get his act together for the people who relied on him. Sadly, the next ten years proved to be more difficult than the realization had been. I'm not going to list all of his mistakes here. Suffice it to say that this website exists. Flash forward another decade, and here we are.

    DMX was an incredibly flawed man, who wore his heart on his sleeve, struggled to grow, and suffered the consequences. He loved his family and God certainly far more than his actions and words expressed. It's horrible that he didn't get what he needed to avoid this.

    8 votes
  3. [4]
    AugustusFerdinand
    Link
    @mycketforvirrad justification for changing the age from a number to text?

    @mycketforvirrad justification for changing the age from a number to text?

    3 votes
    1. [3]
      mycketforvirrad
      Link Parent
      Uniformity. But it can be changed back if you prefer?

      Uniformity. But it can be changed back if you prefer?

      1 vote
      1. [2]
        AugustusFerdinand
        Link Parent
        Huh... checking the obit tag and you're right. Seems extremely odd to me and doesn't follow expected styles. I get that we don't have a set style here, but ages seem something that should be...

        Huh... checking the obit tag and you're right. Seems extremely odd to me and doesn't follow expected styles.

        I get that we don't have a set style here, but ages seem something that should be expressed in numbers...

        3 votes
        1. mycketforvirrad
          Link Parent
          True. I can swing either way on it. I'll just follow the consensus with any future editing.

          True. I can swing either way on it. I'll just follow the consensus with any future editing.

  4. [2]
    Comment removed by site admin
    Link
    1. EgoEimi
      Link Parent
      I knew this would be mentioned eventually. And I was thinking about bringing it up myself. These days we not only grieve artists when they pass but also assess their social legacy and impact. I'm...

      I knew this would be mentioned eventually. And I was thinking about bringing it up myself. These days we not only grieve artists when they pass but also assess their social legacy and impact. I'm a gay man, and I always wince when I hear homophobic lyrics because I know others are passively absorbing them.

      I was surprised that the New York Times, with its usual liberal sensitivities, published an obituary and an article lionizing him, painting him as a sympathetic "profound vessel for pain" while airbrushing away his animal cruelty and endangerment of others, without mention of his homophobia and misogyny. It's true that he had an unimaginably adverse life, but I think that it's not license to promote extreme homophobia and misogyny.

      3 votes