DMX, the raspy hip-hop artist behind the songs Ruff Ryders’ Anthem and Party Up (Up in Here) who had one of rap’s most distinctive voices — literally and metaphorically — has died, according to a statement on Friday from his family. He was 50.
The Grammy-nominated performer died after suffering “catastrophic cardiac arrest,” according to a statement from the hospital in White Plains, New York, where he died.
He was rushed there from his home on Friday last week.
Photo: Reuters
DMX, whose birth name was Earl Simmons, died with relatives by his side after several days on life support, the statement said.
“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,” the family said, adding that his music “inspired countless fans across the world, and his iconic legacy will live on forever.”
DMX — who rapped with a trademark delivery that was often paired with growls, barks and “What!” as an ad-lib — built a multiplatinum career as one of rap’s biggest stars of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but he also struggled with drug addiction and legal problems that repeatedly put him behind bars.
“His message of triumph over struggle, his search for the light out of darkness, his pursuit of truth and grace brought us closer to our own humanity,” his record label, Def Jam Recordings, said in a statement describing him as “nothing less than a giant.”
Fellow hip-hop artists remembered him likewise, with Eve praising him as “one of the most special people I have ever met” and Nas calling him “Gods [sic] poet” in an Instagram post.
DMX made a splash in 1998 with his first studio album, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot, which debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
He released seven albums, earned three Grammy nominations and was named favorite rap/hip-hop artist at the 2000 American Music Awards.
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