DMX is one of one. He was a rap superstar who literally bore all of his tortured demons into rap. He filled the emotional void in hip-hop that 2pac left behind. In an era of bling rap, DMX was the sobering reminder of the streets. Ferocious delivery. Movie star. Father.

an extreme victim of child abuse, but put it all in his craft. A prayer warrior. A fun uncle. Approachable. Respected by every artist in hip-hop. Top 10-15 depending on who you ask. 5 #1 albums IN A ROW.

the rapper that saved Def Jam. A man who went toe to toe with Hov in a battle. He perfectly captured the dark man aesthetic in hip-hop, but over the years, we seen light return to his life. I cried watching him on Verzus

God was giving us a chance to give him his flowers. We saw him smile. Dance. Joke. It was like watching your uncle finally get his life together at the BBQ.

His addiction was a result of his mentor. We watched his family fail him over and over again. Dude wasn't even allowed to go outside as a kid, and would read the Bible to get through the day.

I always say if he started a megachurch, I would be the best tithing member ever. DMX was a vessel. He brought spiritually into rap. He prayed on every platinum album he had. And we believe those prayers.

I'm glad he made it to 50. He wasn't supposed to be here for long. DMX is the epitome of a meteor crashing into. Great music artists rewrite the rules.

DMX rewrote the superstar rapper manual. You could pray on records. You can ask what these bitches want, and women would get excited when their names get called. He brought bike culture into rap. He made a party record talking shit about his friends.

You could go platinum 5 times in a row. And most of all, he was the mental rapper health we all needed at the time. I've been this holding all of this in so I just wanted to get out everything in one swoop. RIP Earl Simmons

He finally gets to see Aailyah. That shit means something to me....

People need to really understand how he saved Def Jam. Bad Boy was kicking Def Jam's ass in the 90s. Big Elly was getting old. Big and Ma$e had all the multi-platinum records and airplay. Hov was still coming into his own

Rap was at its most competitive in the 90s, and though Def Jam had good rappers, it was DMX who was able to combine raw emotional content with tremendous commercial rap success.

Also, the East Coast was dying for a raw rap superstar like BIG. Hov was the successor, but DMX was the bridge. DMX changed the landscape of hip-hop back to the East Coast. And it's the last time the East has owned it.

so when ppl say he saved Def Jam, it is 1000% accurate. The shiny suits went away and the dogs and the bikes came in. You simply had to be there to appreciate DMX's moment in the sun.

I remember partying at ASU in the early 2000s and we would go to McDonalds the next day and we would see DMX in line. He would talk to students. He always rode in those huge choppers. He lived in Scottsdale for a very long time.

So yeah. hope I was able to articulate everything. DMX doesn't need our prayers anymore. He WAS the prayer.

This is the first time I've cried over a rapper. Ever. It wasn't a part of my early childhood, but when I turned 15, I discovered DMX, Busta, and Outkast, and that's what got me into hip-hop. DMX was the grit, Busta was the creative, and Outkast was the soul.

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