RIP DMX

[HalfAnIdiot]

1 hour ago, Ddiamondd said:

Blithely one-dimensional, bigoted takes flying about here. It stinks.

Pop Smoke and Nipsey Hussle were killed in cold blood because rivals in their city geotagged them on social media and pulled up on them. But most of the high-profile rappers to die in recent years – Mac Miller, Juice WRLD, DMX, Lil Peep et al – have been the result of ODs or spiked drugs. Same goes for Prince: anyone want to claim he's at fault for the cardinal sin of being a rapper?

There's nothing funny in the slightest about valourising the issues leading to a markedly higher death and incarceration rate for African American men.

In DMX's case, I'm sure he would have loved to not be in the throes of substance abuse for the entirety of his adult life, but maybe drugs masked the pain of child abuse, abject poverty, being existentially restless etc. 

Even as a deeply flawed man – who loved dogs but failed to care for them during the worst of his addiction, which is why he copped the criminal charges; not from dogfighting – he was an example of resilience in the face of adversity. To wave breezily at drugs or being a rapper and say ‘oh, what a wasted life, silly man, he had it coming’ is condescending in the extreme.

A few people in this thread need to get a grip.

'Even as a deeply flawed man'

good words, but so are so many of us are imperfect yet contribute so much. 

Who do we chose to demonise and who do we chose to praise? 

[dentalplan]

7 hours ago, FloorFiller said:

His whole Woodstock performance is so hype. It’s easy to forget just how huge he was, but that crowd popping off for his entire set says it all.

Just checked the full thing out and, for all the bad stuff, Woodstock '99 did serve as an incredible snapshot of music at the time. Some of the biggest performances being like Limp Bizkit, Korn, Rage, Ice Cube and DMX demonstrated how rock and hip hop were mixing with each other. The Family Values tour too.

The era of DMX and the early era of Eminem (admittedly probably more so Eminem but he wasn't doing it alone) with dark aggressive lyrics and nasty beats that rock kids could get on board with in between nu metal jams was probably the single most important time for integrating hip hop with white America. The effect of which we see on the music world and culture in general right now. And a shout out to that.

Edited April 10, 2021 by dentalplan

[bamber]

It is remarkable that DMX died the same day as Prince Philip, exactly half Prince Philip's age. One can't draw any conclusions from that directly, but there it is. Philip, born in Corfu, into a doomed Greek Royal family, married into the British Royal family, who lived a life of privilege in Windsor, Sandringam and Buckingham Palace, while DMX survived the Mean Streets of of New York in the 70s to become a successful rapper. It is what it is.

I think there is a lesson here about privilege and opportunity in life generally.

[zahidf]

 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

8 hours ago, Ddiamondd said:

Blithely one-dimensional, bigoted takes flying about here. It stinks.

Pop Smoke and Nipsey Hussle were killed in cold blood because rivals in their city geotagged them on social media and pulled up on them. But most of the high-profile rappers to die in recent years – Mac Miller, Juice WRLD, DMX, Lil Peep et al – have been the result of ODs or spiked drugs. Same goes for Prince: anyone want to claim he's at fault for the cardinal sin of being a rapper?

There's nothing funny in the slightest about valourising the issues leading to a markedly higher death and incarceration rate for African American men.

In DMX's case, I'm sure he would have loved to not be in the throes of substance abuse for the entirety of his adult life, but maybe drugs masked the pain of child abuse, abject poverty, being existentially restless etc. 

Even as a deeply flawed man – who loved dogs but failed to care for them during the worst of his addiction, which is why he copped the criminal charges; not from dogfighting – he was an example of resilience in the face of adversity. To wave breezily at drugs or being a rapper and say ‘oh, what a wasted life, silly man, he had it coming’ is condescending in the extreme.

A few people in this thread need to get a grip.

Nailed it, @Ddiamondd. There have been a few lazy, stereotypical and uneducated comments linking hip-hop culture and specific social issues over the past few years across these boards, which have thinly veiled "undertones". Good to see it being called out for what it is. 

[bamber]

14 hours ago, eFestivals said:

What is it lately with rappers dying young without them shooting each other.

DMX was 50, not young.

Life expectancy in the UK and USA is less for black people than white people. Structural Racism is the reason for that. Yes rappers killing each other is a (rare) thing, but it is a symptom of an unequal society, not a consequence of inherent predisposition of rappers to kill each other, that is not predetermined.

 

[Andre91]

12 hours ago, thewayiam said:

And then people still question me when I say I have no time for drugs at all.

All people with addiction problems deserve to die, do they? Reading between the lines of comments you made earlier in the week and this, they all deserve what’s coming to them because they chose to become addicts? What an immature and ignorant take.
 

Also, this isn’t about you. Either come in here to pay your respects to a legendary artist or don’t comment at all. You’re not achieving anything other than looking like a berk by coming in and saying ‘see why I don’t like drugs!’

Edited April 10, 2021 by Andre91

[eFestivals]

1 hour ago, zahidf said:

 

Would have been better to see him fight Robert zimmerman

[Andre91]

I won’t pretend that I’ve ever been the biggest DMX fan out there but he has got a lot of bangers and is undoubtedly one of the most important artists in that genre of the last 30 years. Hip Hop in 2021 looks very different if DMX never made music. 

A little personal story: I remember seeing the cover of Flesh Of My Flesh in an HMV or an ASDA or something when I was about 11/12 and thinking ‘wtf is that!?’. I immediately went home and searched for it on Lime Wire (yeah, yeah, I know. We were all at it) and listening to it for the rest of the day. That was my introduction to him. Little things like that really stick with you when you’re growing up and an album cover as bold as that certainly leaves its mark. 
 

Like I said, I can’t pretend I’m a fanatic but he has got a fair few songs that make their way onto the shuffle when my friends and I are in the mood for some Hip Hop. 
 

RIP. 

Edited April 10, 2021 by Andre91

[bamber]

12 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

he has got a lot of songs that make their way onto the shuffle when my friends and I are in the mood for some Hip Hop.

RIP. 

Likewise.

His death at 50 contrasted with Prince Philip's death at 99 is an anomaly nonetheless. 

Edited April 10, 2021 by bamber

[Zacko]

11 hours ago, dentalplan said:

Just checked the full thing out and, for all the bad stuff, Woodstock '99 did serve as an incredible snapshot of music at the time. Some of the biggest performances being like Limp Bizkit, Korn, Rage, Ice Cube and DMX demonstrated how rock and hip hop were mixing with each other. The Family Values tour too.

The era of DMX and the early era of Eminem (admittedly probably more so Eminem but he wasn't doing it alone) with dark aggressive lyrics and nasty beats that rock kids could get on board with in between nu metal jams was probably the single most important time for integrating hip hop with white America. The effect of which we see on the music world and culture in general right now. And a shout out to that.

Really excited for the Woodstock 99 documentary that's supposed to be coming out sometime soon on Netflix. 

The whole idea that it was "the day the 90's died" fascinates me. The blending of genres like you mentioned, the size of the crowds, and the sheer lawlessness of that weekend are going to make for (hopefully) an incredible watch. 

[Haan]

I think it's totally fair to be critical of his homophobic lyrics, and even though it doesn't excuse him I do however think we should take his upbringing into context too. He was abused by his mum and step dad so much he ended up leaving his house and befriending stray dogs (which is where the whole dog persona and barking on tracks comes from). At 14 an older man who introduced him to rap also tricked him into smoking crack and got him addicted. That is a cartoon supervillain origin story, or for those who have seen The Wire, basically the story Dukie. Regardless, he hit incredible heights, one of the biggest rappers of his time and will forever be remembered for his art and contributions to music. 

RIP 🌹

Another wonderful DMX story: