Following the death of legendary rapper DMX, his longtime collaborator and close friend Swizz Beatz released a lengthy video on Instagram reflecting on X’s life and the impact he had on those around him. Beatz had produced some of X’s biggest hits including “Ruff Ryders Anthem,” from his 1998 debut studio album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot.
“My brother was a different type of brother—a different type of artist, a different type of creative, different type of spirit, different type of zone, different type of soul,” Swizz says in the video. “Since the day that I met him, he lived his for everyone else … You ain’t never seen DMX with a Lamborghini, you ain’t never seen my brother with a Rolls-Royce, you ain’t never seen him iced out with no jewelry. He did not care about any of that. He was the biggest … He was the biggest because he prayed for everybody else more than himself. He’d get on the stage and pray for 15,000 people, knowing that he needed more prayers than anybody that he was praying for.”
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X was hospitalized for a heart attack, which was reportedly brought on by a drug overdose, earlier this week. His family confirmed that he died on Friday.
“My brother would take care of everybody before he would take care of himself. I never seen a human like him. The closest I’ve ever seen to a prophet …” Swizz continued. “Know why he was suffering? ’Cause he took everyone’s pain and made it his. His humanitarian work should be celebrated.”
Check out more reactions from the hip-hop community to X’s death here.
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