Hip-hop legend DMX, whose drug addiction had landed him in prison multiple times, recently opened up about how he got hooked in the first place.
During an interview this month with fellow hip-hop artist Talib Kweli on the “People’s Party” podcast show, DMX shared his story of crack addiction and its origins.” DMX, whose given name is Earl Simmons, said the addiction led to the end of many personal relationships and cost probably millions in potential earnings.
“I learned that I had to deal with the things that hurt me,” DMX said. “I didn’t really have anybody to talk to… in the hood, nobody wants to hear that… Talking about your problems is viewed as a sign of weakness when actually it’s one of the bravest things you can do. One of the bravest things you can do is put it on the table, chop it up, and just let it out.”
He was just 14 years old when his mentor gave him a crack-laced marijuana blunt without telling him what he smoked, Billboard reported. The same person who introduced him to hip-hop helped get him addicted to drugs.
“He passed the blunt around and… I hit the blunt,” DMX explained, near tears. “I never felt like this before it f—ed me up. I later found out that he laced the blunt with crack… Why would you do that to a child? He was like 30 and he knew I looked up to him. Why would you do that to someone who looks up to you?”
Still, DMX said his addiction problems went deeper than just that incident. “Drugs were never a problem,” he said. “Drugs were a symptom of a bigger problem. There were things I went through in my childhood where I just blocked it out. You never know when the things you stored away are going to come out and just fall all over the place.”
Eventually, DMX said he made a decision: “Let me open this door and start dealing with this shit right now before it comes out at the wrong time and I just have a meltdown… that’s what’s helped with addiction and sobriety.”
DMX’s latest stint in rehab was in September 2019 and he said he’s working hard on his sobriety. He checked himself in while on his 20-year anniversary tour.
It’s been a rough road for DMX, who is considered one of the best hip-hop artists around. In 2016, he almost died of a drug overdose, Cheat Sheet reported.
DMX stopped breathing and had no pulse in a Westchester, New York, parking lot, Page Six reported. A medic administered Narcan, an anti-opioid used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, according to police. The hip-hop artist became “semiconscious” and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he received treatment.
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Throughout his career, DMX has released eight studio albums, five compilation albums, one mixtape, an extended play (EP), 46 singles (including 17 as a featured artist) and 24 music videos. As of June 2014, he became the fifth best-selling rap or hip-hop artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era in the U.S., with sales of 23.3 million albums, according to Yahoo.
