DMX is one of Hip-Hop’s greatest heroes. But unlike in comic books, real-life heroes are complicated.

There’s no shortage of stories about Earl Simmons’ legal issues, drama, and struggles. However, this is not the true nature of his legacy.

Instead, to truly consider his legacy, we have to look at all the ways DMX was ahead of his time, such as when he was one of the first rappers to loan his voice to a video game. We have to consider how his style of “street preaching” in rap can still be heard today in the likes of Pastor Troy and Jeezy. We even have to consider how DMX integrated biker culture — long associated almost exclusively with Rock’n’Roll — into Hip-Hop and made it a seminal part of the culture that still exists today.

And we also have to consider how it only took being himself for him to go viral on social media — and DMX, who was only 50-years-old when he passed, was part of a generation that is more resistant to “going viral” on social media than their younger, more tech-savvy counterparts, which sometimes can be rightly accused of doing too many inauthentic stunts for “clicks & engagement” sake.

Our sister site, Blavity, pointed out that DMX was the No. 2 term searched on Google in 2021, and the No. 1 term searched on Google for those who have passed away. The rapper’s name trended online for weeks as millions flooded social media with touching tributes, including several celebrities such as Eve, Missy Elliott, LeBron James, and others.

Writing for Rolling Stone, Ben Dandridge-Lemco summed it up best:

“For all the rowdy exuberance of the scene outside, the memorial service struck a more introspective tone, a fitting change of pace for a rapper who could switch from macho aggression to sincere spirituality in a matter of bars. The healing gospel of Christianity that DMX weaved into his recorded music and his live performances shaped much of the 90-minute ceremony.”

Here, we take a look back at the real legacy of DMX.

Earl Simmons

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