Legendary rapper DMX’s memorial services to be streamed by YouTube and BET this weekend

Fans are preparing to memorialize legendary rapper DMX. 

There will be two services to honor the “Party Up (Up in Here)” rapper, a break-out artist in the ’90s and 2000s hip-hop scene. The Ruff Ryders rapper died April 9 at age50, after being hospitalized following a heart attack.

According to the late-rapper’s Instagram, a memorial service to honor his life and legacy will take placeSaturday in New York City. The service will begin at 4 p.m. EST/1 p.m. PST, and though it will only be open to close friends and family, it will be streamed live on DMX’s official YouTube page for the public. Prior to the livestreamed memorial, Ruff Ryders will host a ride-out procession called The Ruff Ryders 2 The Rescue: Ryde 4 Life starting in Yonkers, New York. 

The next day BET will host a homegoing celebration, “BET Remembers DMX,” to commemorate the rapper’s life. According to a press release, the event will be broadcast and streamed by BET on Sunday, beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. PST. Following the program, the network will air movies and documentaries featuring DMX to honor him. 

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“DMX is a musical icon whose impact was truly groundbreaking and transcended generations. The authenticity and transparency in his music were profound, creating a lane of his own that changed hip-hop forever,” said Connie Orlando, BET’s executive vice president of specials, music programming and music strategy.

The rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was rushed to a hospital in White Plains, New York, on April 2 and died almost a week later according to a statement from his family given to The Associated Press.

“Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart, and we cherish the times we spent with him,” the family said, adding that his music “inspired countless fans across the world, and his iconic legacy will live on forever.”

Rapper DMX is currently hospitalized after suffering a drug overdose at his home in New York (Photo: Wochit)

He first made a splash in rap music in 1998 with his first studio album “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot,” which debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The multiplatinum-selling album was anchored by several hits including “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem,” “Get At Me Dog” and “Stop Being Greedy.”

The rapper had four other chart-topping albums including “… And Then There Was X,” “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood,” “The Great Depression” and “Grand Champ.” He released seven albums and earned three Grammy nominations including nods for “Party Up (Up in Here).”

Most recently, DMX battled fellow rapper Snoop Dogg during Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s popular web series “Verzuz” in July 2020.

The Ruff Ryders rapper battled with drug addiction in the past and was last in rehab in 2019 after spending a year in prison for tax evasion, which the IRS had been pursuing him for since 2005.

Besides his legal troubles, DMX worked to help the less fortunate. He gave a group of Philadelphia men advice during a surprise appearance at a homeless support group meeting in 2017 and helped a Maine family with its back-to-school purchases a couple of years later.

Contributing: Rasha Ali and Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY; Christopher J. Eberhart, The Journal News; The Associated Press

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