ILL Bliss, Barzini, Others Pay Tributes To Late Dmx

On April 10, 2021 legendary American rapper, Dmx passed away after few days of life support as a result of a reported drug overdose and heart attack.
Since then encomiums have poured in for the enigmatic rapper who wore his heart on his sleeves and openly discussed his pain. Across several hip hop loving plains, subwoofers would blare DMX’s music from Harlem to Lagos and then Timbuktu. In the late 90s his music was as famous as his face of dark coloured T-shirts.
As the tributes continue to rain, some Nigerian hip hop giants talk about what DMX means to them.
ILL Bliss (Rapper):- “In 1999, he dropped two albums that changed my entire perspective on hip hop ‘It’s Dark’ and ‘Hell is Hot’, ‘Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood’, the beats, the energy and the Thematic Ranged, helped shape my approach to rap.
“The Ruff Ryder’s movement also introduced a new sound to rap, raw and street. His transition to film and TV through Belly ‘Romeo must Die’ and so forth also showed me how I needed to deversify the hustle.
“DMX was a leader, a teacher and one of the most consistent and entertaining emcees to ever bless the mic. He will be sorely missed and his legacy will never end”.
Barzini (Rapper):- “ To me, DMX represents the freedom to define yourself by yourself and be fine with what ever comes with you. The man oozed confidence and greatness despite not fitting the industry prototype. At the height of his career he also represented showmanship. That man knew how to rock a crowd, his woodwork performance in 1999 was a testament.
“DMX is the real energy god, back in the days, I would be scared to perform on stage, I spent a great deal of time watching DMX and how he controlled the crowd, that was how I was able to get confidence to rock the crowd the way I do.
“Even in my music, when I record and I wanna embody energy, I feel the man’s spirit with me, words cannot express”.
Steve Dede (Journalist):- “ My first vulnerable rapper, who talked about everything. He was the first rapper to let me know what being vulnerable was, not just isn’t a feminine thing”.