What happened to DMX has happened and will continue to happen to many more men if we don’t start getting men talking about how they feel and saying what is on their mind. I have often heard men say what they will and won’t talk about with another man, but why are there boundaries and who made them? I watched the DMX Verzuz Snoop replay on Instagram and two things stood out to me about DMX: 1. He wasn’t comfortable 2. His energy wasn’t in it. Snoop was drinking and smoking weed while DMX had bottled water. Fresh out of jail with stints of rehab and trying to pick up with his life where he left off just to be right back in those surroundings that are just too tempting. Not to pick on Snoop as I get it the studio is a place where these things are, but would it have been so hard for Snoop to not smoke or drink alcohol during the session? Of course Snoop was having a great time in his home as he should be getting to rap his favorite hits to millions of people around the world, but he forgot to be a host and didn’t seem mindful of the situation. I use this as an example because I wonder if Snoop had thought of that but didn’t want to impose or figured if there was a problem DMX would speak up, right? Wrong. DMX, like most men, accept people for who they are and don’t question anything. They are loyal to their friends who have had their back, and even if 9 of those friends were broke, he wouldn’t be the 10th yet still keep them close and help them out. It is called the Bro Code…yet one that is bittersweet. Whether or not DMX’s friends knew about his sickness they all knew about his drug use and his fans knew about his troubled upbringing and unhealthy relationships with his mother and women. One that is often common where a man is being raised by his single mom. Oh, I’m sure X’s friends and family tried to help him or deter him from making some choices, but a man will do what he wants to do. I just wonder if he allowed his friends in instead of only through the music would things be different. Not in the sense of would he be alive today because I am a believer that we are here on our own journey to fulfill our own assigned destinies in life. However, one can only wonder if X’s journey would have been a lot happier and healthier had he not had societal constraints or ingrained mentality that being open on a personal level with another man wasn’t masculine. Today, DMX died at the age of 50 years old. Cause of death a heart attack brought on by overuse of drugs in the middle of a pandemic surrounded by family. He will be forever remembered through his music and in a special way loved by those who grew up listening to it. GGRRRRRRR ARF ARF!
#dmx #snoop #mentalillness #hiphop #ruffryders #godson #bronx #verzuz
