A Tribute To DMX: Happy Birthday Earl Simmons [VIDEO]

Hot 97 honors DMX on his 51st birthday

DMX suddenly died, back in April of this year, which was on the heels of his “Drink Champs” interview. In his interview, DMX talked about his return to Def Jam, and his new album. Sadly, X died before any of this could take place. His new album ended up being released posthumously and didn’t receive the attention that it deserved.

In 1997, DMX signed to Def Jam, and immediately took the industry by storm. He had a notable verse on LL Cool J’s “4,3,2,1,” that went overshadowed for other reasons. The following year, he had the spotlight to himself, outselling LL, and every other rapper in the game. Just in 1998, X released two multi-platinum albums and rose to the top of the charts.

From 1998 until 2003, DMX was consistently one of the hottest rappers in the game. X was the leader of the Ruff Ryders crew and one of three rappers to return Def Jam to prominence. This year, DMX would be celebrating his 51st birthday. Because he isn’t here to do it, Hot 97 stepped in with a tribute of their own for him.

Hot 97 honors DMX on his 51st birthday