People Who Inspired Me To Be A Writer: DMX

"To live is to suffer, but to survive, well that's to find meaning in the suffering." - DMX.

As a writer I draw influence from many people and places, including the areas of my other passions, one of which is of course music. I've been rapping my whole life and Hip Hop is a part of my entire soul. I've done a lot of writing as a lyricist and one of my top three favorite rappers of all time has played one of the biggest roles in that lyrical influence: Earl "DMX" Simmons.

Earl Simmons was born December 18, 1970 in Mount Vernon, New York. His childhood and family life as a young boy was marred by abuse and abandonment. As he grew older he lived a troubled life as a delinquent in the inner city streets of New York City. It was also here that he channeled his pain and trouble in the spirit of Hip Hop and became a rapper. After making a name for himself in the Hip Hop underground he finally made it big on the mainstage of Hip Hop's mainstream with his first album, "It's Dark and Hell is Hot" (1998). It was here that the world was introduced to Dark Man X, better known as DMX.

Like the rest of the inner city I was captivated by everything about DMX from the first time I heard his voice. The reason why his style and music was so impactful from the first moment he hit everyone's ears is because he reinstalled a sense of Hip Hop purity that was missing in the aftermath of the deaths of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. Whether you came from the projects or the suburbs, DMX had everyone bouncing off the walls, me especially. I have always been an energetic person, so DMX instantly became a favorite rapper of mine because of his upbeat energy, I even had the random privilege of seeing him in person when he first blew up in 1998 when I was just five years old when he came to North Carolina one weekend as I was out with my dad.

When I started rapping for myself when I was just eight years old, DMX was one of the main rappers who's personality I would imitate, I even got to a point where I would dress like him as well. As I got older and understood the concept of writing and content more, it became very clear who my biggest influences of Hip Hop were and my top three are Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur and DMX. I've always appreciated a great sense of versatility in music and storytelling, especially in Hip Hop and DMX was always one of the best artist who embodied this trait. I loved how he could tell stories of street life in the inner city because I could relate to them very well being that I was surrounded by that life at the time he first made it big, but that was just the start for him. DMX captivated me so much more when he talked about his personal battles due to his past traumas, relationship issues dealing with infidelity, and his relationship with God and his dedication to his Christianity.

Never had I ever heard someone be so transparent with their rights and wrongs in music the way he had done so and it was not just me who he captivated with his transparency, but the rest of the world as well. Songs from X like "Get at me Dog" described his street life, "Slippin" talked about his personal struggles due to his traumas, "What They Really Want" featuring Sisqo of Dru Hill talked about his relationship infidelities, and "Thank You" featuring Patti Labelle talked about the power of his faith in God. Everyone of these songs had an equal degree of impact on me, not just in the lyrical sense of writing music, but writing and telling stories in general. DMX taught me that I did not have to show just one face to uphold an image all to have everyone look at me a certain way. I could be multifaceted when I tell a story and bare not only the good part of myself, but also the not so good part of myself and both sides would be appreciated.

Perhaps the biggest quality of DMX that I connected with was his vivid expressions of his Christianity and faith in God. My Christianity and faith in God has been the biggest part of my life forever. I'm far from perfect in keeping up with it like I should, but nevertheless it is what matters most to me. So when I think about songs that DMX made like "Ready to meet Him", "Angel", "Thank You" and "Lord Give Me a Sign", songs that talked about his relationship with God, dealing with his shortcomings as a Christian, and how his faith pulled him through so many hard times, I felt like I was hearing a confessional from my mirror image. It should also be noted that DMX started and ended every single one of his albums with a prayer. He would even have prayers on stage at his concerts and these moments of prayer would have the whole audience consumed emotionally and pouring with tears. In a world where talking about faith and a relationship with God is still seen as taboo, I learned from X to have the courage to do so anyway because it is such a positive inspiration to many. Nowadays as I am still coming into my own as a writer. I'm not afraid to write stories talking about Christianity, faith and having a relationship with God and this is greatly attributed to DMX.

When a famous person who has had a massive impact passes away there is a broad sense of pain and loss that hits the world of fandom and entertainment, but when DMX passed away my soul was hit by the death of a famous person like never before. When DMX passed away I didn't just lose someone I admired or inspired me, I felt like I lost a best friend, because I did. I went through a serious grieving period where I cried multiple times in the weeks following his death and his music was all I could listen to. DMX didn't just inspire my talent, he also impacted my everyday life surrounding my artistry. When my mother died an untimely death in the summer of 2010, DMX's song "I Wish" featuring Seal was one of the main songs that helped me through her death and when my grandmother passed away two years later his 2012 comeback album "Undisputed" was the music that helped me get my smile and energy back.

In 2013 I recorded my first rap song ever and I didn't even realize at the time that the beat I used was DMX's beat to his song "DXL-Hard White" off his third and most successful album, "And then there was X". In 2017 I met the second half of my adopted mothers who adopted me in love in the years following my mother's death. That mother is Nicole Moore Macon (first name Peggy) and we met in church. Of course a relationship with God is what matters most to this mother of mine, but she also revealed to me that DMX was always her favorite rapper, so he always played a big role in the bond that we have. When he first fell into a coma in his last days it was my mama Peggy who broke the news to me before anyone else. This furthermore shows the influence he has in my life.

After DMX's passing his final album he was working on before he died titled "Exodus" was released and just like every album he ever made before, this album was amazing and filled with his classic takes on personal struggles, faith and relationship with God. Like everything he made before he left us more of himself that made him so great.

Whether in life or in death DMX will always be one of my top biggest influences as a Hip Hop artist who has inspired my rapping with his energy and subject matter and for how he expressed his life struggles and his relationship with faith in God he will always be one of my biggest inspirations as a writer.

~~Dedicated my mama who adopted me, Nicole Moore Macon (Peggy) for her shared love that we have for DMX.

~~Dedicated to the memory of Earl "DMX" Simmons, one of my heroes of music and writing. The Dog is home.