Funkmaster Flex says DMX friends in the industry should’ve intervene sooner to save him.
It has been four days since the news broke of DMX’s alleged drug overdose and heart attack, and the hip hop community is still waiting anxiously to hear an update on his condition. Last we heard, X was taken off life support and breathing on his own, but he is reportedly still in a vegetative state. The situation is made all the more tragic by DMX’s very public battle with addiction, and now some people are calling out the industry for not doing a better job of helping X regain his mental and physical health.
Legendary DJ Funkmaster Flex spoke with Page Six on Monday to give his two cents on the situation.
“The music business is a gorilla,” said Flex. “It’s a bottomless pit of happiness or depression.” The Hot 97 host went on to say that the industry can be a lonely place for celebrities who suffer from mental health and addiction issues, adding, “I don’t wanna say people don’t help you but I do want to say there are people who actually know [when a star is struggling, but don’t help] sometimes.”
Flex also commented on DMX’s troubled upbringing, saying, “It’s rough for someone like DMX who may be in a mental and emotional state of childhood trauma that has happened to him and then being thrown into the money and fame.”
In addition to the heartlessness of the industry machine, Flex commented on X’s so-called friends who flooded social media with pictures of themselves alongside the Rough Ryders star but didn’t show up when and where it counts. “People can find the picture…that they had with the person that’s going through a tragedy in 30 seconds, but you haven’t called that person in 10 years.”
Unfortunately, DMX’s painful past is not news to his fans. Despite his obvious talent and success in hip hop, X has continued to deal with legal trouble and substance abuse off and on throughout his career.
He has been open about his childhood trauma as well, addressing abuse he suffered as a child in his autobiography and disclosing that he was tricked into trying crack at the age of fourteen. Ultimately, Flex believes DMX’s experience should continue to be shared.
“I know he shares his demons and we may have to amplify that demon and amplify his story and his feeling so that the next generation can kind of see a little better, a little clearer.” Prayers up for DMX!
