Rare Demo Cassette From Tupac’s Baltimore Years Offered in Landmark Auction Tupac Shakur’s Pre-Fame “Born Busy” Tape Hits Auction Block

Tupac Shakur appears in a 1988 yearbook photo from the Baltimore School for the Arts, taken the same year as newly surfaced recordings that capture the future rapper performing with his early group Born Busy, years before his commercial breakthrough.

A rare piece of hip-hop history has surfaced — not as a remaster or reissue, but as an original artifact from the very beginning of Tupac Shakur’s creative life.

A cassette tape containing what is believed to be some of the earliest surviving recordings of Tupac is being offered at auction, documenting the rapper years before his commercial debut and long before his name became synonymous with modern hip-hop mythology. The recordings date to 1988, when Tupac was approximately 16 years old and performing under the name MC New York as part of his pre-fame rap group, Born Busy.

The tape was recorded at the Baltimore home of Gerard “Ge-ology” Young’s parents. Young, who would later become a producer and DJ, was a close friend and creative collaborator of Tupac during that period. The cassette captures Tupac alongside fellow Born Busy members Gerard Young (DJ Plain Terror), Darrin K. Bastfield (Ace Rocker) and Dana “Mouse” Smith (Slick D), rapping acapella in informal sessions that doubled as a learning tool.

Rather than recording finished songs, Young would tape acapella performances so he could study the verses and later construct beats around them — a reversed production process that predates Tupac’s later studio work and offers a rare look at his earliest creative instincts. The sessions include freestyles, song ideas, samples, laughter and conversation, preserving an unguarded snapshot of a young artist still forming his voice.

The cassette’s track list includes early recordings such as “Check It Out!,” “That’s My Man Throwin’ Down,” “I Saw Your Girl,” “We Work Hard,” “Born Busy LIVE Freestyle,” “Babies Having Babies” and “Terror’s On The Tables (Dedication to DJ Plain Terror).” None of the material was ever commercially released.

What elevates the tape beyond a compelling curiosity is its provenance. The cassette has remained in Young’s possession since it was recorded, preserved and archived privately for decades. The uninterrupted chain of custody places it among the rarest surviving audio documents from Tupac’s formative years, offering a direct line to his earliest recorded performances.

The auction also includes additional artifacts from the same period, including handwritten lyrics, archival photographs from Baltimore cyphers and gatherings, and personal ephemera connected to Tupac’s youth before his rise to global fame.

NAACP Image Awards Nominees Spotlight a Year of Black-Led Film, TV and Music

Teyana Taylor, nominated for Entertainer of the Year at the 57th NAACP Image Awards, is among a field that also includes Kendrick Lamar, reflecting a year in which music, film and performance-driven storytelling converged across Black culture.

The NAACP on Monday announced the full list of nominees for the 57th NAACP Image Awards, placing this year’s ceremony squarely in the middle of an awards season already shaped by Black-led film, television and music.

Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, Michael B. Jordan and Teyana Taylor were nominated for Entertainer of the Year, one of the Image Awards’ most closely watched categories. The ceremony will air live Feb. 28 from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium at 8 p.m. (ET/8 p.m. PT on BET), with a simultaneous broadcast on CBS.

SIDEBAR: Who’s leading the 57th NAACP Image Awards

The 57th NAACP Image Awards reflect a year in which Black storytelling dominated across film, television and music — not just in volume, but in cultural reach.

Kendrick Lamar leads the music categories with six nominations. In film, “Sinners” leads the motion picture categories with 18 nominations. On the television side, “Bel-Air” tops the field with seven nominations. Netflix leads all platforms with 47 nominations overall, according to the NAACP.

The Entertainer of the Year nominees — Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, Michael B. Jordan and Teyana Taylor — underline how performance, authorship and cultural impact increasingly move together.

Full nominee list + public voting: naacpimageawards.net

Film and television categories reflect a year of sustained visibility across platforms. “Sinners” leads the motion picture field with 18 nominations, followed by “Highest 2 Lowest” with nine. In television and streaming, “Bel-Air” tops the list with seven nominations, while “Abbott Elementary,” “Reasonable Doubt” and “Ruth & Boaz” earned six nods apiece. Netflix led all networks with 47 nominations overall.

Teyana Taylor emerged as one of this year’s most broadly recognized nominees, earning six nominations across film and music, including Entertainer of the Year, acting nods for “One Battle After Another” and “Tyler Perry’s Straw,” and recognition for her album “Escape Room.” Erivo received four nominations, including Entertainer of the Year and a nomination for her performance in “Wicked: For Good.”

In the music recording categories, Kendrick Lamar received the most nominations with six. Cardi B. and Leon Thomas earned four nominations each, while Doechii and Taylor followed closely with three apiece. RCA Records led all labels with eight nominations. In literary categories, HarperCollins topped publishers with eight nominations, followed by Penguin Random House with six.

This year also marks a structural expansion for the Image Awards themselves. The NAACP introduced two new categories: Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism, honoring nationally distributed journalism that reflects Black experiences and social impact through a lens of equity and justice; and Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie, or Special, recognizing the craft of post-production in shaping narrative and emotional clarity.

Nominations were announced live on “CBS Mornings” by comedian Deon Cole and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, with additional reveals streamed on YouTube and NAACPPlus.

“The NAACP Image Awards is our declaration to our community that ‘We See You,’ affirming Black creativity, excellence and humanity across every space where our stories are told,” Johnson said in a statement. “From film, television and music to literature and beyond, the voices of all of our nominees tell stories that honor our past, celebrate our identity and move culture forward.”

BET President Louis Carr echoed that sentiment, calling the nominees “the heartbeat of culture” and emphasizing the awards’ role in elevating storytelling rooted in authenticity and purpose.

Public voting is now open in select categories at naacpimageawards.net and runs through Feb. 7. Winners will be announced during the live broadcast Feb. 28, with additional honors presented during the NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors events later that week.

John Forté, Grammy-Nominated Producer Tied to Fugees’ ‘The Score,’ Dead at 50

John Forté attends the Vanity Fair party for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival in New York on April 17, 2012. Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician known for his work with the Fugees and the Refugee Camp, was found dead Monday at his home in Chilmark, Mass., at 50. (David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0)

John Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician and producer whose quiet but crucial contributions helped shape the Refugee Camp era that carried the Fugees into hip-hop history, has died. He was 50.


Forté was found unresponsive Monday afternoon at his home in Chilmark, Massachusetts. Chilmark police responded around 2:25 p.m. and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the Vineyard Gazette. Police said there were no signs of foul play and no readily apparent cause of death. The case has been turned over to Massachusetts State Police and the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, with the state medical examiner investigating.

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A post shared by Wyclef Jean (@wyclefjean)

While Forté was never a household name, his work traveled far. Closely aligned with the Refugee Camp collective alongside Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel, Forté was a key contributor to the Fugees’ 1996 breakthrough album “The Score,” a project that helped redefine the sound and global reach of modern hip-hop. The album won best rap album at the Grammys and remains one of the genre’s most influential releases.

Born Jan. 30, 1975, in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, Forté was classically trained in music and studied violin from a young age. He later attended Phillips Exeter Academy, where his musical foundation deepened before his path ultimately led him into hip-hop’s creative underground and the orbit of the Fugees.

Canibus, DMX, John Forte, Big Pun & Mos Def, 1997. pic.twitter.com/hkJ1NaVLPy

— Tobi Marshall (@CoededMarshall) December 26, 2025

Forté’s life also included a long and public reckoning with the criminal justice system. In 2000, he was arrested on drug trafficking charges and sentenced under federal mandatory minimum guidelines to 14 years in prison. After serving more than seven years — and following advocacy from musicians, artists and public figures — his sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush in 2008.

Just heard the heartbreaking news that John Fortè has passed away. Sending our condolences to the family and loved ones of the Fugees/Refugees All-Stars legend 💔🕊️ pic.twitter.com/a2sdtu4gYt

— Rock The Bells (@RockTheBells) January 13, 2026

Among Forté’s most vocal supporters was Carly Simon, who became a close friend during his later years. In a 2010 interview, Forté described Simon as “my champion, my crusader, my mentor, my friend, my spiritual guru,” crediting her with helping him rebuild his life and creative footing after prison.

In the years that followed, Forté continued working across music, film and television, including composing music connected to the recent revival of the civil rights documentary series “Eyes on the Prize,” which aired on HBO.

Tributes from the hip-hop community began surfacing soon after news of his death broke. “This one hurts,” Wyclef Jean wrote on social media, sharing archival performance footage honoring his longtime collaborator.

Forté spent his later years on Martha’s Vineyard with his wife, photographer Lara Fuller, and their two children, Haile and Wren.

Mary J. Blige Sets 10-Date Las Vegas Residency Following Milestone Birthday

Mary J. Blige appears in promotional imagery released alongside the announcement of her first Las Vegas residency, “Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story,” a 10-date engagement at Dolby Live at Park MGM scheduled for May and July 2026. The residency is framed as a narrative-driven production centered on her catalog and career arc.

One day after celebrating her 55th birthday, Mary J. Blige shared a gift with music fans.

The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul announced her first Las Vegas residency, "Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story," on Monday. The 10-date run at Dolby Live at Park MGM is scheduled across May and July 2026.

For Blige, the title signals intention as much as location.

Vegas are you ready? I am so excited to announce my first ever Las Vegas Residency May 1 – 9 & July 10 – 18 at Dolby Live at Park MGM! Get your tickets (Friday at 10 AM PT/NOW) ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Wx78xvVnq9

— Mary J. Blige (@maryjblige) January 12, 2026

“Creating a show like this has been something I’ve always wanted to do,” Blige said in a statement announcing the residency. “It’s a chance to get my fans together from all over — different cities, states and countries — to experience something together. My Life, My Story will be just that.”

The residency is set for May 1, 2, 6, 8 and 9, followed by July 10, 11, 15, 17 and 18. All performances will take place at Dolby Live, the 5,200-seat venue inside Park MGM, with shows scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.

 

Blige has indicated the production will lean into theatrical storytelling, with actors and narrative elements woven throughout the performance, an approach that mirrors the emotional architecture of her catalog, which has long blurred the line between confession and craft. Speaking during media appearances tied to the announcement, she described the show as rooted in music and fun, but guided by story rather than spectacle.

The announcement follows a period of sustained momentum. In 2024, Blige completed the For My Fans Tour, headlined Madison Square Garden and released the concert film “Mary J. Blige: For My Fans.” She has also continued expanding her work as an actress and producer, with the Lifetime original movie “Be Happy” scheduled to premiere next month.

Blige’s influence extends far beyond chart performance. She built a bridge between classic soul vulnerability and hip-hop realism in the early 1990s, reshaping the emotional vocabulary of R&B. Her music did more than soundtrack an era; it articulated endurance, accountability and survival in a way that resonated across generations.

Las Vegas residencies are often framed as reinvention or consolidation. In Blige’s case, this one reads differently — less reinvention than affirmation. A career once driven by urgency now arrives at authorship, with full control over pacing, presentation and perspective.

Tickets for “Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story” go on sale Friday, Jan. 16, following a series of pre-sale windows beginning Tuesday.

For an artist whose work has always insisted that truth matters — even when it’s uncomfortable — the Strip is not an ending. It’s a chapter break.

Fetty Wap Released From Federal Custody, Transferred to Home Confinement

Fetty Wap has been released from federal custody and transferred to home confinement, bringing a quiet close to one of the most dramatic legal arcs faced by a mainstream hip-hop star of the 2010s.

The rapper, born Willie Junior Maxwell II, was released today and placed on home confinement under federal supervision, according to Bureau of Prisons confirmation and reporting by TMZ. He will serve the remainder of his sentence under strict conditions in Philadelphia, including ongoing oversight by U.S. Probation.

Fetty wap is home from prison.
I’ve confirmed he’s been released —

Here’s a statement I received from fetty wap on his release:

“I want to thank my family, friends, and fans for the love, prayers, and continued support—it truly means everything to me. Right now, my focus is… pic.twitter.com/JE0QiYiaXL

— BROWN GIRL GRINDING⭐️ (@LorenLorosa) January 8, 2026

Fetty Wap was sentenced on May 24, 2023, to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances in a multi-state drug trafficking case tied to Long Island and New Jersey. The sentence also included five years of supervised release following incarceration.

At the time of sentencing, federal records projected a release date of March 2027. That timeline was later revised, with reports in late 2025 indicating his expected release had been moved up to December 2026. His release this week came even earlier, after he served approximately four years of his sentence.
 
According to TMZ, Fetty Wap’s transfer to home confinement carries strict conditions, including regular drug testing, financial disclosure requirements, restrictions on travel and employment, and continued monitoring by federal authorities. The Bureau of Prisons has not publicly detailed which specific credits or provisions led to the earlier-than-expected transfer.

Following his release, a statement attributed to Fetty Wap was shared by Brown Girl Grinding, the media platform that first circulated his remarks.

“I want to thank my family, friends, and fans for the love, prayers, and continued support—it truly means everything to me,” the statement read. “Right now, my focus is on giving back through my community initiatives and foundation, supporting at-risk young children by expanding access to education, early tech skills, and vision care for young kids and students so they can show up as their best selves. I’m committed to moving forward with purpose and making a meaningful impact where it matters most.”

The release marks a stark contrast to Fetty Wap’s rapid ascent a decade earlier. In 2015, he emerged as one of hip-hop’s most dominant breakout artists, propelled by the No. 1 single “Trap Queen” and follow-up hits including “679” and “My Way.” His melodic delivery and raw regional sound helped define a specific moment in radio-driven rap, where street records could still cross cleanly into pop dominance.

That momentum proved difficult to sustain. Personal loss, inconsistent releases and mounting legal issues gradually eclipsed his early success, culminating in his arrest in October 2021 and eventual conviction.

The Carters’ Property Empire Reflects Hip-Hop’s Next Phase of Power

Beyoncé and Jay-Z pose for a Tiffany & Co. campaign, part of the luxury brand’s recent collaborations with the couple, whose combined cultural influence now extends well beyond music into fashion, business and high-end real estate. (Photograph by Mason Poole. Courtesy of Tiffany & Co)

In hip-hop, real estate has always been shorthand.

From the brownstones name-checked in early rap records to the gated compounds that once symbolized escape, property has long represented arrival. But in 2025, the meaning has shifted. Ownership is no longer about flexing square footage — it’s about leverage, insulation and permanence.

That context matters as Beyoncé and Jay-Z quietly emerged at the center of December’s most consequential celebrity real estate moves.

According to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com, the Carters now control seven residential properties valued at approximately $500 million, a portfolio that surpasses those of Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift. The number alone is striking. The timing is more telling. Beyoncé’s inclusion comes weeks after Forbes officially recognized her as a billionaire, estimating her net worth at $1 billion, driven primarily by touring revenue, music ownership and Parkwood Entertainment’s vertically integrated structure.

This isn’t lifestyle creep. It’s infrastructure.

Jay-Z, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $2.5 billion, has long treated real estate as one component of a diversified investment strategy. His wealth is anchored by the valuation of his music catalog (roughly $75 million), stakes in spirits brands such as Armand de Brignac, proceeds from the sale of Tidal, and early investments including Uber. 

For Beyoncé, the math looks different.

Sidebar: Culture + capital

Beyoncé + Jay-Z: the ownership era in numbers

A December celebrity real estate roundup ranks the Carters at the top — a reminder that the loudest flex in hip-hop isn’t the purchase. It’s the portfolio.

Reported holdings: 7 properties

Estimated value: ~$500 million

Source roundup: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

Context that hits different

• Oprah: sold a Montecito property for $17.3M
• Taylor Swift: commonly cited as a real estate heavyweight, but ranked below the Carters in this roundup
• Kanye West: Malibu property sold for $21M after a $57M purchase — a reminder that “value” needs stewardship

Why it matters: In an industry that once denied Black artists ownership, real estate becomes something deeper than luxury — it’s permanence.

Read the full Top 10 list

Note: Values in the roundup are reported estimates; included here for cultural context and comparison.

Since founding Parkwood Entertainment in 2010, Beyoncé has brought nearly every aspect of her career in-house, absorbing production costs in exchange for ownership and backend control. That structure paid off at historic scale. The Renaissance World Tour grossed approximately $579 million in 2023, according to Pollstar, while the Cowboy Carter Tour generated more than $400 million in ticket sales in 2025, with Forbes estimating an additional $50 million in on-site merchandise revenue. Because Parkwood produced the tours internally, Beyoncé captured profit margins rarely available to artists operating under traditional promoter models.

Forbes estimates Beyoncé earned $148 million in 2025 alone, before taxes, placing her among the three highest-paid musicians in the world for the year. Her catalog — which includes albums such as "Dangerously in Love," "B’Day," "Lemonade," and "Cowboy Carter" — remains fully controlled, a rarity for an artist whose career began in the late 1990s.

Together, those numbers explain the real estate strategy.

The Carters’ properties are concentrated in high-barrier markets — Los Angeles, New York and coastal California — where long-term appreciation historically outpaces inflation. Public records show purchases and expansions over the past decade rather than rapid accumulation, suggesting deliberate pacing rather than spectacle. Their holdings function less as status symbols than as capital preservation tools within a broader wealth architecture.

Elsewhere, December’s celebrity real estate headlines offered a contrast.

Oprah Winfrey sold a 3,500-square-foot Montecito home for $17.3 million, part of a portfolio she began assembling in 2001 with a $50 million estate purchase. Kanye West’s former Malibu home, designed by Tadao Ando, resold for $21 million after being purchased for $57 million, underscoring how wealth without stewardship depreciates quickly. Russell Wilson and Ciara listed a 30,000-square-foot Rancho Santa Fe estate for $54.9 million, positioning the property as both residence and performance infrastructure.

But Beyoncé and Jay-Z represent a different endpoint.

Their combined net worth now exceeds $3.5 billion, achieved without licensing their identities into mass-market dilution or surrendering ownership for liquidity. Beyoncé’s rise to billionaire status — without cosmetics hype driving the valuation and without selling her catalog — marks a structural shift in how Black artists can convert cultural capital into permanent wealth.

Hip-hop has always documented the journey from the outside in. What this moment captures is the inside view: wealth that doesn’t announce itself because it no longer has to.

Bruno Mars Signals Next Chapter With New Album and 2026 Stadium Tour

Bruno Mars is pictured in promotional artwork for “The Romantic Tour,” which coincides with the completion of his first solo album since 2016’s “24K Magic.” The tour marks a major return to stadium stages for the Grammy-winning artist.

Bruno Mars has never been prolific by modern standards, but his absences have often mattered as much as his releases. That pattern continued this week when Mars confirmed that his long-awaited fourth solo album, “The Romantic,” is complete and that a large-scale stadium tour is planned for 2026 — his first full album-and-tour cycle since “24K Magic” reshaped pop, R&B and live performance nearly a decade ago.

The announcement arrives after years in which Mars remained visible but deliberately peripheral to the solo-album churn that now defines mainstream pop. Since “24K Magic” produced era-defining singles such as “24K Magic,” “That’s What I Like” and “Versace on the Floor,” Mars has resisted traditional follow-ups, opting instead for tightly controlled collaborations, residencies and selective appearances that preserved his profile without exhausting it.

That strategy reached its peak with Silk Sonic, his collaborative project with Anderson .Paak. Songs like “Leave the Door Open” and “Smokin Out the Window” leaned heavily into classic soul and funk aesthetics, drawing from a lineage that predates streaming metrics and algorithmic trends. The project earned critical acclaim and multiple Grammy Awards, but it also functioned as a detour — a side chapter rather than a replacement for a Bruno Mars solo statement.

“The Romantic” is positioned as that statement.

Mars first hinted at the album’s completion with a brief social media post confirming it was finished, offering no additional context. In an era dominated by extended rollouts and constant content, Mars’ approach suggested confidence in the music’s ability to speak without prolonged preamble.

The accompanying “Romantic Tour” places him back in stadiums across North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, environments that have historically separated hitmakers from true performers. Mars’ reputation was built not only on chart success but on command of the stage — live bands, disciplined choreography and an understanding of Black American performance traditions that stretch from funk and soul revues to early-2000s R&B tour culture.

Tour dates for Bruno Mars’ upcoming “The Romantic Tour,” his first full global stadium run in nearly a decade, which will take the singer across North America, Europe and the United Kingdom in 2026.

Anderson .Paak’s presence on all dates, performing as DJ Pee .Wee, reinforces that grounding. Their creative relationship has been defined less by novelty than by shared musical fluency, rooted in rhythm, musicianship and showmanship. Select dates will also feature Victoria Monét, RAYE and Leon Thomas, artists whose work emphasizes craft and vocal presence over spectacle alone.

What remains unresolved is how “The Romantic” will position Mars within a pop landscape that has shifted dramatically since his last solo release. In his absence, the center of the charts has moved younger, faster and more fragmented. The question is not whether Mars can still produce hits, but whether he intends to engage the current moment directly or continue operating just outside it, as he has in recent years.

That tension gives the announcement weight. Mars has rarely chased relevance, but he has consistently understood timing. His most durable work has arrived when the culture was receptive, not when demand was loudest.

For more information on the tour, or to purchase tickets click here.

Late Rapper DMX to Receive Posthumous Ordination in New York

DMX, born Earl Simmons, was known for blending raw street realism with unfiltered prayer throughout his music and public life. The late rapper’s spiritual legacy will be formally recognized this week with a posthumous ordination as a minister in New York. (Photo courtesy of UMusic)

For most of his career, DMX never asked for permission to pray.

He did it on platinum albums. On festival stages. In interviews that veered from chaos to confession without warning. Long before faith became a branding lane in hip-hop, Earl Simmons made his belief unavoidable — raw, imperfect and public.

That lifelong tension between devotion and struggle will be formally acknowledged this week, when Simmons is posthumously ordained to the office of minister nearly five years after his death.

The Gospel Cultural Center announced this week that Earl Simmons, the Yonkers rapper known globally as DMX, will be posthumously ordained as a minister during a ceremony scheduled for Saturday at Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Tarrytown, New York. Simmons died in April 2021 at age 50.

Founded in 1860, Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church is recognized as a historic Underground Railroad “Safe House,” a designation organizers say mirrors the themes of refuge, struggle and deliverance that ran through Simmons’ music and public life. The ordination is being framed as a symbolic acknowledgment of what the Center calls Simmons’ lifelong ministry — one carried out not from a pulpit, but through microphones, stages and records consumed by millions.

“Earl Simmons wrestled with God in the public square, turning his pain into a ministry of raw truth,” said Bishop Dr. Osiris Imhotep, founder of the Gospel Cultural Center, in a statement announcing the service. “This ordination recognizes the divine calling he fulfilled every time he spoke a prayer into a microphone.”

The Gospel Cultural Center is a faith-based cultural organization that focuses on the intersection of Black history, spirituality and contemporary art. While it is not a traditional denominational authority, the Center has previously organized public ceremonies and educational programming intended to reinterpret cultural figures through a spiritual lens. Organizers emphasized that the ordination is not meant to retroactively position Simmons as a conventional clergy member, but rather to formally recognize the spiritual leadership he exercised in public view.

That leadership was never subtle.

From his 1998 debut “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” through the height of his commercial run and beyond, DMX made prayer inseparable from his artistic identity. Nearly every studio album included a spoken or sung prayer — moments of vulnerability that stood in stark contrast to the aggression and volatility surrounding them.

Those prayers weren’t ornamental. They were confessions.

On “Prayer (Skit)” from “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot,” “Ready to Meet Him” from “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood,” “Prayer III” on “And Then There Was X,” “Prayer IV” on “The Great Depression,” “Prayer V” on “Grand Champ,” and later “Lord Give Me a Sign” from “Year of the Dog… Again,” Simmons repeatedly returned to the same themes: fear, accountability, temptation, mercy.

He prayed on record the way others flexed — publicly, imperfectly and without reassurance that redemption was guaranteed.

That tension reached its most vivid expression in the “Damien” trilogy, a three-part narrative spread across albums in which Simmons dramatized conversations with the devil, temptation embodied, and the internal war between faith and self-destruction. Rather than resolve the conflict, the songs left it open — a refusal of tidy salvation arcs that made his spiritual struggle feel uncomfortably real.

Off record, the pattern continued. DMX frequently broke into prayer during concerts, award appearances and interviews, moments that disarmed audiences and confounded expectations of what a rap superstar was supposed to sound like. His faith was not performative piety; it was confrontation.

The ordination announcement has been met with reflection rather than spectacle — a response that mirrors Simmons’ complicated legacy. For many fans, the idea of DMX as a minister feels less like reinvention and more like acknowledgment of something already present.

In April 2021, following Simmons’ death, Black Westchester published a tribute issue examining his cultural and spiritual impact. In an essay titled “DMX Was a Modern-Day Paul the Apostle,” the argument wasn’t that Simmons was righteous, but that he was relentless — unwilling to separate belief from brokenness.

That refusal is what made his prayers resonate then — and why they still do.

The upcoming service does not resolve the contradictions that defined Earl Simmons’ life. It doesn’t erase addiction, violence or failure. It doesn’t pretend faith fixed what suffering didn’t.

What it does — carefully, symbolically — is place those contradictions inside a longer Black spiritual tradition: one that allows testimony without triumph, prayer without purity, and ministry without perfection.

For an artist who spent his career asking God for strength rather than forgiveness, that framing may be the most honest recognition of all.