Ray Copeland, known affectionately as “Unce Ray,” is speaking out about his late nephew DMX and the drama that unfolded behind the scenes preparing for his funeral. And trust us when we tell you, what he has to share is the last thing any of us expected to hear.
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As we told you in 2021, the “Who We Be” rapper died after reportedly suffering a heart attack caused by a reported drug overdose. He was 51. In a statement from his family at the time, they told his fans and followers that details about his memorial service would be shared once things were finalized.
Now, according to Copeland–who also served as DMX’s longtime manager–he’s revealing that trying to put together funeral arrangements for the rapper was anything but easy due to the lack of support he received from his industry friends. Speaking in a recent interview with All HipHop, he shared how people like DMX’s close friend Swizz Beatz and even the Ruff Ryders label were unhelpful with the funeral.
“When it was time to bury X, I was on the phone with everybody, Ruff Ryders, Swizz Beatz, Steve Rifkind, Def Jam,” Copeland told the outlet. “I told them what it was going to cost. Everybody said, ‘I ain’t got it.’ So I hung up the phone and said, ‘Forget it. I’ll put this together myself.’”
He later added: “He [DMX] always said, ‘I ain’t got no friends in the industry. And he was right. When he passed, it showed.”
Copeland went on to share how the lack of support from those he thought would show up soured him so much, he almost decided to have a small, intimate homegoing service for the “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” rapper just for the family.
“I almost did it right there in Bronxville. I had all the family together. But they told me, ‘Ray, you can’t do that. The public needs to say goodbye.’ So I finished it out,” he said.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen as Copeland was eventually able to secure the funds for the funeral, thanks in large part to the benevolence of his business associate Germaine Miller and attorney Ron Sweeney. Miller specifically put up $150,000 while the music label Def Jam eventually came around and put up $35,000. However, the label’s contributions were later allegedly misrepresented in the media, per Copeland, who claimed that they claimed that they paid for the entire thing.
Copeland then revealed the surprising rapper who actually did play a part in getting things together for DMX’s memorial which was held in New York City at the Barclays Center.
“They [Def Jam] later told the media they paid for the funeral. That’s not true. Kanye West took care of everything at the Barclays Center,” he revealed.
Additionally, Copeland explained his incredulousness over the lack of support he received for the “Dogs for Life” rapper and said that while he didn’t have any life insurance–the fact that his musical contributions helped so many other people financially should’ve been enough to make them want to give back.
“This man made us all millionaires,” Copeland said. “And I had to fight to put this together with my family. Thank God for people that loved him and good relationships.”
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