Earl Simmons, known to the world as DMX, was never just a rapper; he was a hood pastor who happened to sell 75 million records. While his legendary career was defined by five consecutive No. 1 albums and a gravelly voice that shook the rafters of hip-hop, it was his public wrestling with God that truly cemented his legacy. Now, nearly five years after his death in April 2021, the man who spent his life leading millions in prayer is receiving his flowers with a posthumous ordination.
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DMX will be officially recognized as a Christian minister during a service held at the historic Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, Complex reports. The 164-year-old edifice was once one of the stations along the Underground Railroad. It was also known as “Freedom Church” during the Civil War era for its role in guiding enslaved people toward liberty, making it a divinely poetic setting to ordain a man who spent his career helping a generation navigate their own internal darkness toward the light.
The Gospel Cultural Center is leading the ceremony and is honoring DMX for his transcendent music and spiritual impact.
“Earl Simmons wrestled with God in the public square, turning his pain into a ministry of raw truth,” Bishop Dr. Osiris Imhotep, founder of the Gospel Cultural Center, said in a statement. “This ordination recognizes the divine calling he fulfilled every time he spoke a prayer into a microphone.”
Throughout his remarkable career, DMX, a man filled with complexities, was always open about his Christian faith by offering spoken-word prayers on his albums. Beginning with his 1998 debut album, “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot,” his track titled simply “The Prayer” introduced his fans to his spirituality.
“I come to you hungry and tired, you give me food and let me sleep/ I come to you weak, you give me strength, and that’s deep/ You call me a sheep and lead me to green pastures/ Only asking that I keep the focus in between the chapters,” he rapped.
He would include sequels to “The Prayer” on each of his solo albums.
When he won the 1999 Billboard Award for R&B Albums Artist of the Year (Interesting, right?), “Dark Man X” electrified the audience with a prayer instead of a typical acceptance speech.
The same year, in front of 200,000 people at Woodstock, X once again offered a prayer and “called on the Lord.” Without question, it was one of the most memorable moments of his set and the concert.
Even JAY-Z admitted that DMX’s raw energy and proclivity to end his set in prayer deeply impacted him. It also forced him to step up his live performances.
“First, the guys are going crazy; now the girls are going crazy. And then he gets to the end, and he starts a prayer. And now they’re crying, the whole arena is crying. And they’re like, ‘OK, now you go,’” JAY-Z said on “The Shop.”
In 2016, DMX preached a sermon in Phoenix where he spoke about his battles with drug addiction, depression, and how his faith propelled him to keep fighting “the good fight.” No matter what struggles he faced, DMX always leaned on his faith in God to sustain him.
DMX’s ordination ceremony is scheduled for Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
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