Method Man, Busta Rhymes and more honour DMX with BET Awards performance
The late DMX was honoured with a star-studded performance at the BET Awards last night (June 28) featuring a host of MCs and actor Michael K. Williams.
You can watch the tribute below, which was curated by DMX’s close friend Swizz Beatz, and featured contributions from Method Man, Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Griselda and more.
The performance began with Method Man delivering an a capella cover of DMX’s 1998 major label debut single ‘Get At Me Dog’.
The Wu-Tang Clan rapper then introduced the Griselda collective, performing their posthumously-released DMX collaboration ‘Hood Blues’.
Williams then took the stage, channelling DMX and delivering an impassioned performance of DMX’s 1998 track ‘Slippin’. Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, The Lox, and Ruff Ryders then delivered a medley of ‘The Hood At?’, ‘Ruff Ryders’ Anthem’ and ‘Party Up’.
They closed the performance by pausing with their heads bowed for a playback of DMX’s 2001 piece ‘Prayer IV’, which was accompanied only by live violin.
Before the show, the performance’s curator Swizz Beats told Complex he hoped to honour DMX in a “nonconventional way.”
“You see a lot of tributes and you can almost predict [what’s going to happen],” he said. “This time we wanted to do something a little different. We wanted to add some curation and [include] different types of artistry. Everybody that’s coming on stage, X had a serious respect for them.”
Last month, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland dedicated their Verzuz rematch to DMX and Aaliyah, as the founders of the virtual battle series faced off for the second time.
