DMX's private funeral service was held in New York, Sunday, and featured speeches from a number of noteworthy guests including Swizz Beatz, Louis Farrakhan, and more.
“DMX was definitely not an artist to me. He was a brother, he was a friend. The key thing is he maintained his passion, he maintained his strength," Beatz said at the event, according to the NY Post. “He was barking and howling on stage to hide the real things that he was going through. He was a sweetheart. He was the most giving and loving person that I ever met, and I always wanted to protect him. I felt it was my job to protect him.”
The event also featured a video tribute from Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons.
“I had been through struggles,” he said. “So, I had all these experiences so I could relate to this man, and I know I was very lucky to have escaped. And this brother was going through what I had been through, and I knew it.
“And I did very little,” Simmons added. “And I’ll never forget that I didn’t do much to help.”
Farrakhan also spoke during the event: “DMX is who he was and who he is, and the reason he has affected the people in the hip-hop genre and human beings across the globe is because he was genuine."
Earlier this weekend, a public service was held at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center.
[Via]
