DMX recalls being introduced to crack at age 14

DMX said the person who introduced him to hip-hop is the same person who handed him a crack-laced blunt

Rapper DMX has spoken candidly about his addiction to crack cocaine, which began at the tender age of 14, after he smoked a blunt laced with crack.

The embattled rapper has made tabloid headlines for years as he struggled with substance abuse. In an emotional clip from next week’s episode of People’s Party with Talib Kweli, DMX recounted his ongoing battle with addiction.

“I learned that I had to deal with the things that hurt me,” DMX said. “I didn’t really have anybody to talk to… in the hood, nobody wanted to hear that… Talking about your problems is viewed as a sign of weakness when actually it’s one of the bravest things you can do. One of the bravest things you can do is put it on the table, chop it up, and just let it out.”

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DMX, whose government name is Earl Simmons, disclosed that the person who introduced him to hip-hop is the same person who handed him a crack-laced blunt. This unnamed person, whom he considered a mentor, declined to tell him that he was smoking a highly addictive substance. The incident and its aftermath traumatized X and led to the confessional aspect of his raps.

“He passed the blunt around and… I hit the blunt,” an emotional DMX recalled in the interview. “I never felt like this before. It fucked me up. I later found out that he laced the blunt with crack. Why would you do that to a child? He was like 30, and he knew I looked up to him.”

The talented rapper and actor is keenly aware of how that critical moment set him on a path that would provide the framework for his music career, and he said he sees himself as “blessed with a curse.”

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“Drugs were never a problem,” he said. “Drugs were a symptom of a bigger problem. There were things I went through in my childhood where I just blocked it out.” He went on to say that it was time for him to start opening up and dealing with his problems.

The complete UPROXX podcast interview is scheduled to drop on Nov. 9 at 9 a.m. EST.

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