Source: TVOne / Uncensored
Rapper DMX‘s final interview before he died is set to air on TVOne next month on the network’s popular “Uncensored” series. Cathy Hughes, founder of Urban One, the nation’s largest Black-owned media company, tweeted the announcement Thursday afternoon.
‘In his final interview, hip hop legend #DMX opens up about his personal life in his own words on #UncensoredTVOne,” Hughes tweeted.
DMX died April 9, just days after it was reported that he suffered a heart attack following a drug overdose. The rapper, named Earl Simmons, was just 50 years old.
His interview for “Uncensored” was conducted just three weeks before he died.
The first part of the interview is scheduled to air Sunday, May 16, at 8 p.m. ET ahead of the annual Urban One Honors awards ceremony telecast.
“DMX sat down with our team and was completely UNCENSORED,” Hughes said in a statement. “We have one hour with the late rapper in his own words. For DMX to be with us just three weeks before God called him home, I believe it’s truly divine intervention. I thank Nikki from SWIRL films for staying the course because he kept telling her ‘no’, but thankfully we were able to make it happen. His family, fan club, friends, and supporters will be happy with the way he told his story for the last time. The two-part special will air directly before the annual Urban One Honors. I’m particularly excited because I feel like this will be the biggest night in TV One History.”
Prior to the announcement about “Uncensored,” it was believed that DMX’s final interview was on the “Drink Champs” podcast on an episode that aired in February. During its taping, DMX ruminated about his death.
“If I was to drop dead right now, my last thought would be: ‘I’ve lived a good life,’” he said at the time.
DMX rose to fame in the late 1990s by leading the Ruff Ryders collective of artists to chart-topping success, including the rarified feat of having two number 1 albums in the same calendar year.
The multi Grammy-nominated rapper’s 1998 debut album, “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot,” went four times platinum, leading to six more albums, with the most recent one being released in 2012.
Aside from chart-topping hits, DMX’s career was also marked by his struggles with addiction dating back more than a decade. He has been publicly open about his drug problems throughout most of his life, including a near-fatal overdose in 2016. As a result, he found himself in and out of legal troubles over his battle with addiction.
While it was not immediately announced what exactly to expect from DMX’s final interview, “Uncensored” is described in part as a reality docuseries that focuses on “the lives of your favorite personalities as they reveal secrets to their success, obstacles they’ve faced, and how they manage this new world of social media that has helped, but sometimes haunted their careers.”
The “Uncensored” interview will precede the televising of the Urban One Honors, the company’s yearly awards ceremony and celebration of the best in Black excellence.
This year’s show—set to be hosted by Grammy Award-winning gospel artist, author and syndicated radio personality Erica Campbell along with award-winning journalist, author and news anchor Roland Martin—carries a theme of “Women Leading the Change” and will highlight the extraordinary contributions of women in business, media, health, politics that have led to impactful change within the Black community.
Some of the categories in which the honorees will be awarded include Voting Rights Champion, Investigative Journalism Crusader, Health Equality Advocate, Business Alchemist, Family Needs Ambassador and Reparations Trailblazer.
SEE ALSO:
The Annual Urban One Honors Return To Celebrate Black Women Leading The Change
