Westchester Church To Ordain DMX As A Minister Posthumously

The ordination will take placeJan. 10, at Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Tarrytown, N.Y.

Yonkers-raised recording artist DMX, who, outside of his recognizable gruff voice, was known for his spiritual awareness, despite the struggles he encountered, will be ordained as a minister posthumously in Tarrytown, New York.

According to AllHipHop, the man born Earl Simmons will officially become a minister Saturday, Jan. 10, at Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church. The “Where My Dogs At?” lyricist died April 9, 2021, after not recovering from a heart attack he suffered a week earlier (the heart attack was allegedly due to a drug overdose). Before passing, the emcee was reportedly in a “vegetative state.”

DMX usually opened and closed his performances with a prayer and did songs that incorporated his spiritual thoughts.

The Gospel Cultural Center will formally recognize Simmons during the 3 p.m. service inside the church, which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. The church has existed since 1860 and is among the earliest African Methodist Episcopal Zion congregations in Westchester County.

“Earl Simmons wrestled with God in the public square, turning his pain into a ministry of raw truth,” said Bishop Dr. Osiris Imhotep, founder of the Gospel Cultural Center. “This ordination recognizes the divine calling he fulfilled every time he spoke a prayer into a microphone.”

DMX never hid the struggles he experienced and reportedly had an extensive battle with drug addiction, which purportedly continued until his death. His drug use began at 14 when a supposed mentor introduced him to crack cocaine.

“He passed the blunt around and… I hit the blunt,” DMX recalled in an interview with Complex. “I never felt like this before it f*8ked 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. Why would you do that to someone who looks up to you?”