Master P believes DMX's hospitalization and reported drug overdose could have been prevented.
While chatting with a TMZ photog on Wednesday (April 7), the music legend and business mogul pointed to the rap industry's lack of support/resources for its artists who have substance abuse issues as reasoning for not only DMX's current situation, but fellow artists who struggle with similar issues.
“DMX is an icon, and I just hate that we have to wait till something happens to one of these guys, or to one of us, before everybody really starts saying how much they care, and they love you,” Master P explained. “I mean, we gotta figure out how to prevent that. The truth hurts. Drugs done killed a lot of our great ones, and sent a lot of ’em to prison, and I’m praying for DMX and his family. And I hope that people start celebrating these icons while they’re alive, imagine all the stuff we could’ve prevented for DMX, to help him.”
He went on to suggest that the music industry, and more specifically the hip hop community, have a union of some sort that is similar to that of the NBA Players Association.
“I feel like hip-hop need some type of union,” Master P shared. “The NBA have it. What happen when a guy fall off? After he done sold millions of millions of records—even a female—what happens? [...] Think about it, the NBA, when they done, they go to SportsCenter, they can sit around—where do hip-hop go? Go back to the hood.”
Master P then noted that "there will never be another DMX, he’s one of a kind." He added, "I hope God spares his life so he can be with us even longer. I hope we hold the people accountable — the people that own these big companies that [are] getting paid off of his music. So we can be able to say let's prevent this from this next generation of this happening."
DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was hospitalized on Friday (April 2) after suffering a reported drug-induced heart attack at his home in White Plains.
On Wednesday (April 7), X's manager Steve Rifkind told TMZ that X remains in a coma and his condition has not materially changed. He also told the outlet that doctors planned to perform a series of tests on Wednesday to determine X's level of brain function, noting that it will be an extremely critical day that could determine his outcome.
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