"DMX" and "Church" In The Same Sentence??

Have you ever made a change in your life that was so drastic, so far out there, that the only person who understood why you did it was... you? Ever know anyone who did something like that?

If you listen to rap, then you definitely know someone who did. His name is...

D - M - X!!!

That's right. DMX, also known as Earl Simmons, also the rapper of classic hits such as this, has taken a turn in his life. See, DMX has widely been known to not only have some anger management issues, but he is also known to be a person who is a little too familiar with the internal workings of the incarceration system. In the past, he's been arrested on gun charges, violence charges of many kinds, animal charges, drug charges, etc. On top of that, his music was the epitome of what people either loved or hated passionately, in terms of rap music. Lots of killing, lots of bitches, lots of gay bashing, and lots of bling. That is what he was, and he seemed comfortable with it...

Or was he?

His music also had elements of wrestling with his inner demons and questioning his life in the eyes of God. He didn't do that much... but it was almost a requirement that he'd have at least one track per album about God, then follow it up with the music that he's REALLY known for.

So with that said, DMX is catching a little flack for making a change. See, this past weekend, DMX was scheduled to throw a fundraiser. He was scheduled to throw it in a high school. The money would be used for repairs on a church. And he's doing it for free. (If you went, you'd have to pay $35-40, so it's not free to you). The money raised from the concert would be used to do repairs on the church. And the kicker... he doesn't swear anymore.

Not even a little bit.

So no songs with lyrics like:

What the fuck you gonna do
When we run up on you?

Fuckin with the wrong crew, don't know what we gonna do

I'ma have to show niggas how easily we blow niggas

When you find out there's some more niggas

That's running with your niggas

And that really sucks that the people didn't hear that. If he didn't swear, I'm not sure I would've went. If you paid that kind of money, you'd have to be a really big fan of DMX, or a really big fan of that church. I'm not sure of what the turnout was for the concert. Since I'm neither one, I'm not sure I would've went if I had the money, the time, and lived right next door to the church.

But back to the subject. He's getting some heat for the concert. The man who turns swearing, violence, and acting like he lost his damn mind into an art form... has straightened out? And he's trying to do something to benefit someone else? And he can stay out of jail long enough to do it?

Is it really fair for people like me to let him have it? I mean the one we've come to know and adore is gone and replaced with... someone else. And we don't recognize him, and we're not sure if we really want anything to do with him. Granted, it's pretty sweet that he's doing something that seems good on the surface for something other than to sell records (from what we can tell anyway). But still... he's ryde or die! What ya'll niggas want?!?!

**Update**

The concert was actually cancelled, not by DMX, but by the high school. Apparently when the word got out that DMX was heavily involved, the school wanted nothing to do with him, despite his advertised change of ways. Even with the cancellation, he doesn't appear to be the same person that we knew, which has still thrown some people off.

So sound off on this one and help me out. What do you think?