Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Politics/National
EntertainmentNationalNews

Why DMX’s Attorney Requests the Rapper’s Music be Played During Court Hearing

Posted byBy Tia Berger | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
DMX

(Image via Getty/John Lamparski) DMX leaving court in New York City after tax fraud charges in 2017

Attorney Murray Richman has asked that his client DMX’s “compositions” be played during Thursday’s court hearing to coax the judge to lighten up the rapper’s sentence.

It seems the “Get At Me Dog” artist is in trouble with law enforcement once again and his legal team is trying to pull him out the fire. The 47-year-old will be sentenced in court on Thursday, Mar. 29 after pleading guilty to charges last year for tax evasion charges in Manhattan, New York. Nonetheless, he could possibly face up to five years in prison.

An artist’s music is another form of self-expression according to court documents obtained by the Associated Press. Richman claims the rapper’s music may help U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff “understand him [DMX] genuinely in his voice.” Song lyrics to “Slippin'” and “The Convo”  have been sent over to the judge. The lawyer believes the jams showcases the artist’s “beauty of mind and his genius” to the masses.

“It is raw Earl… We are not here or desirous of molding him into what some may want to see; Earl is uniquely him and that is both his beauty of mind and his genius,” Richman wrote.

The 47-year-old rapper has since been in jail after having his bail revoked by Rakoff. The “I Miss You” artist has been grateful for his sentence at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan and is “sober now and invigorated” according to his legal team. Richman is hoping for a “unique resolution” for DMX.

The rapper reportedly owes $1.7 million in taxes.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top