After he left the Glenville, West Virginia, Gilmer Federal Correctional Institution on Friday, Jan. 25, DMX gave his first interview on the “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” radio show in Los Angeles.
During the sitdown, he talked about his prison stint, using drugs in the past and how he doesn’t like drugs being glorified in today’s rap music.
The 48-year-old’s long history of substance abuse has definitely been well documented, and after he failed a drug test in January of last year, a judge kept him behind bars until he was later sentenced on a previous conviction for tax evasion.
These days X stays away from drugs but admitted to Big Boy that he’ll still have the occasional drink, since alcohol was never the problem.
“Can I ask you what was the problem?” Big Boy asked on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
“Cocaine. Crack,” the rapper replied. “I think we kinda knew that was the problem, though. Anybody in here that didn’t know? Of course it was a problem. I got in trouble and all that sh–. It’s not worth it. I spent too much time doing things. It’s just not worth it.”
X was then asked if he felt rap music is being misrepresented by the current generation of rappers, which the New York rhymer quickly said yes to. He then stated that it’s up to himself and everyone else in hip-hop to send the message that drug use isn’t positive or hip.
“If that’s what you want to do, that’s your business,” he stated. “But you ain’t gotta promote it like it’s cool, and make it cool. Then kids walking around [saying] ‘I’m poppin’ Mollies, I’m poppin’ Percs.’”
The older generation of rappers scolding the newer generation about their drug talk certainly isn’t new, and in late 2017 the debate really heated up after the Virginia rapper Skillz blasted younger artists.
“The generation gap on the music is actually really simple. We were in a era making drug dealer music, these kids are making drug user music,” he tweeted last year on Nov. 19.
21 Savage responded two days later and said it’s hypocritical for older rappers to criticize his peers.
“They say we make drug user music like making drug selling music is better. what’s the difference? he tweeted.
You can see portions of DMX’s newly released interview above and below.
