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Education
HEALTH
Hip Hop Superstar DMX in Grave Condition Following Heart Attack
Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
DMX, the talented and gruffvoiced rap artist and actor who rose from the hard streets of Yonkers, New York to become one of hiphop’s most prolific stars, continues to fight for his life after his lawyer said he suffered a heart attack.
Initial reports suggested that the star, most famous for the “Ruff Ryders Anthem” and whose real name is Earl Simmons, had suffered a drug overdose at around 11 p.m. on Friday, April 2.
He was rushed to a hospital in White Plains, New York, where he reportedly remains in grave condition.
“Please pray for my brother DMX,” hip-hop and “Blue Bloods” star Eric B. wrote on Twitter in a post that alerted the world to DMX’s dire condition.
Missy Elliott, Ja Rule, Gabrielle Union and Viola Davis soon joined Eric B. in tweeting prayers to DMX. The superstar has struggled with drug addiction for decades and recently explained his long battle to stay sober. He said someone who served as his mentor tricked him into smoking crack cocaine when DMX was 14.
“I later found out that he [had] laced the blunt with crack,” DMX told Talib Kweli. “Why would you do that to a child?”
Raised by an aunt, DMX took hip-hop by storm in the 1990s. He won Source magazine’s Unsigned Hype Award in January 1991 and released the promo single “Born Loser” for Columbia Records.
After a nearly three-year hiatus, DMX returned to the limelight with an appearance on LL Cool J’s “4, 3, 2, 1.”
He worked with the Diddy protégé Ma$e on “24 Hours To Live,” the LOX’s “Money, Power & Respect” and the remix of Ice Cube’s smash hit, “We Be Clubbin.’”
After signing a contract with Ruff Ryders/Def Jam Records, DMX recorded his iconic hit, “Get At Me Dog” which quickly rose on the rap and pop music charts.
His seminal CD, “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot” cemented his legacy as a rap music genius.
The website AllMusic.com noted that following Tupac Shakur’s deaths and the Notorious BIG, DMX took over as the undisputed reigning king of hardcore rap.
“He was that rare commodity: a commercial powerhouse with artistic and street credibility to spare,” editors at AllMusic.com wrote.
Hype Williams’ motion picture “Belly” was among the first to cast DMX in leading roles. The 1998 film also included Nas, Taral Hicks, Method Man, R&B singer T-Boz and National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
Before the end of 1998, DMX completed his second album and a pending buyout of Def Jam pushed the record into stores that December. Featuring a controversial cover photo of the rapper covered in blood, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood entered the charts at number one and eventually went triple platinum.
The following year, DMX hit the road with Jay-Z and the Method Man/Redman team on the blockbuster Hard Knock Life tour. DMX went on to star in a myriad of motion pictures and television shows, including “Any Given Sunday,” “Gone in 60 Seconds” and “Cradle 2 the Grave.” DMX reportedly has 15 children. WI
5 DMX (Courtesy photo)
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EDUCATION
Local Radio Favorite Kojo Nnamdi Broadcasts Final Show
D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor
On Thursday, April 1, after 23 years, The Kojo Nnamdi Show aired its final show. The live magazine program highlighted news, political issues and social trends of the day and includes listener’s calls, emails and tweets. It aired Monday through Thursday for one hour beginning at noon on WAMU 88.5, the NPR member-station in the District. Kojo, a longtime D.C. resident and native of Guyana, continues to host The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi each Friday from noon to 1 p.m. with resident analyst Tom Sherwood, leading discussions about the policies and politics affecting the people of D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher of The Washington Informer, described Kojo as “an institution in Washington, D.C. and someone who made local news important news for those who live in the DMV.”
WAMU will honor Kojo Nnamdi on Wednesday, April 28 at 7 p.m. during an event sponsored by AARP Maryland and AARP District of Columbia, WAMU’s Morning Edition Host Esther Ciammachilli will moderate the event. WI @mcneirdk
Why You Should Get Tested For COVID-19 Today
The past year has been incredibly difficult for our community. COVID-19 has taken a tremendous toll on each of us, with many losing jobs, losing time with our families, and worst of all, losing loved ones. Even as we see hopeful signs as the vaccine rolls out, ongoing COVID-19 testing remains critical to keep our community safe. Black Americans comprise 13% of the US population. Yet, more than half of all COVID-19 cases—and almost 60% of related deaths— occurred in US cities with large Black populations. All too often, Black people are tested for COVID-19 only after they catch it and go to a hospital with symptoms that have become difficult or impossible to treat. A Quest Diagnostics survey showed 72% of Black Americans have either delayed or avoided getting a diagnostic COVID-19 test even when they believed they needed one. Such reluctance carries a high price. By the time a Black American is hospitalized, the disease has often progressed to where no therapy can stop it. People in crisis often lack the information and resources to find a way out. To change this, Choose Healthy Life, United Way of New York City, and Quest Diagnostics are hosting COVID-19 testing and educational events in our local communities and in partnership with our churches. When trusted community leaders, including Black clergy, work with health experts to provide testing resources and much-needed support for those who test positive, it can have long-lasting, positive impacts on our community. “We’re bringing people together to teach about this pandemic,” said Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, Senior Pastor of The Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, and co-chair of Choose Healthy Life. “The African-American church was the first place where we could get together and talk and learn. People come here because this is the most trusted institution in our community. The clergy have to be examples, and so, we got tested, and we encourage the community to get tested.” Events at local churches will enable people in our community to get their questions answered, while providing opportunities to get tested. This will help prevent the spread of COVID-19, provide guidance about quarantine, and help those who do test positive get access to care.
Testing Matters: It Can Save Lives
“It’s critical that we remain vigilant in 2021,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, President and CEO of the National Action Network, and co-chair of Choose Healthy Life. “As faith leaders, we are stepping up to provide critical testing and resources to help our communities fight back against the virus.” Once you’ve been tested, even if you show no symptoms, you can be properly diagnosed. If you test negative, that’s great! If you test positive, you can get treated sooner and more effectively. Your friends, families and coworkers can be notified and can quarantine if necessary. This helps stop COVID-19’s spread. It’s simple, easy and free—and it could save your life. Testing will occur in the coming months at Choose Healthy Life churches and local health centers in Atlanta, Detroit, Newark, New York, Washington, DC, and other US cities. At each event, local health navigators will share important testing and vaccine information with community members. Learn more at ChooseHealthyLife.org. “This virus is actually making people afraid to get tested. They don’t want to know. They think, ‘What am I going to do? Am I going to have to quarantine? If I get sick, it’s out of my control.’ It’s really a scary proposition. That’s why we’re seeing so many Black people who are not getting tested until they’re at the hospital,” said Sheena Wright, President & CEO of United Way of New York City, and the implementation partner for Choose Healthy Life. “We’ve been besieged with death, fear, concern, and sickness, and this is a beacon of light in the dark, where people can come and be treated. There is hope at the end of this very long tunnel,” added Wright. So please take action. Get tested. Your participation can help save the lives of thousands of Black Americans.
Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III preparing to receive his COVID-19 test. Dr. Butts has served as pastor at the Abyssinian Baptist Church for over 30 years, and is co-chair of the National Black Clergy Leadership Health Council.
Rev. Al Sharpton, co-chair of the Choose Healthy Life National Black Clergy Health Leadership Council, demonstrates the ease and necessity of COVID-19 testing to help address the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 in Black communities. This event, held at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on Jan. 25, is the first of hundreds of planned COVID-19 testing events at Black churches across the US, a partnership of Choose Healthy Life, Quest Diagnostics, and the United Way.
A community member is tested for COVID-19 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on Jan. 25. Hundreds of events like this one will take place in Black communities across the US, a partnership of Choose Healthy Life, Quest Diagnostics, and the United Way.
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