As the world awaits news about the condition of rap icon DMX, who remains on life support in a coma after suffering a heart attack reportedly caused by an overdose, a new song featuring the rapper surfaced on streaming services, courtesy of Cleopatra Records. Titled “X Moves,” the new track is a collaborative effort featuring Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins, as well as Asia guitarist Steve Howe and Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice. A fusion of funk, rap, and rock, it highlights DMX’s ferocity and versatility at a time when the icon’s fate hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, the rapper’s actual label, Def Jam, is facing backlash after releasing a pair of compilations highlighting his prior work, with some fans finding the timing disrespectful and exploitative. However, some defenders applauded Def Jam for underscoring X’s importance to so many music fans at a time when younger listeners might be curious about why his predicament has had such a widespread effect.
Although erroneous rumors about the rapper’s condition circulated late last night, his manager Steve Rifkind, posted an Instagram video imploring fans to hold off and wait for an official statement. However, the outlook isn’t great; a critical test of DMX’s brain function Wednesday reportedly found little improvement.
We’ll see if fans receive “X Moves” better than they did the Def Jam compilations. You can check out the track below.
