DMX got vulnerable in a new interview with Talib Kweli on his People’s Party show, sharing his story of crack addiction and how it started.
“I learned that I had to deal with the things that hurt me,” he shared. “I didn’t really have anybody to talk to… in the hood, nobody wants to hear that… Talking about your problems is viewed as a sign of weakness when actually it’s one of the bravest things you can do. One of the bravest things you can do is put it on the table, chop it up, and just let it out.”
He went on to reveal that his journey with drug abuse started at just 14 years old, when his mentor gave him a crack-laced blunt without telling him what he smoked. “He passed the blunt around and… I hit the blunt,” he explained, misty eyed. “I never felt like this before it f—ed me up. I later found out that he laced the blunt with crack… Why would you do that to a child? He was like 30 and he knew I looked up to him. Why would you do that to someone who looks up to you?”
“You never know when the things you stored away are going to come out and just fall all over the place…” he concluded. “Let me open this door and start dealing with this shit right now before it comes out at the wrong time and I just have a meltdown… that’s what’s helped with addiction and sobriety.”
Watch the emotional clip below, and catch the full interview on Monday (Nov. 9) at 9 a.m. ET.