Earl Simmons, better known as DMX, is gone, but his legacy lives on. He was one of the most talented musicians of his generation. The 50-year-old hip-hop celebrity began his journey in the ’80s performing underground rap. Although he struggled to gain notoriety as a solo artist, he made hits with rap heavyweights such as LL Cool J, Jay-Z, and Ja Rule.

DMX’s posthumous album came out this past May 28, and to honor him, friend and record producer Swizz Beatz held a listening party with the late rapper’s close friends. When delivering his speech, Beatz recalled a time when DMX tricked out a rental car “like it was his,” HipHopDX reported.

DMX’s last interview before his death

DMX roared in the ’90s and early 2000s with hit albums like Blood of My Blood, It’s Dark, and Hell Is Hot and movies like Romeo Must Die, but his TV appearances had grown minimal. However, his appearance on the webcast series Verzuz offered hope for fans to see more of him in 2021, especially because he had a new album coming out.

The docuseries Uncensored held the rapper’s final formal interview, with the star spitting verses throughout the production. Once the folks at Uncensored got DMX onto the project, they slated the sit-down for the 24th anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G.’s death: March 9, 2021.

Although DMX is the star of the special Uncensored series, the rapper’s family contributed to the process from the start to its finish. Producer Nikki Byles said they collaborated with the Simmons family, including his mother and his ex-wife, Tashera Simmons.

Byles noted that the rapper’s family and friends helped piece together missing parts of the project and made additional contributions to it even after his tragic death. In the conversation, DMX touched on his spirituality, life, and early career and teased new music, which was released posthumously.

The time DMX modified a rental car ‘like it was his’

DMX’s album Exodus finally arrived on May 28 and extended the star’s legacy, which he launched in the ’90s. Before the record dropped, DMX’s friend Swizz Beatz held a listening party with some of the rapper’s close friends. The album’s opener was the song ‘That’s My Dog,’ featuring The LOX.

HipHopDX reported that before Beatz pressed play on the opener, he offered a few words about his late friend. The record producer remembered when the rapper tricked out a rental car. “He fucking bought rims to put on a rented car — rims, put tint, wrapped the car,” Beatz recalled.

“I said, ‘Dog you renting the car — what you doing?’ He said, ‘Ah, it’s mine right now. When I give it back to them if they want to take it off, fuck it.’ He rented a car and decked it out like it was his. Like he just didn’t even care.”

The rapper had a thing for vintage cars

DMX had a 1964 Chevrolet Impala that used to be his show car. The vehicle was a lowrider, and the artist ensured it spoke for his taste. The Chevy was a two-door coupe with a stunning cherry-burgundy exterior paint job and a tan interior, HotCars reported. 

DMX apparently liked customizing vehicles — almost all aspects of his 1964 Impala were modded. For instance, it has a 292 L6 chromed engine and a custom sound system with mids and high subs in the trunk. This head-turning ride even appeared in the rapper’s ‘A’Yo Kato’ music video.