New Yorkers were devastated by the loss of rap and hip-hop legend DMX (Earl Simmons) in New York last week, who passed away in White Plains on Friday, April 9 at age 50.
Queens Artist Andaluz (On Da Loose) — who has painted incredible murals all over New York City, including tributes to Kobe & Gianna Bryant — channeled that grief into an incredible mural in the Bronx. It is located at La Estrella Tropical Restaurant, which is owned by a member of the Ruff Ryders motorcycle club, part of Ruff Ryders Entertainment which DMX was a founding member of.
“It was a honor to paint this tribute to the late great Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons,” Andaluz said. “He was the voice of my childhood. His vulnerability and prayer really strengthened me as a kid. We will continue to mourn his loss but let us also celebrate his life. Make sure to inspire others the same way he inspired you.” He continued:
I have a feeling X wouldn’t want a mural of himself on a wall because he was so selfless. He thought about others before he thought of himself. Now it’s time for us to represent X because he deserves it.
In the mural, the side of his head is painted with “Ecclesiastes 3,” referring to the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 that has the famous lines: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot…”
The mural can be found on the corner of Burke Ave. and Holland Ave. in the Bronx, at Dominican restaurant La Estrella Tropical.
You can read more about the music legend’s legacy, who was became a multiplatinum artist in the later ’90s/early 2000s, was nominated for three Grammys, and jumpstarted the careers of many other hip-hop iconcs, here.
featured image source: @andaluztheartist / @laestrellatropicalrestaurant