DMX’s music is soaring on the Billboard charts in his absence. The emcee’s compilation album The Best of DMX is now the No. 2 song on the Billboard 200, up more than 70 spots from its previously held position as the 73rd song on the popular music list.
According to MRC Data, the project — which features hit singles like “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem,” “Party Up (Up in Here)” and “X Gon’ Give It to Ya” — sold 77,000 equivalent album units in the past week and is now his seventh album to earn a top two placement on a music chart.
The posthumous success of DMX’s greatest hits album comes as no surprise. After news spread that the rapper passed away, there was a significant increase in his music streams. As REVOLT previously reported, the star’s records sold roughly 101,000 equivalent units within a week, resulting in a surge of more than 900% in streaming numbers.
The increase in streams has now resulted in other albums’ re-entry onto the Billboard 200 chart. Per MRC Data, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) is currently No. 46; Flesh of My Flesh Blood of My Blood (1999) is No. 107 on the list.
Though the listenership shows both an appreciation and renewed interest of DMX’s musical talents, Zoey Dollaz noted that rising streams do not benefit deceased artists who don’t own their masters. During a recent vent on Twitter, he asked his followers to refrain from streaming the music of musicians who have passed away if the money doesn’t go toward helping their loved ones.
“Stop running up dead black artists streams if the money ain’t going to their families, we making these vultures even more rich after the these kings die off then their families don’t get shit!!!!!” he tweeted. “Shit be wack these artists die n make more millions, but their family get nothing their kids get nothing wtf kinda shit is that.”