The 2021 BET Awards are all set to take place in Los Angeles on June 27, and when they do, there will be a special tribute to DMX, who passed away after suffering a heart attack in April.
On Tuesday (June 22), Billboard reported that Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes, Method Man and Griselda will deliver performances in honor of the late rapper, who frequently collaborated with Swizz before his passing. Swizz will be curating the performance.
Apparently, the tribute will include legendary DMX songs like “Get at Me Dog,” “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem,” “What’s My Name?,” “Party Up (Up in Here)” and “DMX Prayer.”
“We look forward to celebrating DMX’s indelible mark in music and pop culture,” says Connie Orlando, who operates as Executive Vice President of Specials, Music Programming and Music Strategy at BET. “DMX inspired fans around the world with his signature raspy voice, the delivery of raw emotion through his lyrics and performances, and his giving spirit.”
She continues: “We are proud to pay our respects to a hip-hop legend on our biggest stage, the BET Awards.”
This news arrives more than two months after X’s death and just a bit less than a month after the posthumous release of X’s Exodus album. While that album was released after DMX’s death, it doesn’t feel like it will be the rapper’s final LP. Speaking at the Exodus release party, Swizz said that it was X’s dream to record a gospel album and that X had recorded “a set of music that’s all gospel.”
“That’s where he wanted to end up,” Swizz said at the party. “He wanted to end up in the spiritual zone with his music.”
Swizz didn’t give any definite logistics or plans to put out an X gospel album, but it definitely seems like he wants it to happen. “That was like his dream dream dream,” he said of X’s wish to record a gospel album. “We gotta try to make that happen.”
In the mean time, Swizz will focus on paying tribute to X at the BET Awards this Sunday.