DMX fans have been paying their respects to the late rap legend by listening to his music, and it’s resulted in an increase of his overall streams. According to a report by MRC Data, X has seen a 928% surge in streaming numbers following his untimely death.
The Ruff Ryders star passed away on April 9 after attempting to recover from a drug-induced heart attack. After the family confirmed the news in a statement, DMX’s music — which already saw a rise following his hospitalization — received a total of 75.7 on-demand streams (both audio and video) between April 9 and April 10.
In terms of music sales, DMX’s discography of music sold roughly 101,000 copies over the weekend.
The five most popular songs, Billboard reported, were “Ruff Ryders Anthem” at 9.59 million streams, “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” at 5.79 million streams, “Slippin’” at 5.52 million streams, “Party Up” with 5.20 million plays, and “How It’s Goin’ Down” with 3.52 million streams.
DMX’s streams started soaring after news spread that the emcee suffered a drug overdose and heart attack and was fighting for his life at the White Plains hospital. Streaming numbers went from about 700,000 to 1 million streams daily to around 3-4 million per day between April 3 and April 8. He sold 9,000 copies on April 6-8.
The surge in listenership eventually resulted in “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” hitting No 1. on U.S. iTunes and the rapper’s re-entry into the Billboard 200. The Best Of DMX compilation album is now No. 73 on the Billboard chart and is expected to earn 12,000 album equivalent units for the week, up 224% from last week’s record.
Social media discussions of the rapper’s music also made his debut project, “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot,” a trending topic hours after his tragic death.