When the credits rolled at the end of DMX’s “Celebration of Life” Saturday (April 24), Kanye West’s name appeared on screen as one of the event’s producers. Ye’s Sunday Service Choir opened the show and performed their gospel throughout the evening, plus Yeezy teamed up with Balenciaga to pay tribute to DMX with a commemorative T-shirt.
The collaboration between Kanye’s imprint and the high fashion label appeared on DMX’s Instagram account before the memorial service began. In all caps, one image explained the origin of the apparel. “Balenciaga has been asked by Yeezy to design a T-shirt in tribute to the late artist Earl Simmons, aka DMX. A tribute to the artist and his fans with net proceeds benefiting Simmons’s family.”
The long sleeve faded black tee includes an original image of DMX on the front. There are crosses on each of X’s shoulders and “R.I.P.” is written above his head. X’s birth date (December 18, 1970) is printed on the right sleeve and the day he died (April 9, 2021) is printed on the left sleeve. “In loving memory” is written on the back of the shirt.
On a tribute site for DMX, the commemorative shirts are currently available in medium, large and extra-large. They’re being sold for $200. X’s longtime collaborator, brother, friend and the producer of the “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” Swizz Beatz served as one of the organizers of the “Celebration of Life.” He thanked Kanye via Instagram for creating the shirt with Balenciaga. “Thank you my brother KANYE & Balenciaga for this amazing tribute link in BIO long live the dog,” he wrote.
Earlier this week, Page Six reported that Swizz reached out to Kanye to come to the memorial service for DMX. Perhaps, their conversation was more than just an invitation. Ye’ was also responsible for the stage setup inside of the Barclays Center. Swizz also thanked him for that during the event.
Visit DMX-Tribute.com to purchase the official Balenciaga and Yeezy collaborative DMX tribute T-shirt.