DMX, the withering away of a Hip-Hop great

Any recent interview of rap great

The Dark Man X who was a ferocious, fierce and gravel-voiced in the late 90s to the aughts is a shadow of himself. Pardon the cliché but thats the best way to describe

The Ruff Ryders frontman speech is slurred, fast and for most parts inaudible. DMX is now a contrast of a man whose voice commanded attention and represented authority and power. The legendary rapper has a colourful history with drug use but beyond his addiction, there is more that has held DMX back.

Yesterday (August 22, 2016) it was announced that DMX had welcomed his fifteenth child. DMX who recently spent 6 months in jail over a $400k child support debt welcomed his baby boy, Exodus on Friday, August 19, 2016.

According to TMZ, the former 'Ruff Ryder' rapper missed the delivery of his fifteenth child because he was in Arizona when Exodus was born. He, however, flew to New York for the baby's first night in the world. DMX's baby mama is his longtime girlfriend Desiree, who welcomes her first child.

ALSO READ: DMX set to be ordained as a pastor

Fifteen kids for a man like DMX is nothing short of a disaster. Once the world's most famous rapper DMX has tumbled further and further into oblivion. To say DMX is talented is an understatement. In 1999 he became the first rapper to drop two number one rap albums in one year.

Unfortunately his relationship with drugs which started years before he became a rap star cut short his time at the top. Today DMX is not a relic but a sad symbol of what could have been. Always the Godly man DMX has been in a constant battle with his darker side and desires.

In February 2016, DMX collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital. The rapper's management reportedly revealed that he had suffered an asthma attack but gossip blog, TMZ, reports that the rapper was in far worse a condition than they let on. DMX had reportedly been found without breath or pulse, which are signs that point to a drug overdose.

DMX who was once the guy that gave Jay Z a run for his money is now a human warning sign about the evil of drugs. There is perhaps no other Hip-Hop figure as big as DMX who has been brought down by hard drugs. X has failed to shake the monkey off his back several times. It's a shame that we have to watch such an icon wither away.