When DMX, born Earl Simmons, passed away on April 9, 2021, at White Plains Hospital at the age of 50, the public response came quickly. Social media filled with hashtags, statements, and expressions of grief. But according to DMX’s longtime manager and uncle, Ray Copeland, most of the people posting those tributes went quiet when it came time to actually help the family. Copeland put it directly: everybody shared statements, hashtags, and tributes, but when it came time to do something real, the silence was deafening.

Copeland said he had to lean on a personal friend, Germaine Miller, who put up 150,000 dollars to organize the rapper’s service. As for the massive Celebration of Life at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the one streamed live to millions, Copeland made it clear who stepped up. He said Kanye West took care of everything at the Barclays Center.

The service opened with a home video of DMX and his daughter riding a rollercoaster, with DMX telling her in a comforting voice, “It’s okay, daddy’s here.” That moment broke people. And the fact that his daughter could stand in that arena, surrounded by the music and love built around her father’s memory, was made possible in large part by Kanye quietly writing a check.

DMX left behind 15 children. His family publicly expressed gratitude for Kanye making it possible for his daughter to later visit his grave, a moment of closure that only happened because someone in the industry chose action over a social media post.

It caught my attention how someone who made significant money and had genuine fame couldn’t afford their own burial after passing. That’s a sad reality, but I’m glad Kanye and a personal friend stepped up. It’s unfortunate it had to come to that, but these moments show who actually helps and who’s chasing clicks. Respect is easy to post online. It’s much harder to show up when it costs you something real.