Platinum-selling hip-hop legend DMX’s estate worth less than $1 million, Westchester court papers show

Stephen Rex Brown, New York Daily News
·2 min read

Hip-hop legend DMX, despite selling more than 74 million albums across a wildly successful career in music and movies, left behind an estate worth less than $1 million — and perhaps less than $50,000, according to court papers.

The dueling and daunting estimates appeared in a pair of court documents filed by five of rap icon Earl Simmons’s 15 children. The rapper known as DMX, who died April 9 at age 50 following a massive heart attack, left behind a legacy richer in music than finances, the court papers indicated.

The first Surrogate’s Court filing in Westchester County came May 10 from DMX’s daughters Sasha Simmons and Jada Oden, while court papers dated May 21 were filed on behalf of sons Xavier, Tacoma and Sean Simmons.

Both groups are seeking to become administrators of the rap star’s estate.

The women estimated the worth of the DMX estate at less than $50,000, while the sons put its value at under $1 million despite his emergence in the late ‘90s as one of rap’s biggest stars alongside Jay-Z and Method Man.

DMX started his career with an unprecedented string of five consecutive No. 1 albums between 1998-2003, then parlayed his chart-topping music into an acting career in hit films opposite actor Steven Segal and martial arts star Jet Li.

But DMX’s drug addiction led to arrests, rehabs and finally prison time after a 2018 conviction for tax evasion. He was already behind bars at the time for violating the drug treatment conditions of his bail.

The brilliant rapper, with his distinctive delivery and hardcore lyrics, was also once charged with failure to pay $400,000 in child support.

Herbert Nass, attorney for both the sons, declined any comment Tuesday on their court filing. Lawyer Alexander Wooldridge, representing the daughters, also declined to address the paperwork filed earlier this month.

But a source familiar with the estate indicted its value could increase dramatically in the years ahead given the popularity and depth of the catalogue left behind by DMX, with rap classics like “Party Up (In Here),” “Slippin’” and “Get At Me Dog.”

“I don’t doubt it,” said the source. “This music will last into eternity.”