DMX’s hometown tribute in Yonkers, New York, was meant to honor the late rapper’s legacy. Instead, it also opened up a very public conversation about family, grief, and who gets to speak for a loved one after they’re gone.
On Friday, June 12, Yonkers officials renamed the corner of School Street and Brook Street “Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons Way,” honoring the rapper born near the neighborhood that helped shape him. The ceremony included city officials, Ruff Ryders co-founders Dee and Waah Dean, members of DMX’s family, and fans who gathered to celebrate one of hip-hop’s most recognizable voices.
But according to AllHipHop, the mood shifted when Xavier Simmons, DMX’s eldest son with his ex-wife Tashera Simmons, took the microphone near the end of the ceremony.
“There is absolutely no way that you will close this ceremony, and we will not hear from his original entire family,” Xavier said in the video.
Xavier then reportedly invited his mother and siblings to join him on stage and credited Tashera with helping make the street naming happen. He also directly addressed DMX’s former fiancée, Desiree Lindstrom, who shares son Exodus with the late rapper and is reportedly a co-administrator of DMX’s estate alongside DMX’s daughter, Sasha.
“Desiree Lindstrom. You have behaved dishonorably,” Xavier said before accusing her of excluding DMX’s children and Tashera from key moments tied to the rapper’s legacy. The outlet reported that Xavier’s microphone was cut shortly after.
Later, Tashera took to social media to address her son’s comments and defend her family’s place in DMX’s story.
“Did my son expose these devils? They’ve been exposed,” she said. “Y’all know DMX. Y’all know Tashera. We built the DMX legacy together. There is no X without Tashera. The fact that they came to my hometown and did not want us to be recognized. I’mma let y’all sit with that one.”
The comments come just months after TheGrio reported on Tashera Simmons’ reflections about her marriage to DMX, during which she discussed the role trauma played in their relationship and her desire to ‘save Earl.’
Tashera and DMX were childhood friends who married in 1999 and later divorced. They share four children, Xavier, Tacoma, Sean, and Praise. DMX, who died in 2021, was 50 years old and was also the father of several other children.
For fans, the moment was painful to watch because it unfolded during an event meant to celebrate DMX’s connection to Yonkers, the city he proudly carried with him throughout his career. Black Westchester reported that Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Councilwoman Tasha Diaz, and other city leaders attended the ceremony, where speakers reflected on DMX as an artist, father, friend, man of faith, and son of Yonkers.
“Today is more than a street naming,” Ruff Ryders co-founder Waah Dean said at the ceremony, according to Black Westchester. “Today is a celebration of a son of Yonkers whose voice, spirit, and legacy continue to inspire people around the world.”
That is what makes the family dispute feel bigger than one viral clip. DMX’s legacy belongs to hip-hop, to Yonkers, and to the millions of fans who found something real in his prayers, pain, and growl. But it also belongs to the people who knew him in a way the world never will.
