There’s a storm brewing in the hip-hop legacy universe as the estate of the late great DMX has denounced an online auction of rare and unreleased items associated with the rap icon’s early years. According to the estate of DMX, the auction featuring more than 30 pieces of memorabilia, from handwritten lyrics to unreleased freestyles, is anything but a legitimate sale.
The auction includes many personal items that date to 1992–94 — years before DMX broke through to the mainstream. On offer are cassette tapes of early diss tracks, one poster from a 1994 show where the diminutive DMX opened for Wu-Tang Clan, and even the original handwritten lyrics to “Born Loser,” the grit-flecked 1993 debut single from the Wantagh, N.Y.-bred rapper. The tapes are expected to sell for over $10,000 a piece, and the entire auction is projected to result in $20,000 to $40,000.
But DMX’s estate is crying foul, insisting that the sale is not only unauthorized but might even be flat-out illegal.
“We were saddened to learn that the estate of Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons is disputing the genuineness of this sale,” reads a statement from a spokesperson for the auction house. “The Estate will own all of its rights in these recordings and written materials, including all intellectual property rights, and it will vigorously protect those rights,” he said.
They minced few words about what would follow, though: “We deem this to be a violation of the Estate’s rights, and we will pursue all remedies to the fullest extent of the law.”
The marketing company’s president, Dylan Kosinski, added that the items were consigned by one of DMX’s early music industry collaborators, not a family member, and that disclosure only fanned the flames.
Tashera Simmons, DMX’s ex-wife and the mother of four of his children was unsparing in her assessment of the auction. “The seller isn’t a family member from what we know,” she said. “The sale is distressing and upsetting, and it is not at all right as these items are for Earl’s children. These are Earl’s memories; his kids should get something, not other people.”
Her remarks come just weeks after she was denied any legal claim to DMX’s music rights. This ruling has helped cement the estate’s management with his family and appointed representatives.
DMX, whose birth name was Earl Simmons, died in 2021 at 50. He was known for raw lyricism and unapologetic truth, and he was survived by a powerful legacy, a loving fiancée, and 15 children. His estate is still clawing at the struggle to preserve his name and shield his body of work emotionally and legally.
Tempers are running high, and the auction will close later this week. If the estate has its way, the gavel won’t have the last word on DMX’s legacy without a fight.
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