Who Is DMX's Brother Montana?
Rapper DMX famously rolled with the hip-hop collective, Ruff Ryders, as well as a large entourage of friends and family, all of whom are praying in the wake of his heart attack and subsequent hospitalization in April 2021. While the rapper fights for his life in a hospital in White Plains, New York, his family has asked fans for prayer. But one notable voice who hasn't specifically yet spoken out yet is DMX's brother, Montana, who managed the rapper during the heyday of his career.
DMX, born Earl Simmons, suffered a heart attack on April 2, 2021 — landing him on life support, stated his longterm lawyer, Murray Richman. Though there are rumors that DMX suffered an overdose, Richman said "he did not know what may have caused the heart attack," per CNN. A rep for his family issued a statement to TMZ saying that they were thankful for "the overwhelming outpouring of heartfelt love, encouragement, support and prayers for Earl. Earl is someone whose life and music have been a source of inspiration and strength to so many people around the world."
Richman told the Associated Press: "I'm very sad about it, extremely sad. He's like my son. He's just a tremendous person, tremendous entertainer, tremendous human being."
While those close to DMX have described their relationship with the rapper, given how close he and his brother Montana are — and how visible Montana has been throughout DMX's career — he may also speak out soon. Here's what we know about Montana.
Montana keeps a low profile
DMX's brother Montana was his manager and at one time was also the Director and President of Ruff Ryder (and Rr Latino Music) entertainment imprint. It's unclear whether that is his still his role, as the one Twitter account that seems to be his hasn't been active in years (and might not even be his, given the suspiciously low number of followers). It's also unclear how Montana and X are related, given that most bios of the New York rapper cite only two sisters, Shayla and Bonita. However, his mother was very young when she had DMX (the two had a strained relationship), so it's possible she had children with other men that aren't as well known.
Whatever the relation, Montana had DMX's back in 2015 when Seven Arts Entertainment allegedly put out Redemption Of The Beast without the rapper's permission, claiming that X was only under contract with the label for one, prior album, Undisputed. Montana also championed his brother in an interview, blasting his music in a car ride with the journalist and going so far as to note that he would pass along any young, aspiring artist's mix tapes along to DMX.
"There are no guarantees, that you or I can make, but you never know what X likes. If you do send anything... just make sure it sounds good, and not wack," he said. Surely, Montana is by DMX's side now too as he fights for his life.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).