“School Street, School Street, home of the brave” – DMX
DMX repped the city of Yonkers like a badge of honour until he was laid to rest at its very own Oakland Cemetery, after the world was devastated to learn of his passing from a heart attack at the age of 50.
5 years on, the city will continue to carry on his legacy by naming an intersection after the late New York icon, changing the intersection of School Street and Brooke Street to ‘Earl DMX Simmons Way’. The decision was made by the Yonkers City Council during a public hearing on May 27, which was met with zero objections.
The location that the council decided on wasn’t without reason, either.
A simple walk down School Street takes you to the ‘Calcagno Homes’ public housing complex where DMX grew up, which is now marked by a 35 foot mural of the New York rap legend.
Lyrics displayed on the mural, such as “School Street, home of the brave” and “up to school st, cause I come threw mines”, remind the passers-by that DMX had deep longing respect for the city and streets that paved the way for his brilliant career.
The legacy of DMX will be further expanded upon this year in a new podcast titled Look Thru My Eyes: Becoming DMX, which will be hosted by Jada Kiss.
In January, 50 Cent announced the project without a clear date, stating “DMX’s story is bigger than the music — it’s about survival, faith, pain, and purpose…(the podcast) gives people a chance to understand where X came from, before the fame, through the voices of the people who were really there.”
Around the same time, the Foster Memorial AME Zion Church of Tarrytown, New York, honoured DMX by posthumously ordaining him as a minister.
Hopefully this year can become a staple for diving back into a rap legends’ life, death and contribution to a little place north of New York City that has birthed some of the biggest names in hip hop.
