The late hip-hop legend DMX, born Earl Simmons, is set to receive a powerful posthumous honor that recognizes a side of his life as profound as his music. On Saturday, January 10, he will be formally ordained as a minister in a ceremony that celebrates the spiritual thread woven throughout his career and personal journey.
The ordination will take place at Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Tarrytown, New York, a historic sanctuary founded in 1860 that once served as a station on the Underground Railroad.
Organized by the Gospel Cultural Center, the service will honor DMX not for a traditional pulpit role, but for the ministry he lived through his music and public testimony.
Throughout his career, the Ruff Ryder didn’t shy away from expressing his faith; prayer and spirituality were consistently present in his lyrics, performances, and public moments. He frequently opened concerts with spoken prayer and infused his albums with reflections on faith, fear, and his relationship with God, blurring the line between artist and preacher in ways that resonated deeply with fans.
“Earl Simmons wrestled with God in the public square, turning his pain into a ministry of raw truth,” said Bishop Dr. Osiris Imhotep, founder of the Gospel Cultural Center. “This ordination recognizes the divine calling he fulfilled every time he spoke a prayer into a microphone.”
While DMX passed away in April 2021 at the age of 50, his spiritual journey remained central to his identity both on and off the stage. In his later years, he increasingly embraced faith-focused moments, including holding Bible study sessions on social platforms during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic and sharing his personal dialogue with God with millions around the world.
The upcoming ordination service, featuring scripture readings and tributes from clergy, community leaders, and fans, is poised to be both a public celebration of his impact and a testament to the authentic spirituality he shared through his art.
By honoring Simmons in this way, organizers are acknowledging that ministry can take many forms, including through music that speaks to the human struggle, divine longing, and the ongoing search for redemption.
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