In his 1998 record "Fuckin' wit' D," DMX dropped a line that shed some light on his mental state: "Listed as a manic-depressive with extreme paranoia," he rapped. Since then, the entertainer has been seemingly hesitant to discuss his mental health struggles, which reportedly include bi-polar and multiple personality disorder. In a recent episode of BET's Ruff Ryders Chronicles docu-series, X briefly addresses the latter condition, admitting there are "a few people in" him who protect him as he navigates life.
"They're different things. There's a few things, a few people in me—they get me through life," he said in the episode (2:39).
The interviewer then asks X what he would want others to know about his different personalities. It is at this time we see X become emotional and uncomfortable with the topic.
"I wouldn't want anyone to know anything. I don't talk about them," he said. "You already got me talking about them. Nope ... They're there to get me through life. I don't know if I made them or if God gave them to me, or maybe circumstances and situations did."
The rapper's ex-wife, Tashera Simmons, weighed in on X's mental health struggles, claiming the "X" personality "was created to protect Earl"—the rapper's birth-given name.
"Earl is the child that could've been before his dad left and his mom just didn't know how to handle him," Simmons said, adding that "X" took on all the trauma of the rapper's childhood. "[X] is the angry one. DMX is the entertainer; he's another protector of Earl, but so much nicer."
You can watch the Ruff Ryders Chronicles episode above.
X previously addressed his multiple personalities in a 2011 interview with ABC 15 Arizona, claiming "X" wasn't a true reflection of himself.
"X is the bad guy. That’s not who I am. I’m not the person the media portrays me to be," he said. "... I used to be really clear on who was what and what characteristics each personality had. But I don't know. At this point, I'm not even sure there is a difference. I'm Earl when I'm with my children. I miss my children, I miss my children."
