Buffalo rapper to use DMX in new song posthumously (2023)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - DMX, a hip-hop great who made a name for himself over decades of music, is no longer with us. But the world has not heard the last of his work.

In fact, you'll recognize his signature raspy voice on a forthcoming track by a rapper based right here in Queen City.

Austin Rothwell has gone by a variety of nicknames since he started rapping at the age of 16: Bones-E, Austin Nova, and now Austin Ryder.

Now that he's approaching his 27th birthday, that last name fits better with what he is. It was actually his real last name for the first five years of his life.

By taking her mother's maiden name, Rothwell seeks to honor her family, whom she described as people of character who love their neighbors as themselves. You may be picking up a specific theme here that relates to your music.

Before releasing songs like Austin Ryder, Rothwell's music was more in tune with the earlier work of artists like Kanye West and Drake.

"I went from writing songs about picking up girls to talking about the dangers of not having a relationship exactly the way the Bible says it is," Rothwell said.

Today his songs are more in line with artists like Jon Keith and Canon, some of the men who made their mark in a genre that can sound unorthodox to outsiders: Christian hip-hop.

They are two musicians who appear on Rothwell's full-length debut under the name Austin Ryder."A beautiful death."

But the name that casual listeners might recognize most is Earl Simmons, or as he's better known around the world, DMX.

Noting that X is not a man who has made his mark in the digital age, Rothwell became aware of his increased social media presence in the early fall months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Rothwell respects hip-hop history and says he likes to keep up with "the OGs" and while he works on what "a beautiful death' he and his manager began brainstorming. One of which was what Rothwell described as "this weird feeling" that it should be communicating with DMX.

Not sure DMX is ready to work on a faith-based project, Rothwell says he snapped a picture in the dark, messaged him on Instagram, and said he raps, sings, produces, "all of it." for the glory of God".

And guess what? DMX has replied.

A series of conversations between the two ensued. DMX wanted to rap? Did he want to do something else? Ultimately, Rothwell says he just wanted to somehow bring the "Party Up (Up In Here)" rapper's presence to the album, one way or another.

"We never really put a title on it, but it was more or less him who introduced the album," Rothwell said.

Buffaloans unfamiliar with DMX's music may recognize them for another reason.

"I've been locked up here twice," DMX saidan interview with News 4 in 2015.

Throughout his life, DMX has battled demons. At the time, he had a daughter who lived in Erie County, and her last stay at a local facility was that year after she failed to pay $400,000 in child support.

But like Rothwell, DMX was a man of faith who recognized himself as a flawed human being. Believe it or not, he was a deacon in his church.

"I thank God for both my problems and my blessings because they are equally relevant to my life."he told News 4.

And Rothwell is someone who knows how to take the good with the bad and who strives to grow within himself, not just as a musician but as a person. The shift in his musical style reflects who he wants to serve at the end of the day.

Looking back on his work to date, Rothwell says, “It was really about me. It was about 'How do you put Austin on a pedestal? How can Austin stand out? How can Austin feel comfortable despite his insecurities?'”

The presentation proves it. Rothwell no longer shows his face at shows or on his album cover.

"My goal isn't for people to look at me and want to be me and want to glorify me and praise me," Rothwell said. "But to look at me and be like, 'Well, maybe that could be me. I could talk about the things he talks about. And then I can do more, so put myself in his place and give that honor directly to Christ in his stead.'”

The song, in which DMX appears through spoken word that closes the track, is called "Cry No More," a composition about vice, deceit and "Kryptonite," Rothwell says.

"It was a really challenging and interesting situation, how everything turned out," he said.

Talks between the two began in November 2020. Their last communication, when the finished product was shipped, was the following February.

DMX died two months later. His untimely death at the age of 50 was the result of "catastrophic cardiac arrest".laut White Plains Hospitalwo es hinging

"It's really crazy to hear because when we first did this song it was like, 'Okay, yeah, we're just doing one song,'" Rothwell said. "But now that he's gone, it takes on a whole new meaning."

According to Rothwell, the last words DMX speaks on the album are "You have to see this album" before the penultimate track ends and the finale begins.

The Buffalo rapper says the album's title focuses on a central figure in Christianity.

"It's this concept of Christ's death, bloody and cruel as it was, it's beautiful for humanity," he said. "He is beautiful to those who believe in him in a tragically beautiful way."

But it can be taken in a number of ways, with Rothwell pointing out that endings can be great new beginnings, whether it's the end of a certain season in life or the end of a toxic relationship.

Rothwell worked with mixing engineer Caleb Mitchell and three producers to create the album. His own parts were recorded at home.

In anticipation of the album's September 30 release on streaming services like Spotify, Rothwell has hinted at his sound with singles like "6 Feet Deep."

In total,Profile of Ryder's SpotifyIt boasts an impressive monthly listener count of over 2,800, with hundreds of listeners found in an unexpected place: Helsinki, Finland.

One thing Rothwell has noted is its popularity in places outside of Buffalo. One of those places is a city that you someday want to call home.

In conversations with News 4, Rothwell spoke fondly of Atlanta, Georgia, a comparatively thriving place in the Christian hip-hop scene and a place he feels called to, not just for the music but for the ministry.

But it's not exactly a big, organized, structured type of ministry that you want to be involved in there. Rothwell just wants to talk to people. Following the deeds of Jesus' apostles, Rothwell wants to present the Bible to the people "at face value". He wants the little things, the intimate interactions with those around him.

Speaking about the impact of his deeply rooted beliefs, he says it would be "probably harder to say things about yourself that haven't changed."

With the help of starter Ashleigh Cole, Rothwell will appear in a launch show for Austin Ryder"A nice death" on 14th of October. The concert, their first show in five years, will take place at 7 p.m. in the chapel's Apex building in Getzville.

To get ticketsclick or tap here.