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Rapper DMX released his seventh studio album, Undisputed, earlier this week on September 11. 

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: DMX Says What He Really Thinks About Nicki Minaj’s Alter Egos

Vowing to give his first week album sales revenue to the families devastated by 9/11, DMX is back and happier than ever. 

Over the years, DMX has seen some of the brightest and darkest days, and despite countless bids in jail and run-ins with the law, DMX still manages to always keep a smile on his face. 

DETAILS: Chris Lighty & His Impact On Hip-Hop

GlobalGrind caught up with DMX to discuss Chris Lighty’s untimely death and his impact on hip-hop, as well as DMX’s own thoughts of suicide. 

Check out our exclusive interview below!

Through your life, you’ve been through some very high times and you’ve been through some very low times. Is there anything you would ever change or do differently?

There are a few things that right now I think I would change, but ask me that same question in a month, and I’ll see how relevant it was to a bigger picture. Based on that logic or form of reason, no, there’s nothing I would change because the bad times make you enjoy the good times more.

A few weeks ago, hip-hop was devastated by the news of Chris Lighty’s suicide. How did that impact you? 

That was crazy. I had a tremendous amount of respect for that man…he’s one of the few people who I actually enjoyed seeing him when I seen him. A lot of these dudes in the streets, you speak to them because you see them. Not because you like them. It’s more of a courtesy thing; a mutual respect kind of thing. I actually enjoyed seeing that brother when I was like, “What up, man!”

Has there ever been a time where you felt like giving up or suicidal?

Yeah!

How did you get through that?

God placed the right people in my life at the right time. The first time was when I started getting that crazy buzz in the streets. I’m hearing my music everywhere. I’m on four of the hottest songs on the radio. It was weird. People are like, “What up, what up!” It isn’t real. Before there was any popularity, I knew who was around me and why they were around me. There was no reason for someone to act like they were my man. I was always sure about the people around me, but once that fame came in, you got people that don’t like you saying “What up, my man!” It had me saying, “This isn’t right. These words don’t go with this picture.” I didn’t feel safe. Not in the sense of scared, but I didn’t know what was what anymore. Up until then, I was walking with a confidence that could allow me to rob half the city I grew up in with no gun and no mask…I actually wrote a song called “The Final Call” when I was thinking about that.