Don't Try to Understand: A Year in the Life of Earl 'DMX' Simmons (2021) - full transcript

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

This film is a portrait

of Earl "DMX" Simmons
through a very tumultuous year.

A year right
before he passed away.

I think a lot of people
never really get a chance to see

the real man
behind the headlines.

(WIND RUSTLING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

You wasn't playing, huh?

-There we go. Hey, hey! Hey!
-(MAN LAUGHING)

I fucking missed you guys, man!
(EXCLAIMS)



Look at this
fat faced motherfucker!

-EARL SIMMONS: Auntie!
-Yep. (LAUGHS)

-EARL: How you doing?
-Fine.

-EARL: You looking great!
-Thank you.

You already know. My brother,
love you! (LAUGHS)

-MAN: Let's get out of here.
-EARL: Oh, we gotta get out
of here?

MAN: Yeah, they don't want us
filming here.

Well, it's a little too late
for all of that.

(CROWD LAUGHING)

EARL: You know how we do this.
Hey, we taped that

and we taking that
the fuck outta here!

EARL: I'm out. Outta here.
Fuck that.

MAN: Oh, my God.
Good riddance forever.

EARL: Thank God, man. Thank God.



When I was first came in
I was just thinking

about this day.

You know,
the day when I walk out.

I read more books in the hole
than I did my whole bid.

MAN: What were you reading?

(CLICKS TONGUE)
Some hood novels,

Danielle Steele joints.

You know...

read the Bible again.

Can't get too much of that.

(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)

My little man visits,
like, I'm in a little room,

there's a glass window
where they are
on the other side.

WOMAN:
Oh, you couldn't hold him?

Yeah, no. I couldn't touch him,
know what I'm saying?

So after about the third visit
in the hole,

he's banging on the window like,
"Get out! Get out! Get out!"

-I'm like, "Oh, man."
-(WOMAN LAUGHING)

-EARL: That's my little man, yo.
-WOMAN: And his little Timbs.

EARL: Yeah.

WOMAN: I told Desiree,
"He gonna act like X."

EARL: Yeah.

-(GRUNTS)
-(EXODUS SIMMONS LAUGHING)

Yeah, he's the inspiration,
you know what I'm sayin'?

He's more than just like
the baby. He's like inspiration.

Like, "Yo, you gotta get
this shit right," you know
what I'm sayin'?

I have to express myself.

I rose from shit, man,
I rose from shit.

Credit to my son. My older son.

Xavier. Like, he didn't come
with an instruction manual.

He didn't come
with an instruction manual.

MAN: Yeah.

PAT GALLO:
And I don't wanna push it,

but studio.
Like, just to get--

-Oh, no, nigga,
that's what it is, man.
-Get that energy out.

-EARL: That's what it is.
-You remember

when you came out of Buffalo?

-The first day?
-EARL: Yeah. Yeah.

-Right to D-block studio.
-EARL: Oh, yeah.

-We laid monsters.
-EARL: Yeah. Yep, yep.

-EARL: Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.
-We laid monsters.

No, don't do it yet.
Don't do it.

I'm gonna be ampin',
and I can't do nothing about it.

PAT: That's the monster.
Jump out the window.

I can't do nothin' about it.
I can't do nothin' about it.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING
OVER STEREO)

Shit on his pants
Smell that bitch, nigga

Run but you can't hide
I'ma get niggas

Split killers, choose niggas
We broke

We don't suck a dick
That's how we do niggas

Natural born killer
Can't run from him

Tried to kill my mom

While I was still
In the stomach

MAN 1: Okay, first row.

-MAN 2: You got that?
-EARL: Yep.

WOMAN: Just take a breath.

-You got it.
-This is what I'm talking about.

-This is what I'm talking about.
-MAN: Ten seconds. Standby.

(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)

MAN:
So, I guaranteed you
a surprise today,

and the surprise is...

-(BARKS)
-MAN: Gentlemen.

(EXCLAIMS) What up, Rochester?
What's goin' on?

Drop, shut 'em down
Open up shop, come on. Oh, no.

MAN: Big had it. 'Pac had it.

Certain artists had it.

Like they had love
that was strong.

EARL: I just love it.
'Cause I love to perform.

Anybody that seen me perform,
knows I do my thing.

You gonna enjoy the show.
Get happy, dog.

-(LAUGHS)
-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(CROWD CHEERING)

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

("IT'S DARK AND HELL IS HOT-
INTRO" PLAYING)

One, two, one, two
Come through, run through...

DMX, man. He's out of the world.

One of the hottest rappers out,
DMX.

Shit up for real
Get up and feel...

INTERVIEWER: People
from the street support you.

-Something they can see in you--
-I speak for them, dawg.

I am the street.
I will be the voice

of the street till I die.

Too late for that 911 call

Niggas stay beefing
But a lot of them bluffing...

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

EARL: It was an emotional
connection

with the people
that I have never witnessed.

-DMX!
-(ALL CLAMOR)

MAN: We got dogs in the house!

EARL: This is real
motherfucking hip-hop!

I asked
the President of Def Jam.

-MAN: What?
-And I asked everybody,

-they said it's never been done.
-MAN: What's never been done?

I'm going to be
the first to do it.

-MAN: What?
-First to make

every fucking song
on my album be a single.

("X GON' GIVE IT TO YA"
PLAYING)

It's what you hearin', listen
It's what you hearin', listen

- X gon' give it to ya
- What

Waiting for you to get it
On your own...

MAN: His new album
in the same year
to go platinum.

Open up the door
It's real

With the non-stop
Pop-pop of stainless steel

Go hard, getting busy with it
But I got such a good heart...

Shout out to X.

Damn right
And I'll do it again

'Cause I am right
So I gots to win...

MAN 1: DMX is a legend.

MAN 2: His music
is important to the whole world.

-DMX!
-(CROWD CHEERING)

MAN: DMX!

We in the doghouse tonight!

That's on a light day
I'm getting down, down

Like a nigga said, "Freeze"

But won't be the one ending up
On his knees, please...

MAN: He's the next action hero.

You know, the next kind
of Steven Segal.

Stay out my way
Motherfucker

First we gonna rock
Then we gonna roll

Then we let it pop, go
Let it go, what

X gon' give it to ya
He gon' give it to ya

X gon' give it to ya
He gon' give it to ya

(CROWD CHEERS)

(CHANTING) DMX! DMX! DMX!

-EARL: I don't hear you!
-(CROWD CHEERING)

MAN: How long does--

I guess maybe
it's the first one,

they wanna really talk to him
or something.

They just wanna flex.

'Cause they not real cops,
they just, like, desk cops.

(MAN LAUGHING)

MAN 1: Who is it?

MAN 2: Oh, he's a rapper.

-Oh, rapper?
-MAN: Yeah.

Sort of a frequent type
of something, right?

MAN: Hey, not any more frequent
than any other type of artist.

-(MAN EXCLAIMS)
-(LAUGHS)

Come on, man.

Right, stay away from there.

"You gotta do this,
you better do this,
you gotta answer the phone.

Set up an email account.
Wake up 7:30. Do this."

I'm like, "Yo, you changing
my whole fucking life."

Then you telling me
that you can't normally

be around anyone with a felony.

My nigga, that's everybody
that's around me.

-PAT: Right.
-Family included.

PAT: You talk to him
about the tour and shit, right?

No, I don't know.
I'm just doin'--

It's in God's hands.
It's in God's hands.

-MAN: Need a stroller?
-EARL: Stroller? Yeah.

-EXODUS: Can we...
-(EARL SMOOCHES)

EXODUS: Can we do that again?

-EARL: Hi, what up, man?
-MAN: I don't know.

-(DESIREE LINDSTROM
TALKING INDISTINCTLY)
-EARL: The wheel is up.

(MILD-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING)

DESIREE: I was workin' at BB,

and that's then when I met him.
He came in...

you know, buying somethin'
for somebody else, of course.

(LAUGHS)

I didn't take him from nobody.
I promise.

EXODUS: (SOBS) Mommy.

DESIREE: You know, it took years
before we had Exodus,

so thank God for that.
We both knew each other.

We both decided, you know,
this is what we wanted.

(EXODUS BABBLES)

DESIREE: He's a good father
to Exodus.

Very, like, he just loved
that little boy.

Exodus is the same way,
like, if he'd have to choose

between me and Earl,
he'd probably choose Earl.

And I'm the mother.
And I carried him

and went through everything.

EARL: Here we go.

Right on time.
You wanna get out? Come on.

-(GRUNTS)
-Yay!

Yay!

He's out. (LAUGHS)

So...

-TIM MANDELBAUM: So, you ready
to do this?
-EARL: Yeah. Yes, sir.

Do we wanna do any version
of walking you through this

or do we wanna just ink it.

-Let's just ink it.
-STEVE RIFKIND: No.

Let's explain some things.

-TIM: Yeah. Yeah,
-I'm okay.

I don't wanna be like,
"You didn't tell me this."

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

We'll walk through just
the big deal points.

We're not doing like
the deep dive.

-EARL: Right.
-We're gonna do

the shallow dive.

-PAUL BEZILLA:
(OVER TELEPHONE) Mm-hmm, okay.
-So...

Well, it's an exclusive
recording agreement.

-EARL: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
-BEZILLA: I'm sure you know
what that is.

The initial period is,
there's one album

plus one holiday album,

and that determines
your recording funds

-for future albums.
-(EXODUS BABBLES)

BEZILLA:
Uh, the payment schedule...

-uh, for that is...
-Gimme.

BEZILLA: ...upon, you know,
promptly following signature.

Actually it's called
a min-max formula,

the minimum-maximum.

-So you're getting--
-That's so good.

Hold on one minute.

-So you're getting--
-Do you know
what you're getting?

-Answer, man.
-Yeah. No I don't.

(BABBLES)

BEZILLA: You're getting
roughly half the money...

-Okay.
-BEZILLA: ...upon signing.

They pay marketing promotion.

The recording fund
for the initial period,

which covers the one album,
the Christmas album,

-PAT: Okay.
-BEZILLA: ...and then they
pay you after that.

-EARL: Okay.
-So, that's it.

BEZILLA: (CLEARING THROAT)
Mm-hmm. That's right.

-Cool?
-Sounds good.

-All right.
-BEZILLA: Any questions?

-Nope.
-I think we're ready to go.

PAUL ROSENBERG: One
of the things
that is important to me

was to reconnect with a lot
of the heritage artists

from Def Jam.

A lot of which, you know,
weren't here anymore.

MAN: Right.

I never imagined
that I'd have the opportunity

to reengage with somebody
on the level that I've reengaged

like we have with DMX.

You know, he's just one
of the most important artists

in hip-hop history, period.

But to this label,
he was such a part

of its success,
and the culture surrounding it.

-(LAUGHS)
-(LAUGHS)

-All right, man. Just beginning.
-Yeah. Yeah.

PAUL: I mean the plan is,
we just can't mess it up, man.

We've got
a real opportunity here

to reintroduce him.

You know, he's always been DMX.

He's not gonna come out
as something

that's completely reinvented.

But I want the current version
of him and his music

-to be as powerful as can be.
-EARL: Thank you very much.

I need to talk to you
for five minutes.

All right.

STEVE: So, Bruce will walk us
through everything.

BRUCE: So, as you know,
this is all preliminary.

There's nothing locked here.

TIM: Let's just talk about some
of the various situations.

You know, I think this is
a good opportunity.

So, let's just talk
about the here and the now.

We'll get you the five.

X will get the 550 in hopefully
the next two weeks.

Now it's not all getting paid
to X, it's getting paid...

EARL: Everyone but X.

TIM: Part of it's goin'
to your ex-wife.

Then we've got a booking agent
that has a judgment.

This thing is probably upwards
of 300 grand.

City Marshall in Rosedale,
New York.

Their judgment
was 186,000 dollars.

-MAN: For what?
-TIM: I don't know.

EARL: All right, will we pay off
a bunch of random people

that just, you know,
got a default judgment

because I didn't show up
for a court case

I didn't even know I had.

-DESIREE: Wanna wait
for the next one?
-EARL: Yeah, we'll wait.

-This was supposed to be fun.
-I know.

All these fuckin' people
stealin'.

All these fuckin'
fake ass judgments
and shit, man.

Greedy ass fuckin' bitches.

I just wanted turkey on a roll.
Just some turkey on a roll.

We are done.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

DOCTOR: I was reminding Mom
about this

when you guys came
to see me in the office

when she was pregnant.
People were talking to you

about kidney failure, right?

They were talking to you
about transplant.

Lots of bladder surgeries,
right?

Guess what he hasn't had
in the last three years.

-None of those things. Okay?
-EARL: All right.

DOCTOR: Now, the reason for that
is because of her.

Okay? She's been doing
the cathine,

we've been doing the Ditropan,
or the Oxybutynin.

And his bladder has sort
of stretched out.

So that's a wonderful thing.
But at the very end...

look at your son, right?

This is not what you were told
when you were pregnant.

-DESIREE: Right.
-DOCTOR: Okay?

I already knew that my son
was gonna be all right.

-EARL: Oh, yeah?
-Yeah, it's enough.

Yeah, that's my baby.
I don't work for a reason.

(LAUGHS)

-Thank you.
-All right.

INTERVIEWER: How you feel
about how that went?

EARL: That went good.
That went really, really good.

God is great.

'Cause when
she was first pregnant...

it was like, "You know,
you can get pregnant again."

-INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
-This implying that, you know?

-It wasn't gonna work out well.
-Right.

Yeah.

Yeah, it worked out.

It was all about God
from the beginning.

I was like, you know what?
As long as he's fighting,

you know what I'm saying?

You know,
we gonna fight with him.

We gonna fight with him.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

Make a right at the light.
On this corner. Yeah.

It's my family's store.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

EARL: Yeah, what up?
These niggas.

All these hard workers niggas
around here

with these good-ass jobs
and shit.

You know what I'm saying?
Oh, what up?

-MAN: What's going on, man?
-EARL: How you doing? Good?

-Yeah.
-My nigga, Spank? Cool?

-EARL: Hi, Auntie.
-AUNTIE: "Auntie" your ass.

-Oh, no. No, no, no.
-EARL: (LAUGHING) Too late.

-AUNTIE: You know
I'm camera shy. No.
-EARL: (LAUGHING) Too late.

-AUNTIE: I'll see you outside.
-(LAUGHS)

-You ain't really scared.
-AUNTIE: Yes, I am.

-You serious?
-AUNTIE: I'm dead serious.

UNCLE BUCKEYE:
When he was growin' up,
he was, you know,

the average little kid
that ran around

and done mischief things.
But as you know,

-it's Yonkers.
-(CELLPHONE RINGING)

Yo, what up, doggie? Shit.
I'm in, YO.

Oh, no, I'm in front
of the store.
I'm about to go to Sushi Luau.

This nigga eating lobster
on the block? You serious?

Lobster on the block?
That's what happens

when nigga get a job,
you know what I'm saying?

Just to clarify,
what happened on the pool table?

-I thought she asked.
-(ALL LAUGHING)

UNCLE BUCKEYE:
I hope to see him up there.

Real up there,
you know what I'm saying?

Up there around in the level
of a great rock star like,

you know, James Brown,
you know,

when your name is gonna be
speaking in every household,

you know? Instead of showing
on every mugshot.

It took you a long time
to get there,

don't throw it away.

-MAN: I'll have
the shoelace shot.
-EARL: No.

EARL: Okay, here we go.

MAN: I'll have
the shoelace shot.

I'll have the shoelace shot.

-EARL: Where you goin'?
-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(EARL GRUNTING)

MAN: One thing we didn't ask you
about is like

what this place is.

It's like Cheers.

And I'm Norm.
I'm like Norm and Sam I guess.

-MAN: Not Woody then?
-No definitely not Woody.

-Why not?
-Woody was a little slow.

It took you a long time
to get there,

don't throw it away.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

EARL: I don't understand
what the problem is.

You mad 'cause
my watch costs more

than you make in a year.
That's why you're mad.

There's 96 diamonds
in this trunk.
Check that one out.

MAN: I don't understand
what we did wrong.

-EARL: Check that one out.
-REPORTER: DMX recently spent
90 days in jail

after he was convicted
of theft and drug charges.

MAN: I just looked up
his arrest warrant.

Man, it's 17 pages.

-MAN: You've sold
how many records?
-EARL: Twenty-eight million.

MAN: And made millions
and millions of dollars.

-EARL: Yeah.
-MAN: Do you still have money?

This has taken a toll on me.

This has taken a toll on me.

But, you know, whatever
the devil has stolen from me,

God will replace it.

MAN:
So, when you get outta here,
you're right back on track.

-Right back on track.
-MAN: Are you a different person

-when you get out of here?
-Yes.

I'm a different person
before I came in here.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

(EARL GRUNTING)

What? All right.

MAN: How you feel right now,
bro?

I'm nervous. (EXHALES DEEPLY)

(CLEARS THROAT)

I mean, but, shit, it's on.

-MAN: Oh, look. Crazy, yo.
-EARL: Oh, shit.

-MAN: The mad Black shit.
-EARL: Yo, that shit is hard.

Murder.
That shit is fucking hard.

WOMAN: Y'all gotta watch
from the balcony

'cause no room on the stage.

(CROWD CLAMORS)

WOMAN 2: That's what
I'm talking about.

-Yo, we in here.
-WOMAN 2: Guys, watch my shit.

-EARL: Oh-oh.
-AUDIENCE: Oh-oh.

- ("RUFF RYDERS' ANTHEM"
PLAYING ON SPEAKERS)
-(CROWD CHEERING)

Come on, baby. Come on, baby.
Come on, baby. Come on, baby.

- My dogs gon'
-AUDIENCE: Stop

- Your dogs gon'
- Drop

And then we gon'
- Shut 'em down

Open up shop

- First we had 'em like
- Oh!

- Now they like
- No!

What baby?
That's how Ruff Ryders roll

(CHEERING)

It's the first show
of the motherfuckin' tour.

(CROWD CHEERING)

It was delayed a year

because you know
what had happened was...

What had happened was...

you know, the federal government
wanted to wait a year.

Shit happens.

-Lord, give me a sign.
-ALL: Lord, give me a sign.

-Lord, give me a sign.
-ALL: Lord, give me a sign.

You know, when I'm up here.
I mean this shit.

I mean this. I mean this.
I pray before I get up.

I pray in my dressing room
with whoever came with me.

And the most important thing
I asked him.
I say, "God, if I could touch

one person for your glory,
for your namesake,

then I've done
somethin' wonderful in my life."

-Did I touch one?
-(CROWD CHEERS)

And so...

so, if you fuck with the dog...

like I know you fuck
with the dog...

then there's only one way
we can wrap this up.

In the name of Jesus,
let us pray.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

MAN: You got a lot of people
who just break out

-from where they're from.
-(EXCLAIMS)

Well, it's good to break out,
but you gotta go back.

MAN: Why?

To fuck with people
you fuck with.

You know, that's a part
of who you are.

Right, right, right.

Around to the right.

-Okay. Okay.
- (UPBEAT SONG PLAYING
OVER STEREO)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

He's one of the best
old-time rappers.

-That's for sure.
-BOY 1: Who?

-DMX. He's here.
-BOY 2: Where's DMX?

-That one.
-BOY 3: The one
with the white boots.

(CROWD CLAMORS)

MAN: One-fifty in.

-EARL: One-fifty in.
-MAN: Hundred and fifty in.

Go ahead. Take it.
You get the whole hundred.

I got 15Ks.

MAN: Home of the brave.

Lot of people nowadays
forget where they came from.

Or they not even allowed
to go back.

-EARL: You write your own shit?
-Yeah.

-EARL: Do you mean it?
-Yeah.

This is how it happened for me.
My first fans were here.

My first fans was here.
We played on the mountains.

-Same.
-We scraped our knees

-in these motherfucking streets.
-Same here.

For life, man.
Twenty-three years
of this shit, man.

Well, I spent the same amount
of years here.

That's crazy.
You're way younger than me.

But I spent the same amount
of years here.

MAN: First time on the track
And I came with a bounce

Weight like pounds
But I go for the ounce

If I don't leave with a bang
Then I'm runnin' in your house

Said y'all don't understand
Money's the plan

Let me tell you,
I believe what you're saying,

I believe you. I just need you
to give it to a nigga

-a little more.
-MAN: Gotta give more, man.

Give it to a nigga
a little more.

Sky's the limit
So I'm reaching for the stars

I'm tired of being a nigga
That they keep behind bars

What's good, you got it?
I'ma take yours

I'm hood, fuck I'm gun
I break jaws, understood

It's not for the bang
For the cause

That I should
'Cause you frontin'

Bang with the fours

Rat's playin' in the walls
Cat's playin' in the halls

But niggas know I be certain
I withstand doors

'Cause I'm not responsible
For what I might do

What might happen
If dog come through

It's 'gon be a problem 'cause
Man if I catch him

I'ma rob him
Please, somebody stop him!

I'm talking to you
from a person

who grew up
right where you grew up at.

I stole a car from right there,

I went to Waverly street
from this mountain.

MAN 1: Yo, nigga, you was mad.

Shit, we used to do.
Shit, I used to do, man.

-MAN 2: Yo, it's all right.
-MAN 3: Stay sharp, dog.

Let it out, man.

There's nothing wrong
with that, man.

There's nothing wrong,
with that. Let it out.

(SOBBING) Up to here, man.

MAN 2:
There's nothing wrong with that.
It's all right.

-EARL: Put that pain on paper.
-MAN 2: That's it, man.

I barely know you, nigga,
but I love you.

I don't waste words,

I don't waste words.
I mean what the fuck I say.

-I want niggas from my hood.
-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

BOY: We're all we got, nigga.

-Turn that pain into words.
-MAN: Yeah.

-Turn that pain into words.
-MAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

EARL: Put that pen to paper,
get motivated.

Get motivated right now.

Put that pen to paper.
Put that pen to paper.

(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)

EARL: I first came
to Arizona, man.

And I remember one day,

coming from the studio,
at six o'clock in the mornin'.

And pulling over on the highway,

you know,
just to watch the sunrise.

And it was at that point
that I said, "You know what?

This has got to be
God's country."

You know,
'cause I never seen anything

as beautiful as that sunrise.

Then I met the devil
in God's country.

You try to stop it.
You try to-- Yeah.

But it felt like
I should have stopped it.

Right.

Yeah, yeah.

MAN:

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

EARL: It's not so much who,
it's what happens.

And the things
that the devil does.

Because if I hadn't met
the devil here,

I wouldn't realize
I was strong enough to overcome

the obstacles that the devil
would place in my path.

I came here to meet somebody.
Don't know who it was.

But I'll know him
when I see him,

and I came here
to give him a message.

The Gospel according to X.

-I finally did that!
-You!

It's dark in hell and hot!

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

This popcorn, nigga?
This nigga popcorn.

MAN: Them bags bust quick too.

(CROWD CHEERS, APPLAUDS)

Seventeen,
know every motherfuckin' word.

Dawg love.

At this point...

ain't nothing left to do, but...

("GET IT ON THE FLOOR"
BY DMX PLAYING)

We don't give a what-what
We don't give a what-what

Get it on the floor
Get it, get it on the floor

- What?
- Get it on the floor

Get it, get it on the floor

You don't wanna party
Then your ass gotta go

You don't wanna party
Then your ass gotta go

- Now you can ride
- To this motherfucker

- Bounce
- To this motherfucker

- Freak
- To this motherfucker

-MAN: Run for them!
-CROWD: You know!

-MAN: Run for them!
-CROWD: You know!

-MAN 1: Take a big gulp of that.
-MAN 2:
Y'all take a big gulp of that.

It'll put some hair
on your cheeks.

MAN 2:
Light a fire in your stomach.

-MAN 3: Goddamn!
-MAN 4: Oh, shit!

(ALL LAUGH)

-No.
-MAN 4: Wow.

I'm not a religious man,

-but you know, I--
-EARL: Spiritual.

-Exactly. Exactly.
-EARL: Spiritual.

-But I listen to you...
-EARL:
People have tainted religion.

-...and I love that shit.
-EARL: We have tainted religion.

Your connection with God
ain't in a book.

Exactly. It ain't in a building.

It ain't in a building.

You can find God
wherever you need, man.

He's gonna meet you
where you at,

-when you need him.
-Yes, sir.

When you need him,
that's when you'll find him.

(CROWD LAUGHING)

("LEAD THE WAY"
BY HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE
PLAYS)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

-(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
-(EXODUS BLABBING)

Look at little tigers in there.

-He did that?
-Yeah, he did that.

-Really?
-EARL: I watch him, and just...

I'm in a whole other world.
I could watch him for hours.

I mean, just sit there,
and watch him

do different shit
and play with the toys.

And it just reminds me
so much of myself.

(BABBLING)

-What?
-What? Why he said

-a whole paragraph.
-What is that?

-(LAUGHS)
-(BABBLES)

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

EARL: You wanna be able to run
with him and wrestle with him,

and you know what I'm saying?

You know some bitches
are headaches.

Some baby mamas
are headaches.

But that baby...

that's somethin' different.

Where the light at, D?

(DESIREE LAUGHING)

Yeah, go.
Can I get some love today?

Can I get a hello?

(REPORTER SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY ON TV)

-EARL: There goes...
-Dadda.

EARL: Show me love, dawg.
Show me love.

Come on, son.

(GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC
PLAYING)

(SINGING)
The folds inside

Your vocal chords...

XAVIER SIMMONS:
From the age of six,

my life was a tabloid.

My identity, "DMX's son,"
was a line.

I have this principal
that I live by.

Expose the places...

that scare you most.

Expose them,
and go towards them.

That is where you will grow
the most.

Several years ago, we were all
on the Iyanla show, Fix My Life.

My heart had been so hardened.
It was clenched.

IYANLA VANZANT:
Ask what you want now.

A relationship.

A healthy relationship with you.

Can we have that?

Yeah, I mean,
that's what I've...

-Clean, completely clean.
-What do you mean?

You.

That's what
you're asking me for?

XAVIER: My father's decisions
broke my heart.

That madness
became just acceptable.

And just-- I didn't--
I put it away.

(SOBS)

(SIGHS)

I guess I'll see you
at my funeral then.

-Just-- funeral?
-(BLEEP)

If you're gonna put
a condition on our relationship,

well, then I guess
that's when you'll see me.

XAVIER: The shadow of fame.

I didn't know how to deal
with it as a child.

It's very lonely.
Yeah, plenty of money.

But not often did people
walk into my room,

"Hey, Xavier, you okay?

How are you handling all of this
that's going on around you?"

But it's a journey.

It's a journey
that I'm still going through.

MAN: Hey, for real.
Can I ask you a question?

You know DMX
playing tonight, right?

-MAN 2: Yeah, I know.
I work for him.
-MAN 1: You work for him?

This dude flaggin'
the flag, right?

He said, "Yeah, he ain't
like that no more,

he ain't like that no more."

Let me tell you something
about DMX.

I went into prison in 1984.
I came home in 2014, right?

DMX got me through my time
when that nigga came out

with his first
fuckin' album, man.

You see what I'm saying?
It's Dark and Hell is Hot,

that joint right there?

That was my workout joint.
If it wasn't for that shit, man,

I'd probably lost
my fuckin mind, man.

He been through
what I've been through.

Dude changed my fuckin life.

Man, that nigga
a fucking prophet to me.

I swear on my--

-I'm 52 years old.
-MAN: Right.

That nigga like
a fuckin' prophet.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER, LAUGHTER)

-Okay, we'll get into that.
-Mad Tyrone, come here.

Only part of the tour I like
is the performance.

That one hour I'm on stage,
that's it. The rest is hell.

Congratulations, man.
Everything's been awesome.

-Congrats on everything.
-It's not the easiest but...

I blame him.

-For the back-to-back to back.
-Always blame the agent.

Every day a show. Fuck him.

(LAUGHTER)

It's all right.

PAT: Hey.

EARL:

PAT: Yeah. Take a picture
real quick.

EARL:

PAT:

-You're not sorry.
-PAT: I am sorry. You know I am.

-No, what did I say?
-PAT:

-Right.
-MAN 2: All right.

Let's get the picture.

-So, you heard me...
-MAN 2: All right, cool.

...and I said "after"
and you still went and did it.

I don't give a fuck who it is.

He's making money.
We're making money.

-I know, that's all.
-I don't--

-Do I owe him something?
-No, but it's all good.

EARL: No, no.
I'm not gonna sign anything.

I've been trying to get you
for seven years

-to get an autograph.
-Okay, but can I get a photo?

(SIGHS)
"Can I get this, can I get this,

can I get this,
give me a shirt." (MUTTERS)

Do you really love me or...

you just wanna...

-get something from me?
-MAN: Yeah.

The shows are good.
Shows are great.

Shows are great.
Shows are great.

(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)

So Pat's still asleep.

You niggas will wake me up
if I gotta get on fuckin' stage.

Like, if we know we going
to these different cities,

I don't know why
it's not already taken care of.

At least we know
where we're going.

SPANK:
This is a brutal industry.

Sometimes, life
could be just as cold.

Somebody asks me, they see me.

I'm going through a whole lot
of shit.

"Hey, you all right?"
"Yeah, man, I'm good. I'm good."

You know what I'm saying? Lyin'.
Knowing I ain't good.

So, you know,
that's what I mean...

about pain.

You know, hide the pain

or whatever it is
that really is the root

to all of everything else
that you're doing.

You wearin' a mask now.

Like even in the penitentiary
like you saying or being

in solitary in those kind
of situations, right?

You know, in my time,
some people might think,

"Come out, I'm all right.
I'm the same dude I was

when I went in."

Or this or that.
But I think the more it happens,

the more it takes
its toll on you.

You come back,
you not necessarily

the same person.

INTERVIEWER: What does "free"
mean to you?

You just came out
after being in for a year.

I'm still not free.

I'm still not free.
I'm still not free.

You know, if I can't do
what I'm supposed to do,

what I wanna do,
then I'd die anyway.

(EXODUS CRYING)

Exodus! Come here. Come here.

If I'm saying
give me the fucking phone,

then give
the goddamn phone, all right?

-(EXODUS WAILS)
-EARL: Shit.

DESIREE: No more phone.

You're not gonna get everything
you want in this life.

Okay, okay, okay

Pick him up. I don't have time
for this shit, all right?

We don't wanna hear that.
Nobody wanna hear that.

Hush.

-EXODUS: Robot.
-I'm a robot, yeah.

Watch. I'm gonna knock
your head off too. (GRUNTS)

Yeah, but they can't.
It's different

in the music industry,
you know what saying?

What one person makes
one year, it's not, you know...

You know, one day you're in,
one day you're out, like,

you know...

You're not in control
of the fans.

-Right. Right.
-MAN: Yeah!

-What up?
-What's up, baby?

MAN: Back on the block!

I don't have problems
with all of my baby mothers,

but I'm expecting one
from Florida soon.

And there's one in Buffalo
I already got a case with.

And one in California.

INTERVIEWER: Is that a pain
in the ass, dealing with?

Yeah, especially when they got
half my publishing, bitch.

You on your way
to DR right now.

You know, you was
in Bali last month,
and Egypt before that,

like, travelin' the world
on my dime.

Know what I mean, what is you
pressin' me for?

Like you ain't got no money,
like the kids are hungry.

Gotta get the exclusive,
let me go ahead and get this.

The family portrait here.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

-ANGELA YEE:
We have Tashera Simmons.
-COHOST: Yes, DMX's ex-wife.

EARL:
Hey, you know what I'm saying,
all the big ballers?

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

ANGELA YEE: And most recently,
I heard that times

were really hard for you,
and that he wasn't helping you

-or his family out at all.
-Not at all.

EARL: The Jay-Z Jehovah.

-Yeah.
-EARL: You know what I'm saying?

I mean, a thousand dollars
would be nice. Like nothing?

And then, after him coming,
and not only here,

but other places,
saying I'm money hungry?

I'm like, we been together
ten years before you got famous.

And I'm the one
who always held it down.

But I know that we'd still
be together to this day

if it wasn't for the drugs.

DESIREE:
I don't wanna talk to you
in front of the camera.

EARL:
Well, I got a microphone on.

-DESIREE: Can you take it off?
-EARL: Why?

DESIREE: 'Cause I don't wanna
talk to you

with the cameras on you.

All right, well,
ain't no cameras on me.

-DESIREE: Well, I don't want
the microphone.
-EARL: Where Wub at?

-He in the car,
but it's running.
-EARL: Okay.

Can you take
the microphone off please?

(GRUMBLES) Yo, I'm working.
What's the problem?

DESIREE: You want them
to know our business?

-EARL: What business?
-DESIREE: So, that girl,

that you were on tour with?

You say she got a husband
or a boyfriend--

That shit's-- Whoa, hold on.
She still with her baby mama.

-DESIREE: How you know?
-'Cause I talk to her.

DESIREE: So, well, can I see
y'all conversations?

Is this gonna happen every time
you get your hair done?

-DESIREE: No.
-EARL: Exodus, give me a hug.

Wubba. Give me a hug.

Yeah, you heard that though.
nigga heard that.
He heard that.

Look at the camera,
tell Mommy shut up.

Shut up.

-Say "Shut up, Mommy."
-Shut up, Mommy.

(MEN LAUGHING)

-Say "Shut up, Mommy."
-Shut up, Mommy.

Say "Love you, Mommy."
Say that. Say "Love you, Mommy."

-EXODUS: I love you, Mommy.
-There you go.

You know when you do
this shit to yourself,
you gotta ask yourself,

do you really give a fuck?

Like, you know what?
I am me.

- (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
-I am me, man. I am me.

MAN:
What's she pissed off about?

-It's a pretty good reason.
-MAN: (SCOFFS) Yeah.

Pretty good reason.

EARL: All right,
it's very particular.

Parmesan, oregano.
Six inch, all right?

Turkey, lettuce, tomatoes,
a lot of pepper,

only on the vegetables,
dash of salt.

Yeah, I mean,

we all knew it was gonna just go
up from here.

You know what I'm sayin'?
You know.

You know, me walkin' out
of the fucking federal prison

with no mustache. You know,
240 fuckin' pounds, you know?

To here.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Yes.

(MUSIC PLAYING OV SPEAKERS)

Okay! What? (LAUGHS)

Drinks on me.

("ROCK WITH YOU"
BY MICHAEL JACKSON
PLAYS ON SPEAKERS)

Come on.

-Right now, yeah.
-Come on.

Only at Maxwell's, nigga.
Only at Maxwell's.

Everybody dance.
The baby's crying.

Get the baby, get the baby.

Get the baby.

Get the baby, guys.
The baby crying. (LAUGHS)

Yeah, always, always, always.
Always, dawg, always.

I've always hit niggas
like that,

but they didn't hit me though,
you know?

Hey, yo, yo. Yo.
Do y'all know how many people

would die to be me right now,
standing here with this nigga?

Yo, go back to DMX.
Hey, yo!

-Yo, check one two.
-(ALL LAUGH)

EARL: I work on my shit,

and think about my shit
the way I do.

So, I don't give nobody
no bullshit.

I ain't never gonna give
a nigga bullshit.

Before I do that,
I'll stop writing.

But I'm at the point right now
where I...

Yo, fuck the world. I'm good.

Not 'cause I'm doing like that,
but because I'm hurt.

INTERVIEWER:
Do you think you're angry?

I'm very fuckin' angry.

INTERVIEWER:
When are you at your angriest?

Oh, man.

Not being treated right
from day one.

I mean, as far as the system
in general.

INTERVIEWER:
Both of your parents living?

Uh... Yeah.

INTERVIEWER:
Were they supportive

-during your childhood?
-No.

I remember a lot
about my childhood.

(MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING)

I used to get beaten a lot.
Lot of beatings.

INTERVIEWER:
And what about your mother,

what was she like?

WOMAN: It's awful.

I'm trying to word it properly,
'cause you know what I'm saying?

She is my mother,
I don't wanna disrespect her.

and you know, there's a lot
of people in here, but...

I'll just put it like this.
There's no love.

Yeah. It's like that.

She like, beat me so much.

She used to beat me
until she was tired.

You know, she'd always
threaten us with, you know,

"The white people are gonna come
take you away. You want that?"

Then gives me away anyway,
you know what I'm saying?

I was seven
and I got put in institutions.

I think...

I think that's...

you know,
when the problem was born.

-CROWD: DMX! DMX! DMX!
-DMX! Come on. Here we go.

Come on.

-MAN: Let's do this.
-EARL: Yes.

(CROWD CHEERING)

Say, "What's up?" What's up?

-(BABBLES)
-(CHUCKLES)

EARL: That's one of the reasons
I'm blessed.

(CROWD CHEERING)

EARL: This next song...

is for God's warriors.

You might not know or think
that you're special to God

because you've been
through difficult situations.

(CHEERING)

But I'm here to tell you...

that's why you're special
to God.

Because it's when you go
through somethin',

that God is able to reach out,
and help you through it.

If you don't fall down,
then God can't pick you up.

Because it's during
these hard times

that you become aware

of what God is willing
to do for you.

(CHEERING)

-FAN: Love you, man.
-Love you. It's fucking dope.

That shit rub off, man.

So, this is for all
of those warriors.

All of those people that have
been through something.

(CROWD CHEERING)

Whatever type
of lighter you got,

whether it's a camera light,
a flashlight, a phone light,

or a lighter,
light this motherfucker up.

Light this motherfucker up.
Light this motherfucker up!

(CROWD CHEERING)

("SLIPPIN'" PLAYING)

For real
See, to live is to suffer

But to survive, well

Find the meaning
In the suffering

- Ayo, I'm slippin'
And fallin'
- Light it up

- Ayo, I'm slippin'
And fallin'
- Light it up

- Ayo, I'm slippin'
And falling
- Light it up

Get back to my feet
So I can tear shit up

- Ayo, I'm slippin'
And falling
- Light it up

- Ayo, I'm slippin'
And falling
- Light it up

- Ayo, I'm slippin'
And falling
- Light it up

Get back on my feet
So I can tear shit up

I've been
Through mad different phases

Like mazes, to find my way

And now I know that happy days
Are not far away

If I'm strong enough
I live long enough

To see my kids
Doing something

More constructive
With their time than bids

I ate somethin'
A couple of forties

Made me hate somethin'

I did some bullshit
Ready to take somethin'

Three years later
Showin' signs of stress

Didn't keep my hair cut
Or give a fuck how I dressed

I'm possessed
By the darker side

Livin' the cruddy life

Shit like this kept a nigga
With a bloody knife

I wanna make records
But I'm fuckin' it up

-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
-(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

EARL: All right, let's do it.
What's your name brother?

-ROGER BURTON: Roger Burton,
man.
-Good to meet you.

And just the vibe you get here.

ROGER:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Nice to meet all you guys.
What's your name?

JASON HONECKER:
For most of our kids
that come here,

they're here because something
happened to them.

It's not because
they're bad kids.

It's not because that, you know,
they don't want to do good.

It's because something happened
to them along the line

which brought them
to a place like this.

-Nigel, how you feeling?
-I feel happy.

-What's your goal?
-To stay safe.

-Who can help you?
-Anyone.

ALL: We'll help you.

-NIGEL: Devin, how you feeling?
-DEVIN: Confused.

Can you ask him?

-DEVIN: How you feeling?
-Joyful.

-DEVIN: What's your goal?
-My goal is to...

be an inspiration to someone
that I don't know.

DEVIN: Who you can help you?

Anyone that can.

-ALL: We'll help you.
-EARL: Thank you.

You're confused about why
they ask you to come down here.

All right, so I used to be here,
as a resident.

Long time ago, long time ago.

And since then,

I've made a career
out of doing music...

and movies.

And I wanted to come back,

and see what
the place is like now

that I've gone,
and hopefully be an inspiration

to some of the kids
that are here now.

They used to have the swings
down there.

I remember I would swing
so high and then jump off.

(LAUGHS) Jump,
and it felt like I was flyin'

for, like, a second and a half.

Wow.

This still looks the same.

You know, a lot of kids
come from situations

that are a lot worse than this,

you know, home life.
You know, I mean,

I wasn't eating
three meals a day.

I didn't have clothes
freely given to me

whenever I needed 'em.

You know, I wasn't given
an allowance.

But, you know,
I got all that here.

-Yeah.
-JASON: Come on in.

-Instant memories.
-JASON: Wow.

Water still tastes the same.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

EARL: How you doing?

-What up?
-BOY: What up?

You all right?

-You all residents?
-ALL: Yeah!

EARL: Wow. Good place
to be, man.

Good place to be.

(SIGHS)

How many of y'all
enjoy bein' here?

Get whatever you can out of it.
This place has a lot to offer.

Let it be a blessing.

Let it be a blessing.

-(BALL BOUNCING)
-I thought you was on my team.

You on my team, man.

("'TIL THE CHRIST COMES BACK"
BY BILL FAY PLAYING)

When soldiers
Spoil your sleep

And writers steal
Your dreams

Don't strain to hear
The screams

When the light goes out

Today was a good day.

It was a good day.

When shadows take...

(MUSIC ENDS)

Hey, this about
to be the biggest surprise

-of Coachella right now.
-About time.

MURDA BEATZ:
We about to fuck this shit up.

(CROWD CHEERING)

MURDA: Let's do this shit.

Yeah.

-(CROWD CHEERS)
-MURDA: Let's do this shit.

EARL: Let's go, baby.

MURDA: Let's do this shit!

PAIGE HURD:
Yeah, he was very delayed.

I was like-- You want some more?

Yeah. I'm so glad you came.

To get to the dressing room,

and the one person
that's in here...

-my Paige.
-(LAUGHS)

PAIGE:
It feels great to see my dad.

I haven't seen him
in quite some time,

due to some troubles.

But I'm glad to be back
in his presence.

You know, it's good to see him.

And I always think
it's dope for him

to include God, so...

INTERVIEWER:
So, you're doing Sunday Service

tomorrow with Kanye, you know?

And I know you've been a man
of faith for so long, like...

what, if anything,
does this mean to you?

What does it mean?
It means an opportunity.

-INTERVIEWER: All right.
-That's it.

(GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING)

EARL: Do I think it's church?

I think it's a celebration
of what church can bring.

Minus the reason
why people
actually go to church.

Which is the Word.

It's serving a purpose.

God will use the devil
for his purpose.

(PEOPLE CHEERING, APPLAUDING)

EARL: In the name of Jesus,
let us pray.

(CHOIR HARMONZIING)

Father, please walk with us
through the bad times

as well as the good.

May we be heard and understood.

From the suburbs to the hood.

And may you judge us
by our hearts

and not by our mistakes.

See that we get
our breakthrough,

however long that it takes.

May you fill
that part of our souls,

and lay our sins to rest.

For there's no way
we can live with Jesus

when we're living in the flesh.

So I pray that you allow
our spirits to be born,

grow strong, move on,
to know right from wrong.

First John, chapter two,
verse fifteen.

You do not love the world
and anything in the world.

Lord, you take care
of fools and babies.

You teach women
to honor their men

and men to respect their ladies.

So, thank you!

For preventing us
from going astray.

Doing wrong for so long
that we forgot the way.

(CROWD CHEERING, APPLAUDING)

-This man is a Christian.
-EARL: That's right.

I knew it. I knew it.
I could feel it in my spirit.

WOMAN: Way to represent.

And I get one this way.
Yeah, that way I get more of it.

WOMAN:
Are you here for the festival?
Are you playing?

EARL: Yes, I'm actually on tour,

but I did do a couple
appearances at the festival.

Coachella, in between dates.

You did, wow. I've never heard
you perform actually.

Well, I was here last night.

Well, actually
I was in Anaheim last night

and came back here

to do the Sunday Service
with Kanye.

Oh, you did the Sunday service
with Kanye. Wow, awesome.

-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you. God bless.

I don't know where we are
to be honest with you.

Okay, all right, let's...

-turn up. (LAUGHS)
-(LAUGHS)

Let's get lit!

XVRIYAH SIMMONS:
How you doin'?

(RAIN PATTERING)

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

PAT: Is there supposed
to be really bad weather?

-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
-Yeah, I told them...

Hello?

Yeah, I can hear you.

So, 5:10 is no longer
the set time, correct?

Okay, I just don't wanna
bring him over there

and have him sitting there.

So, I'm just gonna stop
and kinda turn back.

But wait, wait, you know,
I'm on call. I'm here.

They said they'll keep me posted
on stage times,

-but we ain't gonna
wait around all day.
-What?

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

PAT:

MAN 1:

-MAN 2:
-MAN 1:

MAN 2: That's where
the truck is at.

(MOVIE AUDIO
PLAYING IN BACKGROUND)

ANNOUNCER: Ready?
Get your hands up for DMX!

(CROWD CHEERING)

("PUSH YOUR HANDS UP"
BY DMX PLAYING)

Get your hands up!
Get your, get your hands up!

Get your hands up!
Get your, get your hands up!

Get your hands up!

Y'all gon' make me
Lose my mind

Up in here, up in here

Y'all gon' make me
Go all night

- Up in here
-AUDIENCE: Up in here

Y'all gon' make me
Act a fool

- Up in here
-AUDIENCE: Up in here

Y'all gon' make me
Lose my cool...

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)

(EARL GROWLS)

-(CROWD CHEERING)
-EARL: Let's get it to 'em.

Nice to see you, my man,
good to see you.

WAITER: Good to see you.
How you been?

EARL: There's gonna be
about ten of us.

WAITER: Ten? Do you want
to sit indoors or outdoors?

-Outdoors is cool.
-WAITER: Outdoors?

-Okay, let me set that up
for you.
-All right.

Let's bless the table.

Thank you, Lord, for the food
we're about to receive

to nourish our bodies. Bless it,
and in Jesus' name we pray.

-Amen.
-ALL: Amen.

Happy Mother's day
to all the mothers.

ALL: Thank you.

What's up, guys?
I hope you enjoy this new movie.

It's about my dad.
And I'm gonna be half in it.

Have a good day. Yeah!

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)

MAN:
Go look in the white car.

(MUSIC PLAYING
OVER CAR RADIO)

Whoo! Yeah, boy!

(ENGINES REVS)

DIRECTOR: (OVER RADIO)
Roll camera.

SWIZZ BEATZ: Yeah, so the beer
and collages go into this video.

So imagine as a trailer
for the video.

So, that was the concept
for this.

-MAN: I'm good, man.
-SWIZZ: It's me!

(MAN LAUGHS)

(ALL CLAMOR)

Hold on, wait.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.

-Hold on, hold on.
-Fire content.

-How you doin'?
-WOMAN: I'm good.

I ain't seen you in what?

The last time I see you,
you was on top of me.

-You know what?
-(CROWD HOOTS)

MAN: That was disrespectful.
That was disrespectful.

-You hear that?
-EARL: Yes.

He said the last time he seen
her she was on top of him.

-Yeah!
-So I gotta explain this.

Hold on, hold on.

-Cut! Part two. Part two.
-No, no, no, no.

Hold on, hold on, hold on.
She was on top of him

because I wanted to play a prank

and make the pilot drop
the plane.

-We were in a private jet.
-WOMAN: In my sleep.

-I made the pilot drop it.
-This nigga tells the pilot,
"Drop the plane."

And I'm on the couch.
I'm on the couch in the plane.

-He flips in the...
-I hit the ceiling.

Came down...

WOMAN:
And threw me out my chair.
And I landed...

EARL: And I woke up
in heaven, baby.

-I woke up in heaven, baby.
-(LAUGHTER)

-(LAUGHS)
-(LAUGHS)

- ("ROCK WITH YOU"
BY MICHAEL JACKSON PLAYING)
-(EARL SINGING ALONG)

You gotta feel that beat

And we can ride the boogie

Share that beat of love

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

You're doing it for him?

I'm not gonna say I'm a psychic.

MAN: Nah, you called it off.

I'm not gonna say I'm a psychic.
I just...

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

MAN: Gonna get that spice.

...on a bike, driving by
with the police
chasing you, motherfucker.

-On 126 Street.
-EARL: And I got away.

And he got away on the sidewalk.
On the side-motherfucking-walk.

You knew my daddy very well.

-Started him too late.
-I believed in music.

I believed that niggas
could make it.

When I saw you,
I said, "niggas can make it."

Like I never knew Biggie
and Tupac.

I never knew no Kool Herc

and all these other brothers
that created and paved the way.

But when I saw you, I said,
"Nah, a nigga can make it."

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

EARL: You had the hardest verse.
You're untouchable.

RAPPER: You did that.
Y'all did that.

No, no. You did that.

-I did that, but y'all
inspired me to do that.
-EARL: You--

We didn't inspire you
to do shit,

we just gave you
the opportunity. You did it.

We're going R-U double-F
R-Y-D-E

You can't fuck with my army

Niggas is untouchable
Eatin' niggas like Lunchables

Forty-five be crushin' you

When the bullets
Be touchin' you

Pallbearers'll carry you

To the cemetery
Where your momma gon' bury you

Black suit be
Fittin' you nigga

I got hood disease

'Cause I'm street
Like powder milk

And government cheese

You a runnin' man, nigga
I'ma shoot up your knees

It's me against the world
Man against machine

STTS, stick to my routine

(ALL CHEERING)

-Untouchable.
-MAN: Come on, baby!

-Hey, where all the people at?
-Here we go.

-DIRECTOR: Roll camera.
-MAN: How's that level?

-EARL: Yeah.
-DIRECTOR: Come on, roll camera.

-Cameras please.
-DIRECTOR: Music loud.

Here we go.
Let's play that song. Play that.

I'm the fucking plague
I'm global warming

I'm the Ebola virus
My niggas is pirates

Prepare for violence
Silence

-(GLASS SHATTERING)
-RADIO ANNOUNCER: On Hot 97.

Speaking of music
and producing people,

I'm hearing...

that DMX has a lot
of momentum right now.

We just shot the video
for "Just In Case."

-Me, him, Ross.
-Mm-hmm.

-He looked very good in that.
-So, how close are we to like

-this thing really happening?
-So, my thing is like,

he's in that zone, so let's go.

Right? And when X
is in the zone, like,

greatness happens.
And, like, a lot of those times,

he was battling
with other things,

you know? So this is
the most clearest

that I've seen him
in a long time.

He's focused, he's showing up...

(PHONE RINGING)

(PHONE BEEPS)

-(RINGING CONTINUES)
- (MUSIC PLAYS OVER SPEAKERS)

-(JENN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY
OVER PHONE)
-CLARK SLATER: Hello? Hello?

-Hey.
-CLARK: Hey, Jenn.

-JENN: Hey, what's good?
-CLARK: I was just calling

to see if you've heard from X.
Um...

You know, today
is the big interview day

for the documentary.

JENN: And you haven't spoke
to him?
Has Pat caught you up?

CLARK: I have not been able
to reach him.

Nobody seems to be able
to give me,

like, any kind of communication.

JENN:
I don't know what's goin' on.

CLARK: All right, well,
we're gonna wait

as long as we can,
'cause we got everybody here,

and it's like a really,
really expensive day for us.

We have to make it happen today.

JENN:
If you don't hear from him,

I'd say about like 6:00...

um, we might have to figure
somethin' else out.

(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)

AUTOMATED VOICE: You have
reached the voicemail box of--

(PHONE HANGS UP)

CHRISTOPHER FRIERSON:
We got a text from Pat, finally.

Apparently, like he couldn't get
a hold of X either.

X had a meeting,
and no one's heard
from him since.

Spank, Desiree, Meech,
everybody else

-cannot get a hold of him, so...
-(PHONE RINGING)

PAT: Yo. Chris...

-CHRIS: You hear me?
-PAT: Yeah, I got you.

What I was saying is, like--
I mean, it started with--

I just kept getting excuses
about stuff.

And I hadn't heard from him
a couple days,

and I knew the longer we stayed
in New York,

the longer it was gonna...

The more risk we were at.

-JENN: Hello?
-CLARK: Hey, Jenn.

JENN: Hey.

CLARK:
Do they think X is gonna do

his performance later?

JENN: Um,
can I call you back about that?

- (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
-(PHONE RINGING)

DESIREE:

-CLARK: How you doing?
-DESIREE:

MAN: I know I hadn't talked
to you in a while.

I just wanted to, like,

see how you were doing,
and how X is doing.

DESIREE:

-CLARK: Yes.
-DESIREE: So why you even here?

CLARK:
And how did he respond to that?

DESIREE:

(PHONE RINGING)

-CLARK: Yeah.
-PAT: Yo, tonight was
a disaster, bro, like...

I don't know if you've dealt
with anybody

that does that drug, bro.

But it's nasty.
Like, it's dangerous.

He was up for, like, four days.
Cooped up in his house. Just...

He's not a criminal,
he's an addict.

You know, he needs help.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

UNCLE BUCKEYE:
Okay, this is raveen.

This is where he sneaked down
and he would buy his crack,

so I used to come on, get up,
you know, come outta the store,

come on down and say,
"Yo man, what the fuck, man?

You don't know
who's watching this,

and you're just, you know,
getting your shit right.

Come on, get outta here."

And I'd pull him out
the hallway, he'd sober up.

Then he would vanish.

Then you don't see him,
then you don't see Earl

in about three or four weeks.
You know, he would just vanish.

He's been the same dude
his whole life.

And that's why it's hard
for him to change

because he is the same dude.

He ain't ever shy away
from the truth.

He always speak the truth.

He always let it be known,
you know what I mean?

He's fighting demons.

-He's human.
-He's like us.

-Ain't no downhill.
-Ain't no downhill, man.

'Cause you bounce back.

-Yeah, you bounce back.
-MAN:
And he always do bounce back.

When you from the 'hood,
you bounce back.

-We never doing bad.
-He got love in the hood.

(SIREN WAILING)

MAN: We're praying hard
that he will

bounce back,
get back in the studio,

get back to Hollywood.
Doing himself...

doing movies, and making music.

Like I said a lot of people

is praying for him
and pulling for him in Yonkers.

You know, young and old.

But this is where he came from.

(MILD-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING)

PAT: He lost a lot of weight.

-MAN 2: Really?
-PAT: A lot, yeah.

He's not the worst
I've ever seen him,

but he's pretty bad.

Like if you'd seen him...

you'd be like, "Holy shit."

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(MAN LAUGHING)

Come on, man,
I almost didn't recognize him.

JENNA BOURDREU:
I told him the first day
he was here,

I said, "Listen we're not geared
to treating celebrities.

We've never had a celebrity
come through here."

-MAN: Yeah.
-And I was like,

"But we'll meet you
where you're at

but you're gonna have
to meet us halfway."

And he has.

-Where you going?
-My grandchildren had an order.

Okay. So, you actually dress up
for court.

-Yeah.
-Yeah, right. Who does that?

-Who does that?
-Right.

JENNA: When he first came here,
it was like,

"Oh, no, no.
I don't want to go to group,"

you know what I mean?
And then slowly it was like,

"All right,
I'll try this group."

-"All right, I'll come here
at this time."
-MAN: Right.

And even, like, coming here,
on his own every day.

We're not driving him,
we're not pickin' him up.

-MAN: Right.
-JENNA:
He's coming here on his own.

EARL:
"I've been stabbed in the back

by those I needed the most.

I've been lied to
by those I loved.

And I felt alone
when I couldn't afford to be.

But at the end of the day,
I had to learn to be on my own,

to be my own best friend.

There are going to be days
when no one

is going to be there
for me, but myself."

MAN 1: You get a text like that
every day?

Every day.

Every day.

-MAN 2:
You have no idea who it is?
-EARL: Nope.

MAN 2: Have you ever responded,
like, "Who's this?"

-Nope.
-MAN 2: Just let 'em come in?

Yeah, you know.
Ain't no sense in fucking it up.

"Who's this? Oh,
you've been getting them.

-I didn't know. Shit."
-(MEN LAUGHING)

(PHONE RINGING)

What's goin' on, my brother?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm back
on track. Know what I'm saying?

Everything happens for a reason.

All right, stay in touch.

All right, my nigga.

Where is Exodus?
Where is Exodus?

- Here I am, here I am
- How are you today, sir

Run away, run away

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

MAN:
Good to see around here.

-EARL: Thank you, brother.
-MAN: Hey, God bless you.

-Take care.
-Yeah.

-Gonna drop anything new on us?
-Yes, sir.

WOMAN:
Is it on the picture?

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

MAN: I mean when you heard
that he relapsed...

-XAVIER: Yeah.
-MAN: ...what was your...

(EXHALING DEEPLY)

It's like asking how's your day.

That's how common it becomes.
(SNIFFLES)

I look back
on how my dad would behave.

I started to see...

that it wasn't so much
the drug that would

make him angry...

but the pain
that he was enduring.

So, my mom, she asked us,

"Hey, listen.
I'm going to see your dad.

Do you wanna come?"

(SIGHS) I said, "Okay, okay."

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

EARL: Let me guess.
Lemon water, huh?

-You already know.
-EARL: (INDISTINCT)

Get the fuck out
with this lemon water shit.

We're supposed
to evolve, Earl.

(ALL LAUGHING)

EARL: I'd drink the lemon water
if there was sugar in it.

It's new sugar lemon. (LAUGHS)

Look at that other one too.
(LAUGHS)

Cheers.

TASHERA SIMMONS:
Well, he got an excuse,
but you know me, Yonkers.

-EARL: Right, right.
-(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

TASHERA:
He getting so damn big.

-EARL: Yeah.
-TASHERA: I'm like, dang.

EARL: Know how late
we're gonna be.
Like, you don't wanna be.

Wonder where he get that from?
Is that me?

(LAUGHS) I'm just kidding.

That's a lot to it.
You know what I mean? You know.

-Ripping layers and layers.
-EARL: Yeah.

And some shit like
I didn't wanna revisit at all.

It's like you don't know how
it's gonna leave you, like damn.

(EXCLAIMING, LAUGHING)

I'm saying,
the drugs were a symptom

of another problem.

Of a deeper, rooted,
you know what I mean?

So, you feel like you making
some progress with that?

One on one. You digging deep?

EARL:
Like the past couple of months

before I even relapsed,

I was like, "Yo, I need
to talk to somebody."

It's just
the constant associating,

you know, drugs and alcohol
with having a good time.
You know what I'm saying?

This is real.
We're having a session, okay?

-(LAUGHS)
-(LAUGHS)

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)

That was crazy.

We're gonna try
the other ones too.

-Girl, that's-- I love this.
-PAIGE: That's a good picture

compared to our kids' one.

EARL: We're here, we're healthy.

We're smiling.

-You know what I mean?
-Right.

I wanted to tap out a few times.

I wanted to tap out a few times.
I'm like...

"How would my babies look
at that?"

-You're my boy.
-Yeah.

-(BOTH LAUGH)
-XAVIER: Bring it in, man.

EARL: Stay warm.

Hats off. (LAUGHS)
The tiny jacket, hats off!

WOMAN: I love you too, nigga.

-EARL:
Here, this is mine. He's mine.
-XAVIER: Oh, man.

-EARL: You're mine, you're mine.
-Yes.

EARL: Mine. Mine.

Mine.

I'm proud of the man
you've become.

Thank you. (SNIFFLES) Thank you.

Lot of exits
you could've took...

to not be the person you are.

You stayed on that highway.

You stayed on that highway.

-You stayed on that highway.
-XAVIER: I did.

-You stayed on that highway.
-(SOBS)

(SNIFFLES)

EARL: It's all right.
It's all right.

At the end of the day,

-we're still here.
-Yes.

EARL: We're still here.

There's so much that we've lost.
We're still here.

(WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)

You're my family.

-XAVIER: You at...
-EARL: Yeah.

TASHERA:
I gotta give Earl a hug!
You gonna go over there

and go have a moment
with your family, nigga!

I was like, "You mean
y'all gonna go do this shit

when I'm on camera?"

As much as you pushed for this,

as hard as you worked
to get us to that point,

-and you missed it.
-Thank you, love.

I love you too, baby.

TASHERA:
It's fun having kids, I swear.

-MAN:
Where did you guys first meet?
-In Yonkers.

MAN: And you guys were
together for how long?

So, we was together
from our 18 till...

So, what is that,
20 something years?

All his handwriting.

If you'll notice,
we separated in '06,

and that's exactly
where it stops.

-(EARL LAUGHING)
-(LAUGHS)

EARL:
It was kinda sad to go, man.

-TASHERA: Really?
-I guess when I was leaving,

they were just telling me,
like, you know,

how much it meant for me
to be there.

I inspire some people.

That's when it hits you though,
you know what I'm saying?

-Yeah. You're leaving.
-EARL: When you walkin' out,
like "Yo, I did it."

Let me leave, and then, like,
we're gonna miss you, man.

You gotta know when to put it in
and how much to put it in.

There's just something about it.
There's a way you gotta do it.

-Damn. (LAUGHS)
-(LAUGHS)

EARL: (LAUGHING) That is...

-That's a big-ass claw.
-Oh, it's a huge claw.

-Little hot. It's a little hot.
-GIRL: Did it to me too.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

-EARL: What you talking about?
-GIRL: Here.

EARL: He wrote the plan,
it's his plan.

He knows what's gonna happen.

So, whatever little things
happen in between,

they've been accounted for.

And look at what it comes
down to. Family, friends.

("THE WAY WE WERE"
BY GLADYS KNIGHT
PLAYING ON TV)

GLADYS KNIGHT: Hey, you know,
everybody's talkin'

about the good old days, right?

Everybody. "The good old days,
the good old days."

-Life was slow.
-GLADYS: When life was slow.

-Oh, so mellow.
-GLADYS: And oh, so mellow.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

-Try to remember.
-GLADYS: Try to remember.

-And if you remember...
-GLADYS:
And if you remember, then...

-...follow.
-GLADYS: ...follow.

Oh, why does it seem
that the past is always better?

-We look back and we think...
-GLADYS: We look back
and we think

-the winters were warmer.
-Warmer.

GLADYS: The grass was greener.

-The skies were bluer.
-GLADYS: The skies were bluer

-and smiles were...
-Smiles were...

GLADYS: ...bright.

(SINGING) Can it be
It was all so simple then

Or has time
Rewritten every line

And if we had the chance
To do it all again

Tell me...

I got it. I'll do that,
I'll do that.

Just have a moment right now.

This is a beautiful song.

Memories

Like the corners of my mind

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

Misty watercolor memories

Nothing like it.

- Of the way it was
- Of the way it was

- Scattered pictures
- Scattered pictures

Of the smiles we left behind

Smiles we gave
To one another

- For the way we were
- For the way we were

- Oh
- Oh

Can it be that
It was all so simple then?

Or has time
Rewritten every line

And if we had the chance
To do it all again

Tell me, would we?
Could we?

Memories
May be beautiful and yet

What's too painful
To remember

We simply choose to forget

So it's the laughter

We will remember

Whenever we remember

The way we were

Remember

The way we were

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

("'TIL CHRIST COMES BACK"
BY BILL FAY PLAYING)

Pain was all you knew

But I think
You're comin' through

Like applause inside a zoo

When a lion gets out

When a lion gets out

When shadows take your hand

And mist is on the land

Hold onto your mind

'Til the Christ comes back

'Til the Christ comes back

'Til the Christ comes back

'Til the Christ comes back

'Til the Christ comes back

'Til the Christ comes back

'Til the Christ comes back