Rapper DMX has long battled substance abuse, and friends are again worried that he may have relapsed after canceling a string of concerts.
TMZ says that DMX canceled a show in Santa Ana, Calif., on April 25. The venue said the cancelation was due to a "medical emergency." Other shows in California have also been canceled.
"Several people in DMX's inner circle have been concerned about his health this week," TMZ reported on April 26.
A few days before the cancelation, DMX played a show in Brooklyn, where he reunited with stars from the Ruff Ryders record label. At the show, he was a bit of a train wreck, hip hop media outlets said. In between songs he went into long tirades. When he was told that his set was being cut short because it was running long (thanks to the off-the-cuff and confusing speeches), DMX shouted "They can kick rocks!"
"Don't expect me to be a role model!" he said as he closed his set, according to video from the show.
TMZ said DMX had been "drinking heavily" that night.
The "Ruff Ryders Anthem" singer has had health issues in the past. In February 2016, he stopped breathing, had no pulse and had to be rushed to the hospital. Reports hinted that he suffered from an overdose. However, DMX says that he suffered from a severe asthma attack.
DMX has had drug problems throughout his life. In 2013 he told Dr. Phil that he was introduced to drugs when he was about 8 years old, when a family member gave him marijuana. At age 14, he says he smoked a blunt that he later found out had been laced with cocaine.
"That's when it started," he said. "It was something that drew me in, and trapped me, and just had a hold on me for a long, long time."
He continued, "I'm always going to be an addict. I'm going to be an addict until I die. It doesn't mean I have to get high."
He indicted that he didn't realize he had a drug problem until he was about 20 years old.