On Thanksgiving Day, HBO released “DMX: Don’t Try to Understand,” a documentary that follows DMX following his prison release in 2019, reconnecting with friends and family and trying to find a fresh start in music.
Since its release, reactions to the documentary have been positive, with audiences praising the documentary for showing the many different and complex sides of DMX. Friend and longtime collaborator, Swizz Beatz, even chimed in and showed praise for the documentary as well.
“Was hard to watch but can’t lie they did a good job” Swizz said in an Instagram post. “?????? Long live @dmx the Great⚡️ Go watch now ??????”
The documentary was directed by Chris Frierson. In an interview with Rolling Out, he spoke on the making of the film and how DMX helped him in his own sobriety.
“[DMX’s] Humanity comes out because those things are all emotions that we as human beings experience,” Frierson said. “The intent was really to show those relationships he has with his family, those relationships he has with his past abuse, the relationship he has with addiction. And these are all things that most Americans, or people in general, have relationships with…. I partially owe my sobriety to him, to a certain extent, because the last thing he said to me was that I was going to be alright.”
In the coming weeks, expect more music documentaries to drop on HBO Max. On December 16th, the documentary “The Abyss” will release which centers around Juice WRLD’s life, struggles with fame and untimely death.
