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Belly: Remembering DMX’s classic breakout performance

By Thomas J. Brown

Detail of the DMX mural at the Calcagno Homes on School Street in Yonkers, July 13, 2021. The Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers commissioned Yonkers Arts to restore a mural at the site. After the April 9 death of Earl Simmons (DMX), who lived part of his youth at the Calcagno Homes, residents asked that the mural restoration include a memorial to DMX.Dmx Mural School Street
Detail of the DMX mural at the Calcagno Homes on School Street in Yonkers, July 13, 2021. The Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers commissioned Yonkers Arts to restore a mural at the site. After the April 9 death of Earl Simmons (DMX), who lived part of his youth at the Calcagno Homes, residents asked that the mural restoration include a memorial to DMX.Dmx Mural School Street /
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(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) /

DMX’s performance in Belly was the best film debut ever by a musician turned actor.

Last week, I was sitting in my living room with my homeboys Squid, Muscle, and Breeze watching the newest version of The Suicide Squad on Amazon Prime, when Squid posed an interesting question. “Will Smith was in the 2016 version of this movie,” he said. “Why isn’t he in this one?”

We all traded theories back and forth about why Will wasn’t in this year’s release, but decided none of us knew the right answer and finished watching the movie.

After the guys went home, I started thinking about the question Squid asked. Inevitably, I started going over Will Smith’s greatest movie roles in my mind. Then it hit me, a lot of the younger generation only knows Will Smith the actor; they have no idea he started off in music. This thought led me to ask myself, which musician turned thespian had the best debut acting performance?

DMX gave a memorable performance in 1998’s Belly

As I turned the thought over in my mind and cycled through the many candidates who could possibly be the answer to the question, one performance stood out above all others. The late great DMX, who passed away earlier this year, gave a riveting performance in the movie Belly back in 1998.

His portrayal of a criminal who secretly wants out of the cycle he finds himself in was so profound, it’s hard to believe it was his first foray into theater. Let’s take a closer look at why DMX’s role as “Buns” was the best acting movie debut by ever performed by a musician.

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