DMX: My Mentor Got Me Hooked On Crack, Laced My Blunt

Rapper DMX, who has battled drug addiction for many decades, revealed that his struggle with substance abuse began when a former mentor of his laced his blunt with crack. 

He was just 14 at the time.

"I was in Yonkers. This guy, 'Ready Ron,' he was like an older brother to me," he told Talib Kweli on his People's Party podcast. "He would rap, and I would do the beatbox. I loved this guy like an older brother."

He said the incident took place after they committed a robbery together.

"It was his birthday and we came back and split the money. I said, 'Here you go, go get something nice for your birthday.' So he came back with a blunt rolled up, and I'm counting the money, he pass[ed] the blunt.

 "I hit the blunt and … I was no longer focused on the money. I've never felt like this, it just f*cked me up. I later found out that he laced the blunt with crack. Why would you do that to a child? He knew I looked up to him. Why would you do that to somebody who looks up to you? A monster was born. I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy. Especially to someone that you supposedly love."